Hear 'n Aid

Last updated

Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid 1986.jpg
Compilation album by
various artists
Released1 January 1986
Recorded20–21 May 1985
Studio
Genre Heavy metal
Length43:14
Label PolyGram Records
Producer "Stars" Track - Ronnie James Dio, Other Tracks - Various
Singles from Hear 'n Aid
  1. "Stars"
    Released: 7 April 1986 [1]

Hear 'n Aid was a charity record released in 1986. The record featured a supergroup of 40 heavy metal musicians on a track called "Stars". A music video was released as well, produced during the recording sessions. Proceeds from the album were used to raise over $3 million for famine relief in Africa. [2]

Contents

The project was spearheaded by Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell of the band Dio, who also contributed a live version of "Hungry for Heaven" to the album. The project also included contributions from Tommy Aldridge, Blue Öyster Cult, Dokken, Giuffria, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, Night Ranger, Ted Nugent, Queensrÿche, Quiet Riot, Rough Cutt, Twisted Sister, Vanilla Fudge, W.A.S.P. and Y&T, as well as the parody band Spinal Tap, who performed in character.

Recording

In interview video footage taken during the event, Ronnie Dio said that while attending a 48-hour charity Radiothon for African famine relief at the radio station KLOS in Los Angeles, Bain and Campbell noticed that representation from hard rock and heavy metal stars was low. In light of the success of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World", they forwarded the idea of a similar project exclusively built around artists from the hard rock and heavy metal genres to Ronnie Dio, and together the three co-wrote "Stars".

"Stars" was recorded on 20 and 21 May 1985 with the first session at Sound City Studios and the second session moving to A&M Studios Studio A, where "We Are The World" was recorded. [3] It was edited and mixed at Rumbo Recorders and mastered at Artisan Sound.

Lead vocals were shared between Ronnie Dio, Rob Halford, Kevin DuBrow, Eric Bloom, Geoff Tate, Dave Meniketti, Don Dokken, and Paul Shortino. Vivian Campbell, Carlos Cavazo, Buck Dharma, Brad Gillis, Craig Goldy, George Lynch, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Ojeda, and Neal Schon (whose Journey bandmate, Steve Perry, was part of "We Are the World") all added guitar solos. Ronnie & Wendy Dio received a commitment from Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page that he would do a guitar solo for "Stars" the day after Live Aid, as Led Zeppelins had reunited for the Philadelphia show. A recording session in Philadelphia was set up for July 14 (the day after Led Zeppelin performed) with staff donating their time for the recording. Without explanation, Page backed out of his original commitment. [4]

Iron Maiden's Dave Murray and Adrian Smith were in the middle of their 'World Slavery Tour' at the time, and flew in to provide rhythm guitar lines for the main session, along with Campbell.

Release and reception

The single and album were originally intended to be released shortly after its recording, but contractual issues with the different artists' record labels delayed the release until New Year's Day 1986, somewhat diminishing the impact of its release. [5]

Along with "Stars", the compilation album, titled Hear 'n Aid (or alternatively appearing as Hear 'n Aid (An All-Star Album For Famine Relief))", included "Go for the Throat", the B-side to Y&T's "All American Boy" single, and "Can You See Me" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, as well as live tracks by Accept, Motörhead, Rush, Kiss, Dio and Scorpions. [6]

The "Stars" single was released on vinyl in both 7" and 12" versions. Both included a 4:43 edit of the track, and a "4 1/2 Minutes News" interviews with musicians who participated in the project. The 12" featured the original 7:04 version as well. [7] The back of the record sleeve for the single had the following description:

"On May 20 and 21, 1985, 40 artists from the hard rock music community gathered at A&M Records Studios to participate in the making of a record called "Stars", as part of a very special project known as Hear 'N Aid. The "Stars" single, coupled with the album, a video documentary on the making of the record, and other ancillary products will raise money for famine relief efforts in Africa and around the world. 40 artists and hundreds of volunteers donated their time and talent over four months to make Hear 'N Aid a reality. "Stars" is a plea for unity in the fight against world hunger." [8]

The single "Stars" peaked at No. 26 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1986. [9] The music video for "Stars" received moderate airplay on MTV's Heavy Metal Mania [10] and afterward on MTV's replacement program Headbangers Ball . [11]

The project also released a 30 minute Sony home video documentary, Hear 'n Aid: The Sessions, which was shot during the recording process and released on VHS and Video8 formats. [12] The back cover for the documentary has the following description:

"'Hear 'N Aid: The Sessions' documents the making of a record, a very special record called 'Stars', that will raise money for famine relief. It is a behind-the-scenes journey through the process of rock 'n roll record-making, from the basic tracks through vocal solos an chorus to performances by 11 stellar guitarists that form a single guitar solo. 40 artists from the hard rock music community and hundreds of volunteers donated their time and talent over four months to make Hear 'N Aid a reality. 'Stars' is a plea for unity in the fight against world hunger."

On 31 May 2004, VH1 premiered a five-night documentary special titled "100 Most Metal Moments", narrated by Dee Snider. [13] At the conclusion, Hear 'n Aid was ranked as the "No. 1 Most Metal Moment". [14]

The following CD release info needs verification as Wendy Dio indicated as late as 2011 that it was only ever released on vinyl and cassette. [15]

"The Hear 'n Aid album was released in CD format in the U.S. in May of 1994. (Mercury/Phonogram 826-044-2 (US, CD Reissue, 5/94). Allmusic references a CD re-release on 13 June 2000 with catalog of PolyGram #4218. [16] Kissmonster references a CD re-release: Japanese import Vertigo PHCR-4218 (Japan, CD Reissue, 11/94)" [17]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Stars" Ronnie James Dio, Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain Hear 'n Aid7:15
2."Up to the Limit" (Live in Nagoya, Japan; 1985. From the Kaizoku-Ban EP) Wolf Hoffmann, Stefan Kaufmann, Peter Baltes, Jörg Fischer, Udo Dirkschneider, Deaffy Accept 5:01
3."On the Road" (Live at The Hammersmith Odeon, 1985. From The Birthday Party '85 video) Burston, Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, Pete Gill Motörhead 4:55
4."Distant Early Warning" (Live in Toronto, 1984. From the Grace Under Pressure Tour video) Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart Rush 5:06
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
5."Heaven's on Fire" (Live in Detroit, 1984. From the Animalize Live Uncensored video) Paul Stanley, Desmond Child Kiss 4:21
6."Can You See Me" (from Are You Experienced ) Jimi Hendrix The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2:27
7."Hungry for Heaven" (Live in Philadelphia 1985. Previously unreleased)Dio, Bain Dio 4:43
8."Go for the Throat (In Rock We Trust)" (bonus track) Dave Meniketti, Joey Alves, Phil Kennemore, Leonard Haze Y&T 4:32
9."The Zoo" (From World Wide Live ) Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine Scorpions 6:14
Total length:38:09

Personnel

Track 1: "Stars"

Hear 'n Aid [18]

Track 2: "Up to the Limit"

Accept

Track 3: "On the Road"

Mötorhead

Track 4: "Distant Early Warning" Live

Rush

Track 5: "Heaven's on Fire" Live

Kiss

Track 6: "Can You See Me"

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Track 7: "Hungry for Heaven" Live

Dio

Track 8: "Go for the Throat"

Y&T

Track 9: "The Zoo" Live

Scorpions

Charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [19] 76

The non-profit

Prior to the album release, and indicative of their business acumen and commitment to the project's success, Ronnie Dio, Bain and Campbell established Hear 'n Aid as a full fledged non-profit, presumably to avoid experiencing similar missteps and pitfalls encountered with previous African aid efforts. "Hear ’n Aid had to be a non-profit organisation… We had to set up a board of directors, fourteen people, and all decisions had to be made by the board. My role was getting the licensing." - Wendy Dio [3]

The Classic Rock article also indicates the project leadership and participants were well aware that the funds raised from similar events such as Band Aid were squandered due to governmental corruption as well as suffering from general disorganization which led to things such as "food rotting on docks" - Paul Shortino (vocalist for Rough Cutt). The funds raised through the Hear 'n Aid project were instead used to purchase and ship agricultural machinery.

During the period of high popularity of MySpace, Ronnie James Dio's profile [20] contained an entry crediting the project with having raised $1 million within a year. In a 2017 article written for Classic Rock , Ronnie's wife and manager, Wendy Dio, estimated the project's total amount raised to be over $3 million. [3]

Re-issue and potential sequel

Ronnie Dio planned on recording a second benefit single called "Throw Away Children" for "Children of the Night", a charity that he was involved with that benefited runaway children. For various reasons, the project never materialized, and the song ended up appearing on the 2002 Dio album, Killing the Dragon . [21] On 26 July 26 1986 some of the members of Hear 'n Aid reunited to perform “Stars” as the encore for Dio’s concert at Southern California’s Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. [4]

On 2 November 2011, Dio's widow Wendy announced that the song "Stars" would be re-released. She told Rolling Stone : “I’m going to re-release [Stars] because it only ever came out on vinyl and cassette. So it’ll come out on DVD and CD, I have loads of outtakes for the video”. [15]

On 30 March 2015, Wendy Dio spoke with Eddie Trunk on his SiriusXM satellite radio show Eddie Trunk Live. "We are in talks right now with a couple of record labels to reissue HEAR 'N AID, with the funds going to [the Ronnie James Dio] Stand Up And Shout [Cancer Fund, the charity founded in memory of the late singer]". [22] "We have so much stuff that was never released before — behind-the-scenes stuff that was shot during the whole time. We have photos galore of everybody that was involved in it, and I think it'll be fantastic. We just have to work on it. It may not come out this year, because I want everything to be perfect, as Ronnie would want it to be, but I am in talks about it, and that will be coming out, definitely."

In April 2015, Wendy Dio confirmed that a modern-day version of Hear 'n Aid was in the works to record a "new song" and released alongside the upcoming reissue of "Stars". She had stated that "legal stuff" was the cause of the reissue delay. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie James Dio</span> American heavy metal singer (1942–2010)

Ronald James Padavona, known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dio (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Dio left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice. The name Dio was chosen because it made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well known at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elf (band)</span> American rock band

Elf was an American rock band founded in 1967 by singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. The band was originally called the Electric Elves, but was shortened to the Elves in 1968 and finally Elf in 1972. Elf disbanded in 1975 after recording three albums and after most of the lineup had been absorbed into the newly formed Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinny Appice</span> American drummer

Vincent Samson Appice is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.

<i>Sacred Heart</i> (Dio album) 1985 studio album by Dio

Sacred Heart is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Dio and the last to feature guitarist Vivian Campbell. It was released on August 12, 1985, on Warner Bros. Records in North America, and Vertigo elsewhere. The record peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. It includes the singles "Rock 'n' Roll Children" and "Hungry for Heaven".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough Cutt</span> American rock band

Rough Cutt is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles that released two studio albums on Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1980s. Rough Cutt never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by many other Los Angeles bands of that time but various members went on to success in other groups, including Jake E. Lee with Ozzy Osbourne, Amir Derakh with Orgy, Paul Shortino with Quiet Riot, and Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell with Dio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Bain</span> Scottish bassist (1947–2016)

James Stewart Bain was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck Dharma</span> American musician (born 1947)

Donald Roeser, known professionally as Buck Dharma, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the sole constant member of hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and sang vocals on several of the band's best-known hits, including "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla" and "Burnin' for You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andi Deris</span> German singer (born 1964)

Andreas "Andi" Deris is a German singer, best known as one of the three co-lead vocalists of the power metal band Helloween, and co-founder and former lead singer of the metal band Pink Cream 69.

<i>Thats the Way It Is</i> (Elvis Presley album) 1970 studio album by Elvis Presley

That's the Way It Is is the twelfth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records, LSP 4445, in November 1970. It consists of eight studio tracks recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, and four live in-concert tracks recorded at The International Hotel in Las Vegas. It accompanied the theatrical release of the documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is, although it is not generally considered a soundtrack album. The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and at number eight on the country chart. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973, by the Recording Industry Association of America and up-graded to Platinum, for sales of a million copies on March 8, 2018.

<i>In Rock We Trust</i> 1984 studio album by Y&T

In Rock We Trust is the sixth studio album by American hard rock/heavy metal band Y&T, released in 1984 through A&M Records. The album became the band's highest charting album at the time, reaching No. 46 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<i>Mindcrime at the Moore</i>

Mindcrime at the Moore is a live album and DVD by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, that was released on July 3, 2007. The album and DVD were announced in an April 4 press release on the band's website.

<i>Ive Got My Own Album to Do</i> 1974 studio album by Ronnie Wood

I've Got My Own Album to Do is the first solo album by English rock musician Ronnie Wood, released in September 1974. An all-star project recorded outside of his activities with the Faces, it reached number 27 on the UK's NME chart. The album title was thought to be a dig at Rod Stewart, who appeared to be more committed to his solo career than working with the Faces. Wood has said that the title originated from contributors such as George Harrison and Mick Jagger "nagging me to let them go home" and finish their own projects. The album was recorded at The Wick, Wood's house in Richmond, south-west London.

<i>Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen</i> 1997 compilation album by Various Artists

Dragon Attack: Tribute to Queen is a Queen tribute album produced in 1997. Like most tribute albums, it features cover versions of many Queen songs by various artists, but uniquely the songs are not performed by established groups. Instead, the album is performed by a group of musicians who normally perform with other groups or artists, in different combinations for each track.

Heavy Metal Kids are a British rock band.

<i>Song of Seven</i> 1980 studio album by Jon Anderson

Song of Seven is the second solo album by Yes lead singer Jon Anderson, released in 1980. It was his first to use an actual band.

<i>Legacy</i> (Girlschool album) 2008 studio album by Girlschool

Legacy is the eleventh studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool, released on Wacken Records in 2008. This album celebrates the 30th anniversary of Girlschool, making it the longest running all-female metal band in activity. A few musicians that the band befriended in the many years of incessant touring lent a hand in completing the recording. The song "Legend" is dedicated to Kelly Johnson, the former Girlschool guitarist who died in 2007.

"Stargazer" is a song by the British-American rock supergroup Rainbow, released as fifth track from the band's second studio album Rising (1976). It is an epic song narrating the story of a powerful wizard whose attempt to fly by constructing a mystical tower to the stars leads to the enslavement of vast numbers of people. "Stargazer" is notable for its musical complexity, with the guitar, lyrics, and drum intro cited as significant examples of the talents of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Cozy Powell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edison's Children</span> Progressive rock band

Edison's Children is a science fiction-oriented progressive rock trio known for writing "epic Concept albums" with supernatural, apocalyptic and extra-terrestrial themes. It features Rick Armstrong, Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood. Their CDs include visual accompaniments in the form of 20 page "lyrics and images" insert booklets by photographer Wendy Darling Blackwood.

<i>Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi: WhoCares</i> 2012 compilation album by WhoCares , (Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi & Friends)

WhoCares, full title Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi: WhoCares, is a music project by Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and a charity release by the supergroup WhoCares they had formed with the help of other musicians, to raise money to rebuild a music school in Gyumri, Armenia after the destruction of the city in the 1988 earthquake in Armenia.

References

  1. ↑ "singles discography".
  2. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 416. CN 5585.
  3. 1 2 3 Black, Johnny (16 May 2017). "The story of Hear 'n Aid, the heavy metal Band Aid". Classic Rock. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. 1 2 Parker, Lyndsey (20 May 2020). "Remembering Hear 'N Aid's 'Stars,' the forgotten 'We Are the World' of '80s metal". Yahoo Entertainment.
  5. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo (20 May 2015). "The Day Heavy Metal Legends Convened for 'Hear 'n Aid'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media, Inc.
  6. ↑ "Hear 'n Aid (An All-Star Album For Famine Relief)". Discogs . 1986.
  7. ↑ "Hear'n Aid – Stars". Discogs. 1986.
  8. ↑ Keihänen, Tapio. "Hear 'N Aid 7" single Discography Dionet-00842". Dio.net. Dio net. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  9. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 248. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  10. ↑ "MTV's Heavy Metal Mania". IMDb.com.
  11. ↑ "Headbangers Ball". IMDb.com.
  12. ↑ "Hear 'n Aid: The Sessions". IMDb.com.
  13. ↑ "100 Most Metal Moments". IMDb. May 2004.
  14. ↑ "VH1's 100 Most Metal Moments - Full List Revealed". bravewords.com. 31 May 2004.
  15. 1 2 Baltin, Steve. "Ronnie James Dio's Widow Rereleasing Eighties Metal All-Star Project". Rolling Stone.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "Hear 'n Aid - Various Artists | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  17. ↑ "KISSMONSTER - Discography - Various Artists: Hear 'N Aid (1986)". Kissmonster.com. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  18. ↑ "Hear 'n Aid". Metal Kingdom.
  19. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  20. ↑ "Ronnie James Dio - Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.
  21. ↑ Kapper, Andrew (6 August 2022). "These Are The 10 Best DIO Deep Cuts". Metal Injection.
  22. ↑ "Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund". Diocancerfund.org. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  23. ↑ "Modern-day version of Eighties Metal All-Star Project Hear n' Aid to Record new Song for Charity". Blabbermouth.com. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.