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A special thought and memory for Christmas by peter Anthony Heslop-Smith

‘well tonight, thank god its them instead of you’

Do they know its Christmas, well it is back at number one, 20 years after it was first released as a single, and once again come the Christmas number one, for 2004.band aid 20,are a group of modern artists recording a song that is just a little bit special for most people. Sir Bob, Sir Paul, are there along with Midge Ure B with a collection of today’s stars with a 20s version of the song, surprisingly I know the names of a few of the today’s stars, and as I watch the music channels I am putting names to the modern stars faces. I do feel it is a little bit special that the thing has been realised with a modern twist to a old and famous song and I bought my copy after hearing it, and realising this version is growing on me. Hearing the original and watching the video still sends a shiver down my spine and hearing it takes me back 20 years to when I heard it for first time. the pop stars from long back, Paul Young, Duran Duran, Banamara, Kool and the Gang, Sting and George Michael, status quo, Phil Collins in that grubby warehouse on that Sunday when they recorded it.
The second version a few years later had stars from that time, with cliff. (And that was recorded in a Stock, Aitkin, beat, of that time) Jason and Kylie, Sonia!!, Wet Wet Wet, Lisa Stansfield, which is also sang with emotion. Listen to Lisa Stansfield singing her line!!.
A lot of emphasis was placed this time on the line ‘well, tonight, thank god its them instead of you’. It is a very strong worded line in what is quite a gentle song. It is saying whilst we are eating and partying there are people dying of starvation on the next continent to us. Whilst we are giving presents a whole country are hopefully given a chance to live.
The song had it roots back when Bob Geldof saw the report on BBC from Michael Burke, about the starving of Ethopia, so he decided to get a few mates together and record a song, to raise some money for them. Well as sometimes happens it got a bit bigger than that and a few more came along. So the song was in the shops in a few days and it reached number one, became the biggest selling single ever. However Bob was not happy to leave it there, the first person he tackled was Margaret Thatcher who he told to give the tax the government was to make on the sale of the record. The iron lady did just that a few days later. He shouted and argued at politicians and prime ministers and presidents so the governments would give more aid, which they did, well it was Bob Geldof shouting at them.
He then set about organising the major event that was live aid. He spoke and swore at many pop stars who agreed to take part, and the thing became massive with the two follow on concerts one at Wembley and then at the JFK stadium in the states. Status Quo kicked it all off, at Wembley with the song rocking all over the world which was rather poignant as the whole world rocked on that day.
I recalled I was on a Leon coach sat listening to it on a small radio coming back from Great Yarmouth where a few mates and myself had been stopping at former Doncasterian Billy Farres hotel. Then listened to rest at home, we were all moved when we all saw the video of the little boy trying to get up as the cars song drive played in the background, the TV screen shown the presenter crying as he was lost for words as the song played. Bob Geldof swore more, something that was not seen or heard on TV. Paul McCartney microphone would not work as he sang let it be, the Wembley concert ended with bob saying (I think you, know what song is next, it may be a cock up, but let it be the biggest of all ,he told them all gathered on that stage to sing it to the world, the whole world listened.

July 13th, was a big important day, it changed the world; it shown that put together the world can work.
July 13th, 1985,the day we all realized that it all may not be lost for mankind....

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