Secrets of Band Aid 40 years on including group on coke, Bob Geldof branded an ‘old queen’ & why lyrics were changed

IT is the Christmas opus that raised much than £80million for charity, sold astir 12million copies worldwide and features immoderate of the biggest planetary popular stars of the time.

But contiguous — to people the track’s 40th twelvemonth — we uncover however the occurrence of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? was fuelled by day-old sandwiches, booze swiped from a journalist’s adjacent location and, for some, ­Status Quo’s cocaine supply.

The iconic bells connected the azygous were knocked retired connected songwriter Midge Ure’s Casio keyboard, Boy George was scrambled to the ­studio from New York by Concorde erstwhile helium initially didn’t amusement up, and Duran Duran got locked successful the workplace toilet.

The unthinkable tales of the making of the deed charity azygous are told successful an interrogation with Robin Eggar — 1 of lone 2 euphony ­journ­alists allowed successful the country for the ­famous workplace league by the organisers, Ultravox frontman Midge and Boomtown Rats vocalist Bob Geldof.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Robin said: “It was a singular day, fixed the fig of stars.

“There were immoderate hilarious moments and it was unthinkable to spot each these artists successful 1 cramped, slight­ly worn workplace together.

“Bob Geldof corralled and bullied each these artists similar Duran Duran, George Michael and U2, who had been competing against each different successful the charts and slagging each different disconnected publicly, into 1 spot connected a quiescent Sunday successful London successful November.

Good time

“It whitethorn ne'er person been the aforesaid if it hadn’t been for Concorde. Bob called Boy George and ordered him to alert successful from New York connected the day.

“Despite each the egos, everyone got connected good but determination was nary catering — radical were told to spell retired and get their ain sandwiches and I had to spell backmost to my spot to get six bottles of wine, which disappeared successful 10 minutes.

“Status Quo kept disappearing disconnected to the toilets with others and coming backmost ‘refreshed’.

“Despite his time starting astatine 8am, Midge had to footwear astir radical retired astatine midnight due to the fact that everyone was having specified a bully time.”

On Monday, it volition beryllium 4 decades since astir 40 of Britain’s ­finest popular stars assembled successful Sarm Studios, West London, to laic down the hastily created song, which went connected to go the biggest-selling foundation grounds successful UK history.

The azygous was inspired by a haunting 1984 BBC News study from Ethiopia, wherever famine had ravaged the state and led to 1.2million deaths betwixt 1983 and 1985 alone.

After watching the images of ­starving children connected the dispatch, Bob Geldof called his person Midge to archer him: “We indispensable marque a record.”

Robin, a euphony newsman who had interviewed immoderate of the day’s biggest stars, said: “Bob went connected a ngo to rise money. He bullied and corralled anyone helium could successful euphony and did it each successful a fewer weeks.

“Bob’s vocation was a spot connected the floor. His partner, Paula Yates, was overmuch much celebrated arsenic she was ­presenting The Tube connected TV.

“But helium had everyone’s telephone ­numbers and wouldn’t halt bullying them to amusement up.

“The idiosyncratic who gets forgotten a small spot successful this is Midge. He was a overmuch bigger prima than Bob.

“Once Bob had the assurance that Midge was connected board, helium past started pushing people. Sting was an casual hit, due to the fact that helium was precise keen connected each sorts of biology issues.

“Bob bumped into Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran leaving the Picasso nine connected the King’s Road conscionable aft helium spotted Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet done an creation assemblage window.

“U2 were determination due to the fact that they were some Irish and it was conscionable easier to bash what Bob said arsenic helium would ne'er person fto them perceive the extremity of it.

“Bob would archer them that others were confirmed, adjacent if they weren’t, truthful they felt they had to come.

“They initially said, ‘We’re aiming to get a Christmas No1 with the ­single and marque a fewer 100 1000 quid’ but the world is the opus has made astir £80million.”

Midge wrote the euphony portion Bob penned the lyrics up of the November 25 recording. But erstwhile they arrived astatine 8am, nary 1 other was determination barroom the film unit outside.

Robin, who arrived earlier astir of the stars, said: “I knew a batch of the bands and I was surviving a gentle locomotion away.

“Paul Young arrived first, Sting past came successful carrying the Sunday papers, past Bono and Adam Clayton from U2 arrived.

"Paul Weller turned up and was precise nervous. Bananarama pitched up successful a battered cab.

“Duran, Duran and Spandau Ballet came successful astir 10am. They’d been astatine a TV amusement successful Germany the nighttime before, truthful they’d each flown successful together, and they’d had a drinking contention the nighttime earlier truthful were looking a small worse for wear.

"There was nary security, nary managers, nary publicists.

“There was a spot of ‘not wanting to beryllium astatine the beforehand of class’ astir who sang first. In the end, Spandau’s Tony Hadley yet volunteered.”

At 11am, Culture Club arrived and Bob realised idiosyncratic was missing — Boy George.

Robin said: “Bob called him up successful his edifice country astatine 6am successful New York. A groggy George was telling him helium was going to conflict to marque it and Bob conscionable chopped successful and said, ­‘Everyone’s present but you.

‘Boy George was spicy’

There’s a Concorde to London astatine 9.30am, get connected it’. He arrived mid-afternoon.

“When George waltzed in, helium said, ‘Could idiosyncratic get maine immoderate brandy?’. When Bob said he’d person to bash his lines first, George was precise spicy. Bob jokingly said, ‘Oh, get connected with it, you f***ing aged queen’.

“George responded, ‘Shut up, you Irish tart’. George sang his enactment — 1 instrumentality — past swanned disconnected into the ­studio to fundamentally dispersed chaos. He gave everyone a boost.”

To support everyone occupied, lensman Brian Aris got the radical to each sing the celebrated “Feed the World” chorus arsenic helium snapped away. Status Quo’s Francis Rossi had them successful stitches by saying, “Why is everyone singing ‘Feed the Welsh’?”

Robin recalled Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt besides struggled with immoderate of their trademark harmonies — yet leaving Rossi to bash their lines alone.

The 2 songwriters made changes to the opus arsenic they went along.

Robin said: “Bob ribbed Midge Ure astir the mediate section, which helium did connected his Casio keyboard.

“Bob said, ‘It sounds similar the taxable from Z-Cars done connected the Stylophone’. Midge snapped back, ‘If anything, it’s Jingle Bells mixed with The Dam Busters taxable tune’.

“They besides realised the line, ‘And determination won’t beryllium snow successful Ethiopia this Christmas’ wouldn’t fit, truthful changed Ethiopia for Africa.

“I besides retrieve Paul Young was trying to sing his lines and Bob was cutting successful from down the table and telling him what to sing, but Bob was wholly retired of tune.

"Paul looked confused. Midge chopped successful and shouted, ‘You’re retired of tune Bob, fto them bash their business’.”

Robin said Bono wowed with a azygous instrumentality of his iconic “Well, contiguous convey God it’s them alternatively of you” line, portion Phil Collins waited 7 hours without moaning to grounds the drums connected the track.

There was precise small refreshment to hand, with Bob saying, “If you privation it, spell retired to get it yourself”.

‘We’ve buried our egos’

Robin, who appears successful the song’s video adjacent to Simon Le Bon aft the camera unit thought helium was a pop star, added: “The workplace rustled up immoderate curry and chips. If you wanted a sandwich oregon drink, you went to get it from the country shop.

"There were tons of day-old sandwiches being eaten.”

While the singers were called up successful bid of illustration success, immoderate started to consciousness successful request of a drink.

Robin said: “I had a level nearby. Adam Clayton and I went backmost and got six bottles of vino I had lying around. That lasted astir 10 ­minutes successful the studio. Others went to the off-licence erstwhile it opened.”

Status Quo besides raised the level of partying. Robin added: “There was a batch of cocaine successful the manufacture then, and Status Quo were precise popular, and they’d support vanishing into the toilets, and everyone came retired looking precise refreshed.

"They were the biggest enactment animals.

“At 1 constituent they adjacent locked Duran Duran successful the toilets. But it was a existent collegiate atmosphere. George Michael said to me, ‘What was needed was for everyone to get together. We’ve each buried our ain egos for a greater cause’.

“By the end, determination were immoderate large scenes. Weller was having a speech with Jon Moss, from Culture Club, and the vocalist ­Marilyn, astir Margaret Thatcher.”

Francis Rossi said successful 2019 of the archetypal signaling session: “I hadn’t expected however overmuch galore of america had successful communal erstwhile it came to cocaine. Soon our country of the ­studio became the go-to hangout for rather a fewer others.”

Midge and Bob stayed until 8am producing the record. It was ­immediately sent for pressing and was connected the shelves wrong days.

It flew consecutive to No1, staying determination for 5 weeks implicit Christmas.

The occurrence adjacent inspired the Live Aid performance successful July 1985, a remake of the opus 20 years on, which this insubstantial backed, and a ­further update successful 2014. A caller ­version, including voices from the 1984, 2004 and 2014 releases, is successful the making to people the 40th anniversary.

Robin, who went connected to constitute biographies of Tom Jones and ­Shania Twain and tally his ain communications firm, said: “It remains 1 of the things I’m proudest of — conscionable being successful the room.”

This week, Bob was forced to support Band Aid 40 aft London-born Ghanaian rapper Fuse ODG said the grounds fuelled “pity alternatively than partnership”.

Ed Sheeran, who sang connected the 2014 release, besides said helium would person “respectfully declined” the re-use of his vocals connected the caller song, had helium been consulted.

Robin said: “Ed’s views are ­perfectly reasonable. He should person been asked.”

He added: “However, the archetypal Band Aid was a clump of precise ­successful popular stars who were appalled by what was happening successful Ethiopia and wanted to help.

“British euphony was successful specified a bully spot and it each came unneurotic successful a tiny studio, connected a Sunday afternoon.”