God Only Knows Which Charity Single Will Be Next

[Rob McCow]

I think the BBC is great - but this video is totally over the top.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/arti...god-only-knows

What do you reckon to this?

What other songs could be co-opted into BBC Charity singles? And who could sing which lines?

[Stuart Wallis]

Shockingly, I recognised about half the acts! (It does help if you're as famous as Kylie and one Direction, or have been going as long as Chrissie Hynde/Elton/Brian Wilson etc...)

The BBC could release Help! in order to top up the licence fee, and get a few chief execs to sing it - it would at least be relevant...

[Rob McCow]

The BBC used to be able to use all of the Beatles tracks I believe. But no more! The rights situation is reassuringly complex, I'm sure.

I'd love to see them do a lush orchestral cover of The Beautiful Ones by Suede.
"Rave heads, shave heads / on the pill, got too much time to kill / get into bands and gangs yeah".
I feel that this reflects the BBC's values.

[Jon Masters]

I think a full orchestra version of Supper's Ready

[Rob McCow]

They'd all be fighting over who gets the line "A Flower?!". But they could get Genesis back together to... not do anything.

[Stuart Wallis]

No change there then...

I'd love to see them do a lush orchestral cover of The Beautiful Ones by Suede.
"Rave heads, shave heads / on the pill, got too much time to kill / get into bands and gangs yeah".
I feel that this reflects the BBC's values.

And we now know know who they've sold TV Centre to! Madchester in White City, anyone...?

[Si Hunt]

When is Band Aid 30 going to be announced? A month to go.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

"Feed the world! Let them know it's 30 years of Band Aid."

Got a nice ring to it.

[Si Hunt]

And as if by magic...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30037828

It's happening - all of today's most popular music stars (and Bono) will reunite on a new version of the song.

Geldof and Ure haven't aged a day!

Shit artwork here:



Nothing sums up a worldwide epidemic more than the "Soho nightclub" vibe.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

...all of today's most popular music stars (and Bono)...

[Stuart Wallis]

The one good thing about Bono is, if Harry Styles is on the record, that's doubled the number of artists on the record that I'll have heard of. Where's me slippers...?

[Si Hunt]

Who the **** let Seal in?!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

It's 2014 so when someone does something to raise millions for charity we must SLAAAAAG them off! Oh, Evil Bob Geldof. EVIL MAN. His song is old hat and crap! He should really give no less than this entire personal fortune to Africa instead! And anyway, giving money to Africa makes them look poor and stops people wanting to go on holiday there!

Everyone's in on it! Lily Allen objected to joining in. Emile Sande did it (because she's obliged to be on everything) but complained about the lyrics. Fuse ODG (whoever he is) turned it down.

I think we should burn Geldof at the stake, the fraudulent, money-raising old wanker!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

The intent (to raise money in a good cause) is fine. Fair play! Well done.

Unfortunately the song in question portrays Africa (that's the whole of Africa) as a backwards continent when that's not the case. Ebola is only affecting a few small parts of the country. I'd have preferred a new song, one that was more positive. I don't really know what the people of Africa think about it.

But he's stuck with Feed / Heal the World so there we are.

[Si Hunt]

It's not perfect. But it does strike me it's the vogue these days - to just launch into everyone and everything. If someone does something in the media, the inclination is to bring them down. The same week, Myleen Klass had a rant about mansion tax. She may have been misguided, misinterpreted or even just wrong. But immediately, people call for her to be SACKED. For her to lose her Littlewoods contract. DESTROY her income.

Where did all this hate come from? What happened to free speech? It's come to something where people can't be a bit of an arse for five minutes without everyone baying for them to lose their livelyhood like a lynch mob.

Back to Geldof, I just feel that some perspective is needed. So the song's lyrics might not actually be perfect. At the very least, surely it was all well intentioned? Be honest, how many of us heard it and had our perceptions of Africa ruined anyway? Does it really matter? To most people it's just going to be another re-making of a Christmas song they know already. I wonder how many of the people complaining will play the original Band Aid song, with its lyrics about famine and starvation, and sing along as they put their tree up? And not really be thinking about their view of modern Africa?

I just think (there's a point here, honest) that when someone who doesn't need the money tries to raise some money and awareness for a worldwide epidemic, we should cut him some slack! People have done worse. You'd think he was a serial killer the way people are carrying on. People just like to moan and complain. What did anyone ELSE do to try and make a difference?

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

It's 2014 so when someone does something to raise millions for charity we must SLAAAAAG them off! Oh, Evil Bob Geldof. EVIL MAN. His song is old hat and crap! He should really give no less than this entire personal fortune to Africa instead! And anyway, giving money to Africa makes them look poor and stops people wanting to go on holiday there!

I like the idea - and so i'm sure does Bob! - that he's sitting in a gold mine built underneath a duplicate of Buckingham Palace; not every famous person is stinking rich, and the Boomtown Rats didn't make a mint, whatever people think about linking fame and fortune. I daresay if he had a few more sheckles to rub together he would put them where his mouth is, but unfortunately the best he can do is round pop folk up every few years and do the old-fashioned thing of shaking the charity bucket. Nobody rightly criticises, say, Roger Daltrey for supporting cancer charities, what's wrong with anybody else supporting the charity of their own choice? eh?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The one good thing about Bono is, if Harry Styles is on the record, that's doubled the number of artists on the record that I'll have heard of. Where's me slippers...?

I don't think Bono was asked ... his version just uploaded itself to Bob Geldof's iPod automatically ... ;-)

[Dirk Gently]