Sir Bob Geldof, has reformed the supergroup Band Aid, who took over the airwaves in 1984, in order to raise money to combat Ebola with a new version of the song that is now available for preorder.
Geldof, known for his philanthropy and charity work, enlisted an all-star lineup of the world’s biggest rock stars rock stars to record a charity single for Africa with the world-wide hit, Do They Know It’s Christmas? to help those affected by famine in Ethiopia.
Set to do it again, Geldof has recently confirmed at a conference in London that the song would be re-recorded with a batch of new stars.
Artists confirmed to be signed up for the single include Angélique Kidjo, Bastille, Bono, Chris Martin, Clean Bandit, Disclosure, Ed Sheeran, elbow, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande, Fuse ODG, Jessie Ware, Jimmy Napes, Midge Ure, Olly Murs, One Direction, Paloma Faith, Paul Epworth, Rita Ora, Robert Plant, Queen drummer Roger Taylor, Sam Smith, Sinead O’Connor, Underworld.
Released three decades ago, the original song, raised $US11 million, and featured the biggest recording artists at the time including U2’s Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins and David Bowie. It has been re-recorded twice in 1989 and 2004.
Topping the charts in 1984, the song sold millions of copies, with proceeds going to Ethiopian famine relief. They followed it up with Live Aid in 1985, a transatlantic concert that raised an estimated $US100 million for Ethiopia.
Ebola has killed 4950 people out of more than 13,000 infected since it broke out in West Africa earlier this year, according to the World Health Organisation, mostly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Watch the original version below: