Band Aid / Do They Know It’s Christmas? 40th anniversary reissue

Band Aid’s 1984 charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? is being reissued to mark 40 years since the original release.

Written by Bob Geldolf and Midge Ure, Do They Know It’s Christmas? was of course performed by ’80s pop stars of the era, including George Michael, Paul Young, Sting, Duran Duran, Phil Collins, Boy George, Heaven 17, Spandau Ballet et al.

The reissue is being released on CD and vinyl and features the original recording from 1984, the Band Aid 20 version (from 2004) and the song as sung by ‘Band Aid 30’ in 2014. It also features the “if you’re going to cock it up…” rendition performed at the end of Live Aid in 1985.

However, this release’s claim to fame is a new ‘Ultimate Mix’ created by Trevor Horn that mixes vocal contributions of the many artists who have recorded the song over the decades into one seamless whole. So in other words, you can hear a Sting sing alongside Ed Sheeran, Boy George with Sam Smith, and George Michael with Harry Styles, etc.

The 1989 ‘Band Aid II’ version isn’t included in this new edit, since the multi-tracks cannot be found, although that doesn’t explain why the 89 version isn’t included on the CD and vinyl in its original form.

While we’re talking omissions, it feels like a missed opportunity not to have included the original 1984 12-inch version on at least the CD (the ‘Feed The World’ B-side is also absent), but of course this is all for a good cause, with proceeds going to the Band Aid Trust.

Do They Know It’s Christmas? will be released on 29 November 2024. It will be premiered online on 25 November.

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Band Aid

Do They Know Its Christmas? CD single

Shop Price gbp Stock Amazon uk   4.99 Pre-Order Amazon fr   5.87 Pre-Order Amazon jp   1388.00 Pre-Order

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Band Aid

Do They Know Its Christmas? 12-inch single

Shop Price gbp Stock Amazon uk   19.99 Pre-Order Amazon fr   17.36 Pre-Order Amazon ca   41.99 Pre-Order

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Tracklisting

Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid /

• CD single and 12-inch single
  • 1. Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 1984 Version
    2. Band Aid 20 – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2004 Version – Band Aid 20
    3. Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2014 Version – Band Aid 30
    4. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2024 Ultimate Mix
    5. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Live at Wembley Stadium, 1985