Some of the U.K.’s biggest pop stars gathered yesterday (Nov. 14) to record a new version of the 1984 fundraising hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” to benefit victims of violence in Sudan. Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Jamelia, Ms. Dynamite, Will Young and members of the bands Busted, the Darkness and Sugababes were all part of the project, called Band Aid 20.
Paul McCartney, U2’s Bono, Dido and Robbie Williams also participated in the new version, recording their contributions ahead of time.
“It sounds gaudy, but I guess there is a legacy,” said Bob Geldof, who wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in 1984 with Midge Ure, for a superstar group they called Band Aid. The original record raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief.
Geldof and Ure organized this year’s effort, which will benefit those suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan. The single is due out Nov. 29 via Mercury.
Geldof, who also planned the 1985 Live Aid concerts and has been knighted for his activism, said he hoped the new recording would spur Britain’s government to use its 2005 stints heading the European Union and the G8 group of wealthy nations to improve life for those in poor countries.
“The reality is that only politics created this dilemma and only politics can resolve it,” he said. 
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