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Remembering Live Aid 13 July 1985: The Greatest Show On Earth
All author royalties and publisher profits from the sale of this book will go to The Live Aid Trust
On Saturday, 13 July 1985, a blazing, cloudless summer day, millions of people settled in front of the television. It was just before noon in London, 7 am in Philadelphia, and around the world, it was time for Live Aid. This pair of huge concerts had been arranged in fewer than four months by singer and activist Bob Geldof of The Boomtown from a standing start to sixteen hours of music, seventy-plus artists and close to two hundred songs. These concerts mesmerised a huge global audience and raised millions for the starving in Ethiopia. This book revisits every band and every song that made up the two Live Aid concerts.
Some made their name at Live Aid — U2 in particular. Some bands reunited — Status Quo, The Who, Black Sabbath — and some were performing their last show together. Certain performances last long in the memory — Queen, of course, but also David Bowie, Elton John, Santana and others. Indeed, some are best forgotten …
And, behind it all, the drive of Bob ‘the best day of my life,’ he admitted. For a generation of music fans, 13 July 1985 was a landmark day. It was The Greatest Show On Earth. How much of it do you remember?
Andrew Wild is an experienced writer, music collector and film buff with many books to his name, including recent publications about Queen, The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Crosby, Stills and Nash. His comprehensive study of every song recorded and performed by the Beatles between 1957 and 1970 was published by Sonicbond in 2019. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
On Saturday, 13 July 1985, a blazing, cloudless summer day, millions of people settled in front of the television. It was just before noon in London, 7 am in Philadelphia, and around the world, it was time for Live Aid. This pair of huge concerts had been arranged in fewer than four months by singer and activist Bob Geldof of The Boomtown from a standing start to sixteen hours of music, seventy-plus artists and close to two hundred songs. These concerts mesmerised a huge global audience and raised millions for the starving in Ethiopia. This book revisits every band and every song that made up the two Live Aid concerts.
Some made their name at Live Aid — U2 in particular. Some bands reunited — Status Quo, The Who, Black Sabbath — and some were performing their last show together. Certain performances last long in the memory — Queen, of course, but also David Bowie, Elton John, Santana and others. Indeed, some are best forgotten …
And, behind it all, the drive of Bob ‘the best day of my life,’ he admitted. For a generation of music fans, 13 July 1985 was a landmark day. It was The Greatest Show On Earth. How much of it do you remember?
Andrew Wild is an experienced writer, music collector and film buff with many books to his name, including recent publications about Queen, The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Crosby, Stills and Nash. His comprehensive study of every song recorded and performed by the Beatles between 1957 and 1970 was published by Sonicbond in 2019. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2024
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January 10, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Despite being born 14 years after Live Aid, I truly am obsessed with this day and find it remarkable. So many talented people coming together with no egos and just having fun. It's something that truly will never happen again. This book maps out the day as it truly played out beginning at noon and going between London and Philadelphia. Although the excerpts can run short you still find out juicy information. Long live Live Aid. 💚
Displaying 1 of 1 review