Friday, December 19, 2014

Weekend Song


Thirty years ago in London, musician and activist Bob Geldof organized "Band Aid," a large collection of mostly British (but some American) rock and pop stars, to record "Do They Know It's Christmas," as a fundraiser for Ethiopian famine relief.  The effort, a romp of (take your pick) (a) altruism or (b) self-promotion by said stars, was perhaps legitimately criticized as condescending at the time (not helped by many of the stars mugging during the taping).  But the bottom line was that sales of the recording raised more than $24 million for the relief efforts.  The success of the concept spawned other musical fundraisers like Live Aid and Farm Aid.  The song has been re-recorded every decade since by new line-ups of artists.   This is the original one, though, with its super catchy coda.  See how many mulleted artists you recognize from 30 years ago (if you were around then, that is) and enjoy your weekend!

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