After the success of Quincy Jones's "We Are The World" and the fabulous Bono/Bob Geldof-led Band-Aid release "Do They Know It's Christmas?," it was evident that anybody with a little gumption and gall in the music industry who had a few friends could probably maybe change the world HAHAHA ok.
With this very idea in mind, metal god Dio took action.
With a little pressing from fellow rocker Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James sat down and penned the song "Stars." He and Quiet Rioter Frankie Banali laid down the basic rhythm and percussion track in L.A. and then began the arduous task of hunting down their favorite metalhead friends to contribute to the single.
In the end, an astounding 40 of the most recognizable names (at the time) in AOR and loud rock gathered to put down their wailing pipes (and for a lucky few, their wanking axes) to help feed Africa. In addition to the especially-written single, the Hear 'N Aid compilation CD featured live tracks from Rush, Motorhead, Dio, KISS, The Scorpions, and an unreleased (and subpar) nugget from Jimi Hendrix.
The album was released on Mercury Records and sold remarkably well, going gold in 1988 (the single peaked at #39 on the charts). Adding in sales of bandanas, shirts, sweaters, hats, posters, and the classic video documentary of the event, and the Hear 'N Aid event generated over $1,000,000 for the hunger cause. Not too shabby.
Track List:
- Stars- Hear 'N Aid
- Up To The Limit - Accept
- On The Road - Motorhead
- Distant Early Warning - Rush
- Heaven's On Fire - Kiss
- Can You See Me - Jimi Hendrix
- Hungry For Heaven - Dio
- Go For The Throat - Y&T
- The Zoo - Scorpions
Performers:
A big help from http://home.online.no/~n-johano/fthearnaid.htm, which has entirely too much information about this whole affair.