THE first Band Aid single, Do They Know It's Christmas, was released in November 1984 - it, and the huge Live Aid concerts staged the following summer, raised millions of pounds in the name of Ethopian famine relief.

It was impossible, back then, not to be struck by the sheer amount of work that went into these ventures or by the outspoken compassion that inspired them. More to the point, they persuaded us to dig deep into our pockets, and (like Michael Buerk's original BBC reports) made us painfully aware of Africa's ongoing problems.

But it wasn't hard, either, to detect voices of dissent. Some thought the whole thing patronising, as well-meaning but inadequate. Then in 1986 the Leeds-based anarchist collective Chumbawamba called their debut Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records.

As they explained: "We found it completely distressing that the spectacle took over. The message behind it was 'Look at these helpless people; they can't take care of themselves,' which is completely untrue", adding: "We're not against giving to people, just against charity being presented as an answer to fundamental problems and injustices."

In 2014, the story is repeating itself. Sir Bob Geldof went on radio yesterday to say the new Band Aid 30 single - an updated version of the original aimed at raising funds to support the fight against Ebola in western Africa - had "gone bonkers" on iTunes, with more than £1 million raised in a few minutes.

Then as now, the criticism has begun. This time, of course, it is getting an outlet on Twitter that it didn't have 30 years ago. But much of it has to be listened to.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn, who has extensive experience of Africa, said: "There's a tendency to frame Africa as this place that is constantly in need of our assistance. Having been to many countries, and got to know a lot of people, it always seems we have only one view of [Africa]."

There were problems with our idea of charity, he said, especially campaigns that create a media frenzy: "It begins to feel like a process where if you give money you solve the problem, and really sometimes giving money creates another problem."

Others say Band Aid 30's logo implies Ebola affects all of Africa (a charge dismissed, colourfully, by Geldof). Ian Birrell, co-founder of Africa Express, says Band Aid's real legacy has been to destroy the image of Africa "with its ceaseless negative imagery".

There are serious points there, of course. But many people, distressed by the nightly coverage of Ebola's dreadful toll, will probably side with Tim Ingham, editor of Music Week, who engaged in a debate with Birrell. Band Aid, he said, is a simplistic response to a complex problem but it's also a compassionate, urgent and human one: "We need blunt inspiration to give human tragedy abroad the deliberation it deserves. Band Aid reminds me I should show more decency, more often, towards people who need my help."

He's surely right: if this new single underscores a wider humanitarian impulse, it will have served its purpose.