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Bob Geldof and Africa

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Sir Bob Geldof helps Africa.

- This web page is dedicated to Sir Bob Geldof for his role in developing African.

- He is an Irish singer, song writer and humanitarian worker

- Having passion for Africa, he became specifically concerned about the fate of famine victims in Ethiopia in 1985.

- Using his musical talents, he raised millions of pounds for the famine victims in Ethiopia in 1985.

- Sir Geldof also appealed to the international community to contribute towards the crisis in Ethopia.

- He was given an honorary knighthood in 1986.

- This man is a hero for Africa, but how many people know about his role in bringing relief to Africa?

- Scroll down this web page to know more about him.
Please tell a friend about his humanitarian work.

Bob Geldof's Musical Milestones.
By Ian Gibbons.

" ...1973 - 1975
After a succession of dead end jobs and travel abroad with his girlfriend, Geldof gets his first break into the music business and starts work as a freelance journalist for the NME and other publications, interviewing such luminaries as Elton John and Little Richard before moving to Canada where he became the Music Editor for the Georgia Strait, reviewing gigs by the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Geldof was at last having fun.

1975
Geldof forms a band with friends John Moylett, Patrick Cusack, Gary Roberts, Gerry Cott and Simon Crow in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. Geldof was originally the bands manager, but soon found himself taking on the duty of lead vocalist. The bands early influences were UK pub rockers, Dr. Feelgood and reggae stars Max Romeo, Burning Spear and the legendary Bob Marley. The bands first gig was on October 31st 1975, under the name of The Nightlife Thugs at the Bolton Street Technical College for a fee of ?60 - not bad for 1975. They soon changed their name to The Boomtown Rats which was taken from Woody Guthrie?s autobiography Bound For Glory. The Rats were soon causing a buzz throughout the whole of Ireland.

1976
The Boomtown Rats relocated to England in search of a record deal. legend has it that they turned down a million pound deal from Richard Branson's Virgin Records, but decided instead to sign for a new label that had been set up by former Phonogram man Nigel Grange and DJ Chris Hill. The new label was called Ensign.

1977
Having undertaken a hectic schedule of touring, The Rats debut single Looking After Number One entered the UK charts in it's first week of release at no. 78. The NME made it their single of the week. The Rats did their first TV show, a turn on The Marc Bolan Show. Marc tragically died 2 weeks later in a motor accident. Looking After Number One peaked at No.11 in the UK charts and The Rats were invited to do their first TOTP appearance. The band had now arrived. Geldof & Co released their debut album, the imaginatively entitled Boomtown Rats. The album reached 18 in the UK charts. Geldof really was developing as a writer, Joey, Neon Heart and Help Me Make It If You Can were the gems of a really good debut album. The Rats released their second single Mary Of The Fourth Form from their debut album, this was a ditty about a schoolgirl, Mary Preece who Geldof had fancied. The single reached No.14 of the singles chart.

1978
She's So Modern reached No.12 in the UK chart, more gigs, more tours, more exposure. Geldof was now becoming as well known for his motor-mouth as he is for his music, picking up the nickname "Bob The Gob" by the music press for his outspoken views, with quotes like "All I want out of pop music is to get rich, get famous and get laid" - seems fair enough to me. The fourth single Like Clockwork became the bands first top 10 single reaching No.6. The Rats second album Tonic For The Troops produced by Robert Mutt Lange goes gold, reaching No.8 in the album charts and hanging around for 44 weeks. There was more TV, a promotional trip to America and November saw Geldof & Co reach the top, when Rat Trap knocked John Travolta & Olivia Newton John off the No.1 spot.

1979
The Golden Year. The Boomtown Rats were riding high, shitting gold. In January of this year, Geldof hears the story on the news of the Californian schoolgirl, Brenda Spencer who shot and killed her principal of the school and injured many of her school mates. When interviewed and asked why she did it, she replied "I Don't Like Mondays". This quote proved to be inspirational to Bob Geldof. The ensuing single became a smash hit world-wide, reaching the No.1 spot in 32 countries and quite rightly became an all-time classic. The Boomtown Rats undertook a world tour, taking in America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The American leg of the tour ended at The Palladium in New York. The Boomtown Rats third album The Fine Art Of Surfacing reached No.7 in the UK album charts. In December, the band released Diamond Smiles which peaked at No.13 in the UK charts.

1980
The band released Someone's Looking At You, another hit single which reached No.4 in the UK charts. Again they had a heavy live touring schedule all over the world. March saw Brenda Spencer's parents trying to have I Don't Like Mondays banned in the US. Many American radio stations refused to play the track, claiming Geldof was trying to cash in on the tragedy. The single only made it to No.73 in the US chart, their highest ever US position. America's negative feeling on Mondays is not reflected in the rest of the world. In May 1980 I Don't Like Mondays wins the best pop song and outstanding lyric category at the 25th Annual Ivor Novello Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The Rats released their reggae influenced Banana Republic which reached No.3 in the UK charts.

1981
The Rats recorded their new album Mondo Bongo in Ibiza with master producer Tony Visconti who had previously produced albums with T Rex, Bowie, Thin Lizzy, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, to name but a few. The album (a gem and in this hack's opinion) was their best since their debut album and although Tonic For The Troops and The Fine Arts Of Surfacing had all of the hits, Mondo Bongo saw Geldof take a giant artistic step, brilliant songs) reached a respectable No.6 in the album charts. The single Elephants Graveyard reached No. 26 in the singles chart. Guitarist Gerry Cott decided to leave the band. The Rats tour Asia and visit places of interest to the band, India, Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore. But whilst away from the shores of "Old Blighty" the tides had begun to shift. The Rats were seen by the record buying public, as irrelevant. The New Romantic movement was growing strong and bands like Duran Duran had taken prominence. The Rats new single Never In A Million Years, another great song, failed to reach the top 30. The writing was definitely on the wall.

1982
The wilderness years begin for the band. Their new album V Deep, again produced by Visconti, fails to make an impact. The title comes from a Japanese description of one style of love-making, four shallow, five deep. Bob thought this was cute, it was the bands fifth album and now that Gerry Cott had left the band, there were five members, so it all seemed appropriate. Singles taken from the album House On Fire, Charmed Life and Never In A Million Years, all stiffed. The Rats tour the UK to promote the album, on a tight budget, but nothing was happening. Artistically the songs on V Deep were as good as anything previously recorded. But the message was not getting across, the public had stopped listening.

1983
Saw little activity, no new albums, no new singles. The Rats were reduced to the university circuit. Things were looking bad for the bank balance, but the u university gigs, from a punters view, were wild. Hot sweaty gigs, students enjoying their freshers ball. One gig in particular, in early 1984, at York University caused a major problem, when the university threatened to sue Bob for encouraging the audience to get up and dance in what was an all seated auditorium.

1984
The Rats new single Tonight only reached No.73. The brilliant single Drag Me Down limped to a lowly No.50. The Geldof masterpiece Dave sinks without trace, although Pete Townsend of The Who said "Dave was one of the best singles of 1984". Hold On Me fails to make an impression. The Boomtown Rats tour the UK in a determined effort to crawl their way back. 44 gigs in 48 days. The band had to cut corners, making their own stage sets, but again the tours were wild. A depressed Geldof saw a news report on the TV about the famine in Ethiopia - you know the rest - it's history.

1985
Early in this year, The Rats toured the UK to promote the release of, in my opinion, The Rats best album in years, In The Long Grass. Brilliantly crafted songs, like Drag Me Down, Hold On Me and Dave. The tour did good business, many people turning out just to say well done. The audiences for this tour were quite strange, vicars to punks, the saint Bob label was truly born. Geldof was now known much more for his charity work than his music. On July 13th 1985 Bob Geldof saw his finest hour - The Live Aid Concert. Pure magic.

1986
Geldof is named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, receiving an honorary knighthood for his mammoth charity efforts. Bob Geldof KBE - Arise Sir Bob! In November Bob Geldof launches his solo career with the single This Is The World Calling, which peaks at No.25. The subsequent album Deep In The Heart of Nowhere, produced by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, reaches No.79 in the album chart. Musical colleagues all offered to lend a hand. The album includes guest appearances from Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet and Eric Clapton. It even made the 10 o'clock news in the UK, (boing ? and finally, Geldof's made a new album), which baffled Bob, this was Geldof's celebrity status gone mad. Although I think not Bob's best work, Beat Of The Night and August Was A Heavy Month still shone through.

1987
Bob Geldof continued his work with band aid whilst his music takes a back seat again. He releases a single Love Is Like A Rocket, which reaches No.61. This year saw the release of the best selling autobiography "Is That It" and your hippy angel editor makes an appearance (see page 314) although Bob was having one of his paranoid attacks, thinking I might be from the press, trying to set him up.

1990
Geldof returns to what he does best and this time he returns with the acoustic driven roots song The Great Song Of Indifference which puts Bob back into the top 20, back on Top of The Pops. A complete change of direction with what appears to be a ramshackled, couldn't give a bollocks approach, and a complete change of musicians with the exception of life-long friend and collaborator, Pete Briquette. The subsequent album The Vegetarians of Love is well received and things are looking good again.

1992
Geldof tours many of the summer festivals in the UK, including Gosport and The Greenbelt Festival with his new band The Happy Clubsters' a shit hot driving roots music. Tours abroad, the vibe is good.

1993
Geldof released his third solo album The Happy Club featuring World Party's Karl Wallinger. The album is pure magic. Geldof is now back doing what he does best, making music and having fun, winning over a legion of new fans with every appearance. Let the good times roll!. We will be talking to Bob in greater detail in the coming weeks, about his solo career from Deep In The Heart of Nowhere, onwards. For me, The Happy Club album is the best of Bob's solo albums to date.

1998
Bob's personal life changed; it's all been well documented. Of course music was not at the forefront of Bob's life. His marriage, his children and his business affairs were at the centre of media attention. This period was void in terms of Bob's musical output.

2001
Sex, Age & Death "new album new tours, Bob's back, at his creative best..."

Geldof's ultimatum over Ethiopia aid
The BBC's June Kelly:
" Ethiopia says it needs a million tonnes of food immediately" real 28k

Sir Bob Geldof:
" I don't understand why the EU have these difficulties" real 28k

Paul Neillson, International aid EU commissioner:
" We are not playing any kind of game with this humanitarian crisis" real 28k

Wednesday, 5 April, 2000, 11:36 GMT 12:36 UK Geldof's ultimatum over Ethiopia aid
Britain has pledged £2.4m to famine-hit Ethiopia
Sir Bob Geldof has warned the world it has four weeks to avert another famine disaster in Ethiopia.

The musician, who launched the Live Aid appeal for Ethiopian famine relief in 1985, urged the international community to react rapidly.

Sir Bob, who was given an honorary knighthood in 1986, said the situation would become "a disaster" in four weeks, and that "if it is, blame will be laid squarely at the doors of those responsible".

Ethiopia has said a slow international response to famine in the Horn of Africa is putting millions at risk.

Bob Geldof: Four weeks to avert disaster
" Everyone has been alerted as to what is going on, everyone feels a natural state of repugnance. " Sir Bob told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He said he believed Ethiopia's war with Eritrea was being used as an excuse not to deliver emergency aid.

"From what I understand there is no fighting in the area," he said. "If they keep talking about that it's a red herring."

But international politicians appear to be unable to agree on this point.

International Development Secretary Clare Short said the Ethiopian Government must end its war with Eritrea as it was "wasting valuable resources".

£2.4m 'not sufficient'
And Ethiopia's ambassador to Britain Dr Beyene Negewo said Britain had used the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea as an excuse to delay its response.
He criticised the £2.4m it had pledged so far as "by no means sufficient" to stop people dying.

But Ms Short said it was "a bit extraordinary" for Dr Beyene to say Britain was using the war as an excuse.

"People should never be made to pay for their governments devoting resources to a war," she said.

Clare Short: Called for an end to civil war
" I think the international community should help but also put increased pressure on the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea to make peace and put all their resources into helping the hungry and developing their country so we won't have hunger in future years."
The director of the UN World Food Programme Judith Lewis said it was an overstatement to suggest that the West was dragging its feet but admitted there were difficulties in getting food aid to some of the worst affected areas.

She said the UN was now considering the possibility of starting air-lifts to transport food aid to Ethiopia.

Ms Short said she would look at ways of stepping up aid to Ethiopia.

She said the £2.4m aid was already being distributed to the worst hit regions but Dr Beyene said his information was that it had yet to arrive.

"Clare Short has indicated the food is on its way but we do not know where it is," he said:

"Time is of the essence. Dying children will not wait until the food arrives. We hope the UK will respond quickly."


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