All In Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Who would have guessed that BBC journalist Michael Buerk's 1984 reports about the famine in Ethiopia would result in what is likely the greatest charity record ever made?

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote the charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 to help collect money for the famine that struck Ethiopia in 1983-1985.

On November 2, Paula Yates, Bob's future wife, hosted the weekly live music show "The Tube" at the Tyne Tees studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. Ultravox, a British band who were promoting their greatest hits album "The Collection", was one of the groups playing in the show. Yates was in the dressing room talking to the singer, Midge Ure, lead singer of Ultravox, when Geldof called her. Ure and Geldof had collaborated on "The Secret Policeman's Ball", a charity benefit concert, in 1981. Geldof asked Paula if he could speak to Midge Ure and expressed his desire to help with the problem in Ethiopia. Bob and Ure arranged to talk ideas over lunch the following day and decided to make a charity record.

The wheels were put into motion on November 25 and 26, 1984. While Bob reached out to several musicians, Midge composed the backing track at his own home studio with his engineer, Rik Wa. Bob came up with the idea of calling the band "Band Aid".

When Bob Geldof asked English record producer Trevor Horn to produce the record, Trevor informed him that he was extremely busy and would not be able to begin recording for at least six weeks. That would have prevented Bob and Ure from meeting their desired Christmas deadline. Trevor Horn, however, offered them a 24-hour free use of his studio, Sarm West Studios, located in Notting Hill, London.

At 8 am on Sunday, 25 November, Midge and Bob arrived at the Sarm West Studios, with the recording planned to start at 10.30. Midge played the backing track to all the artists and then arranged them into groups. Paul Young was the first person to start singing with the line "It's Christmastime; there's no need to be afraid. At Christmastime, we let in light, and we banish shade," and this was followed by Boy George singing, "And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy. Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime." George Michael, Simon Le Bon, Tony Hadley, Bono and Sting all sang one line, with the rest of the artists joining in with the chorus.

Other backing artists from 1984 included Kool & the Gang, Boomtown Rats, Ultravox, Phil Collins, Bananarama, Heaven 17, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Status Quo, Paul Weller and Jody Watley.

Since the original recording in 1984, there have been three more recordings: Band Aid II (1989), Band Aid 20 (2004), and Band Aid 30 (2014). In 2024 a reworked recording from 1984, 2004, and 2014, combining all the elements from these years, was produced called the "Ultimate Mix".