It has been 100 years since the end of World War I – but for many, a different kind of battle still rages on.
Professor Sir Chris Evans has connected the plight of the soldiers in WWI with those battling cancer today, and hopes to raise money with a star-studded track.
Sinead OConnor, Cillian Murphy, Ronnie Wood, Brian Eno, Nick Mason and Imelda May have joined forces for the EP One More Yard, the debut record from Evamore, with proceeds going to the Cancer Awareness Trust, which will provide expert clinical advice and guidance to cancer sufferers around the world to help maximise their chances of controlling and overcoming their battles with this disease.
And when it came to getting the big names on board, Sir Chris didnt have to try very hard.
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason told Metro.co.uk: I got involved through Professor Sir Chris Evans. I got a call from him, he said he wanted to talk to me about an idea, so we went out for lunch. And what he suggested sounded extraordinary and really interesting, so I said Id be happy to help.
Sometime later I got sent some demos, which I really liked. We went into a studio in Bath, and its quite an odd thing these days, because none of the other people on the record were actually there. It was a mystery recording. It was all extremely easy, really, we did most of the work in a day.
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Nick didnt even know who hed end up on the record with because Chris is so well connected that he named about 40 people – virtually every great guitarist that Id ever known. I think Sinead was mentioned, but I had no idea about the monologue at the beginning [performed by Cillian Murphy], which is beautifully done.
Meanwhile, Imelda May knew exactly who was on the record, which was an even bigger draw.
She told us: I got a call from John Reynolds, who is a friend of mine, and he asked me if I wanted to do it. He explained it to me, and I was totally blown away by the song – and Sineads vocals were just stunning, I love anything she does. She seems to reach into your soul and pull it out.
I heard it when it was almost finished, and they asked me to do backing vocals, which I was delighted to do it. But that high note on it – my head nearly exploded.
But it was the story behind One More Yard, linking WWI soldiers and those battling cancer, that really hit home for both musicians.
More: First World War centenary
Nick said: I really understood what Chris was saying about the similarities between the letters he saw from cancer patients and the letters he saw from WWI. Almost of all of us know someone who has a lost a battle with cancer or is going through it. And nearly everyone has some relative who was in the First World War. Its quite a strong link.
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Imelda added: It was the song that got me, and the sentiment of it. I loved the whole story about Chris Evans and how he read 30,000 letters [from people in WWI]. We just discovered recently in my family that we had a relation called Ernie who was killed in WWI aged 19. People from all over the world were fighting in it and against each other.
The link between that and the battle with cancer, which every family has been affected by, it really struck a chord. Fighting cancer is a major battle, and I love that he linked the two together.
One More Yard is out now, with proceeds going to the Cancer Awareness Trust.
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