Help(2) Album Reboots 90s Charity Classic with Star Power and Hospital Bed Production
In a remarkable revival of the iconic 1995 charity compilation Help, War Child has launched Help(2), a sequel album that packs comparable star power while navigating modern challenges in music fundraising. This ambitious project brings together an eclectic mix of artists, from Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn to Olivia Rodrigo and Arctic Monkeys, all contributing to support children affected by conflict worldwide.
Recording Sessions at Abbey Road Studios
The recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios created a unique collaborative atmosphere that veteran artists described as reminiscent of childhood dreams. Kae Tempest, who contributed to a track with Damon Albarn and Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten, noted the overwhelming experience of sharing spaces with famous musicians. "When you went to the canteen to get a cup of tea, it was full of famous people," Tempest recalled. "You know when you're a kid and you dream about what life would be like if you made a record? It was like that."
These sessions saw fascinating cross-fertilisations between artists. English Teacher found themselves singing with Albarn's children's choir, while Jarvis Cocker co-opted the same choir to scream on Pulp's new track Begging for Change. Cocker explained his unconventional approach: "When you think of children's choirs, you automatically think of the worst songs in the world... so I thought it would be better to just get them to make a noise."
Children's Perspective Through Filming
Oscar-winning director Jonathan Glazer brought a unique vision to the project by involving children in the filming process. Recognizing that War Child supports children affected by conflict, Glazer decided the project should reflect "the joy and freedom of childhood." He arranged for children in war zones to film themselves playing and invited local school pupils to document the Abbey Road sessions.
"We had eight nine-year-olds running around with Sony Handycams," Glazer described. "One of the boys was filming Johnny Marr while he was recording, then he decided he wanted to film something behind him. He just sort of pushed Johnny's guitar neck out of the way to get to it."
The Original Help Album Legacy
The 1995 Help album established a remarkable precedent for charity compilations. As War Child's head of music Rich Clarke noted, the compilers tactfully encouraged artists to contribute something special rather than mere outtakes. The album featured exclusive recordings from major artists including Paul McCartney, who re-recorded the Beatles' Come Together with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller, and Radiohead, who offered the new song Lucky that would later appear on their seminal album OK Computer.
The original album sold 70,000 copies in a single day and was nominated for the Mercury prize, though it lost to Pulp's Different Class. Cocker revealed that Pulp donated their prize money to War Child anyway, explaining: "We made a pact that if we won, no one was going to touch the trophy and we'd give the money away."
Modern Fundraising Challenges
The decision to create Help(2) emerged from several factors: the original album's 30th anniversary, severe crises in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Syria, and the changing landscape of music fundraising. Clarke acknowledged that "we're in a very different world" from the era when charity compilations could easily achieve massive sales through limited media channels.
After the original Help success, War Child shifted toward live shows as digital streaming made compilation albums less financially viable. However, post-pandemic challenges with ticket sales prompted a return to physical formats, encouraged by robust sales of 9.7 million CDs and 7.6 million vinyl albums in the UK in 2025.
Producer's Hospital Bed Production
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Help(2)'s creation was producer James Ford's involvement from a hospital bed. Shortly after being asked to lead the project, Ford was diagnosed with leukaemia. "So the actual week of the Abbey Road sessions, I was in the ICU with a pipe coming out of my neck," Ford revealed.
Through technology, Ford remotely produced tracks from his hospital bed. "I could actually be in hospital, on my laptop, listening to what they were doing on the desk. I could press the space bar and talk to everyone's headphones... Olivia Rodrigo was singing live with strings and I was talking to her: 'That was great, but try another take.' I was having a blood transfusion at the time."
Ford described this experience as "one of the most bizarre of my life" but noted that "it sort of kept me sane. To have something that connected me to the real world, to something I love, was a life-saver, really."
Artistic Collaboration and Diversity
Help(2) features a strikingly diverse range of artists reflecting today's fragmented musical landscape. The compilation includes everything from indie rock to R&B, jazz to mainstream pop, with notable collaborations including Arooj Aftab working with Beck, and Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell alongside Anna Calvi, Nilüfer Yanya and Dove Ellis.
Ford assembled what he calls "a striking and eclectic cast" that ranges from Olivia Rodrigo to Young Fathers, plus the first new Arctic Monkeys material since 2022 and Depeche Mode covering Donovan's Universal Soldier. According to Ford, contributors brought "their A game," though he noted that some artists refused participation because they viewed the project as "too political."
The Humanising Presence of Children
Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective, who contributed to the album, emphasized how the children's presence during recording sessions "humanised the cause quite beautifully in the room." He described a moment when a child filming looked at his drum kit and simply said "Wow" – a reaction that reminded him "of why you started making music in the first place."
The children's interviewing techniques added levity to the serious undertaking, with questions ranging from queries about ice-cream preferences to asking Jarvis Cocker his age. "I said, that's the worst question ever to start off with – I'm 62, thanks for reminding me," Cocker responded with characteristic humour.
Help(2) represents both a continuation of War Child's musical fundraising legacy and an adaptation to contemporary challenges. The album showcases how charity compilations can evolve while maintaining their core mission, blending star power with genuine artistic collaboration, all while supporting children affected by conflicts around the world.
