Hear 'n Aid was a charity record recorded by a large ensemble of 40 heavy metal musicians and released in 1986. The project was organized by Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, all from the band Dio. Proceeds from the album were used to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The 40 musicians were gathered together by Dio and recorded the single "Stars" together; the rest of the album was filled out with eight other tracks, several of which were contributed by artists who were on tour and unable to attend and participate in the mass recording session. A music video was released as well, produced during the recording sessions. Release and reception Dio originally intended the single and album to be released shortly after its recording, but contractual issues with the different artists' record labels delayed the release until 26 May 1986, somewhat diminishing the impact of its release. The compilation album titled Hear 'n Aid (or alternatively appearing as Hear 'n Aid (An All-Star Album For Famine Relief))" was headed by "Stars", and included live tracks by Kiss, Motörhead, Dio, Accept, Rush, Scorpions, "Go for the Throat" by Y&T and a studio recording by Jimi Hendrix was released on vinyl and cassette tape formats. The "Stars" single was released on vinyl in both 7" and 12" versions. 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." 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. 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. The back cover