All-star group assembled by [a=Bob Geldof] to raise money for African famine relief. The song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written by Geldof with [a=Midge Ure], and was recorded on 25 November 1984. [a=Trevor Horn] co-produced with Ure and mixed the 12" version. The single went on sale on 3 December, went straight to number one and by the end of the year had sold three million copies, smashing the previous UK sales record (2.1 million by Wings' "Mull Of Kintyre"). All those involved gave their services for free, and even the vinyl itself was donated. The Band Aid Trust also benefited from the 1985 Live Aid concerts and two Sport Aid events, the second of which had a tie-in single by [a=Tears For Fears]. In 1989, another all-star cast assembled under the banner of [a=Band Aid II] to record a new version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It too was a number one hit, as was the 20-year anniversary version by [a=Band Aid 20]. Sleeve artist [a=Peter Blake (4)] is also credited as a member of Band Aid.
