So, those twenty bands are about the reach the conclusion of the previously reported project to record and release an album in the fastest ever time. The venture has been organized by the War Child charity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the legendary 'Help' album, which was also recorded in the space of one day, and which raised more than £1.25m for children caught up in the Bosnian war. The new project will raise further funds for the charity which, of course, supports children caught up in war situations all around the world.
Work began on the new album yesterday lunchtime. The aim is to have the album available for download by 2pm this afternoon. Each track will cost 99p to download, while a CD version of the full album will be released on 26 Sep.
Among the artists involved this time round are War Child patrons Keane who have recorded a cover of Sir Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. Kaiser Chiefs recorded a version 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' at a studio in Berlin, Gorillaz have recorded a song called 'Hong Kong' in, erm, Hong Kong, while the Manic Street Preachers recorded 'Leviathan' in their studio in Wales.
The full tracklisting of the complete album will run thus:
Antony and the Johnsons and Boy George - Happy Xmas (War is Over)
Belle & Sebastian - The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House
Bloc Party - The Present
The Coral - It Was Nothing
Damien Rice - Crosseyed Bear
Elbow - Snowball
Emmanuel Jal - Gua
The Go! Team - Phantom Broadcast
Gorillaz - Hong Kong
Hard-Fi - Help Me Please
Kaiser Chiefs - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Keane and Faultline - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The Magic Numbers - Gone Are the Days
The Manic Street Preachers - Leviathan
Maximo Park - Wasteland
Mylo - we're not sure yet!
Radiohead - I Want None of It
Razorlight - Kirby's House
Tinariwen - to be confirmed
The Zutons - Hello Conscience
Commenting on their support for the project and War Child in general, Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley told reporters: "Every childhood should be a time for optimism and innocence. In many places it is instead a time of violent chaos, deprivation and fear. War Child is doing everything it can to change that, and we are proud to give them our sincere support."
PS: We hear Babyshambles are a last minute edition to the War Child project, which is typical, never show up when they're invited, but suddenly appear when they're not. Only joking, well done them for taking part. Also vicious rumours doing the rounds that the Babyshambles album is finished - but that's another story.