War Child’s landmark 1995 charity album ‘Help’ is being reissued as a limited, numbered 7” boxed set for its 30th anniversary – find out more below.
The reissue consists of 10 x 7” LPs, each of which contains two iconic tracks from the original 1995 charity album. It will be available from October 17 onwards – you can pre-order your copy here. Orders that are made directly through the War Child store will include a special postcard captured from the 1995 album recording session.
The boxed set will also include three exclusive postcards featuring never-before-seen images shot by Lawrence Watson at the recording sessions at Abbey Road 30 years ago.
First released exactly three decades ago (September 9, 1995), the ‘Hurt’ charity compilation album – which was mastered by Brian Eno, and featured artwork from John Squire – was recorded across a single day in September 1995. It was released a week later in a bid to raise funds for children affected by the Bosnian conflict.
The album marked a significant moment in music history, as it saw acts like Oasis and Blur appear on the same record for the first and last time. The inclusion of both Britpop juggernauts came shortly after the two bands went head-to-head in their infamous chart battle. “We’ll put aside our differences for the cause – and it’s the only time you’ll see the two of us agreeing on anything,” Noel Gallagher said at the time.
The album also includes tracks from Radiohead, Orbital, Portishead, Massive Attack, Suede, Sinéad O’Connor, The Boo Radleys and others. ‘Help’ also marked Manic Street Preachers‘ return to the studio following the disappearance of their former lyricist and guitarist, Richey Edwards. They covered B.J. Thomas’ ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’ for the album.
Elsewhere, The Charlatans and The Chemical Brothers teamed up on ‘Time For Living’, while Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and more recorded a new version of The Beatles‘ ‘Come Together’ under the name The Smokin’ Mojo Filters.
The official tracklist for War Child’s ‘Help’ 30th Anniversary Reissue is:
LP1
Side A. Oasis and Friends – ‘Fade Away’
Side B. The Boo Radleys – ‘Oh Brother’
LP2
Side A. The Stone Roses – ‘Love Spreads’
Side B. Radiohead – ‘Lucky’
LP3
Side A. Orbital – ‘Adnan’
Side B. Portishead – ‘Mourning Air’
LP4
Side A. Massive Attack – ‘Fake the Aroma’
Side B. Suede – ‘Shipbuilding’
LP5
Side A. The Charlatans vs. The Chemical Brothers – ‘Time For Livin”
Side B. Stereo MCs – ‘Sweetest Truth (Show No Fear)’
LP6
Side A. Sinéad O’Connor – ‘Ode to Billie Joe’
Side B. The Levellers – ‘Searchlights’
LP7
Side A. Manic Street Preachers – ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’
Side B. Terrorvision – ‘Tom Petty Loves Veruca Salt’
LP8
Side A. The One World Orchestra featuring The Massed Pipes and Drums of the Children’s Free Revolutionary Volunteer Guards (aka The KLF) – ‘The Magnificent’
Side B. Planet 4 Folk Quartet – ‘Message to Crommie’
LP9
Side A. Terry Hall and Salad – ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’
Side B. Neneh Cherry and Trout – ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5’
LP10
Side A. Blur – ‘Eine Kleine Lift Musik’
Side B. The Smokin’ Mojo Filters – ‘Come Together’
The charity album was most recently reissued in 2020 to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and also marked the first time the project was made available on streaming platforms.
When it was first released in 1995, ‘Help’ raised over £1.25million in charity to help children affected by the Bosnian conflict – at the time, 10 per cent of the world’s children were affected by conflict. That number, per a press release, has since risen to 19 per cent.
War Child, which originally began to focus solely on relief efforts for the Bosnian conflict, has since expanded its scope to provide aid across the world, including in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
