Thursday 21 October 2004

What the world needs now... isn't this.

With news of yet another Band Aid iteration making the rounds for Christmas Number One, I have to wonder whether we need it at this point.

Do They Know It's Christmas? was an event of a particular time. That particular time was when the record industries were more about the music, artists had longevity and music actually had the power to change and define people's lives.

Today, with music as just another commodity and cynicism running rife, Band Aid III could be seen as free publicity for the "here today, gone tomorrow" artists taking part or as some sort of overall ploy to up the sales of the Live Aid DVD hitting shelves in November.

Lest us not forget the forgettable Band Aid II that came out in the late 80s to showcase the artists of the PWL stable - Sonia, Kylie, Jason Donovan, etc.

The main difference between Band Aid and Band Aid II is probably the longevity of the artists who took place. Of the artists who were on the 1984 original recording, many are still enjoying success 20 years later, either in the same group or as a solo artist - George Michael, U2, Paul Weller, David Bowie, Sting, Duran Duran to name a few.

Of Band Aid II, the only artist anyone still can recall is Kylie... and Sir Cliff.

In 20 years time, how many of the karaoke winners on Band Aid III will people remember. Scratch that, in 6 months time, how many?

I concur with the sentiment, send money to Africa... again, I just don't concur with destroying people's memories of a simpler time.

-- LINK: Wikipedia

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