"Under the Volcano" - Air Studios Montserrat: The Documentary

Let's end the suspense right off the bat. Spoiler alert! The documentary involving the Caribbean recording studio, AIR Studios Montserrat, titled "Under the Volcano" isn't just one of my favorite music documentaries of all time, it is one of my favorite documentaries, period. The overall story, the smaller stories within the story, the history, film footage, still photos, interviews, characters, music (of course) and the general personality from start to finish is breathtaking. I wanted to jump in a time machine, then through the screen, and be a part of everything. No matter what your relationship is with the world of music, it's impossible to not feel closer to it after watching this movie. Personally, I have significant respect and interest in the whole process of writing and recording music (and I don't play an instrument).   Warning to viewers; You will want this 96-minutes uninterrupted. 

The avid music history buff would probably be aware that producer, George Martin, has been commonly referred to as the fifth Beatle. Being that he produced and helped arrange every Beatles album in existence (other than "Let It Be"), the title was apropos. After establishing an extraordinary production legacy through EMI Recording Studios/Abbey Road Studios and his co-creation of Air Studios (London), which I believe the film laid out nicely, George was all about ratcheting it up a notch while getting away from the corporate day-to-day. Why not put together a destination recording studio that is completely unique, experiential and conjures up some extra creativity ... and let's do it in the Caribbean Islands? Of course. That's what he did, and he did it near the town of Salem on the small unassuming island of Montserrat in 1979

AIR Studios Montserrat became the second contemporary rock music recording studio in the Caribbean Islands. Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios opened its doors in the Bahamas in 1977. (Although it gets discussed whether or not the Bahamas are considered amongst the Caribbean Islands, the answer is yes, they are officially a part of the islands, although they are not in the Caribbean Sea). AIR Studios constructed a state of the art 46-channel Neve console for both tracking and mixing. The recording room options were ample. If you know even the bare minimum about studios, you get it. It's George Martin. He and his people were going to supply the goods to yield greatness. Along with optional living quarters came a full kitchen, bar, and outdoor pool with both diving board and water slide. Also, rumor had it that there was a very accessible beach ... on the island ... go figure. Was it paradise? You would get those answers and much more from artists such as Jimmy Buffett, Earth Wind & Fire, The Police, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Duran Duran, Elton John, Ultravox, Dire Straits, Black Sabbath and The Rolling Stones. The all-encompassing immersion in and around AIR Studios Montserrat, whether it was short or long-term, felt very personal to everybody involved. The musicians, employees and other characters on the island start to feel personal to YOU. Endearing would be the best description. You are able to witness them inside their creativity and techniques. You could see and hear how the studio staff became temporary family to the bands. I must say, everybody's memory from 30-40 years ago is pretty impressive. Then again, amazing experiences with good people tend to park in your brain for a lifetime.

One of the earliest artists to record at AIR Studios Montserrat was Jimmy Buffet (and his Coral Reefer Band) in 1979, there to create "Volcano"... appropriately named after Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano. Why would it shock anybody that a group based in Key West would want to roll through the nearby Caribbean to make a record. Jimmy said his recording ethos was more about "capturing the magic, instead of looking for perfection". This location seemed to provide the environment for doing so. The best story coming from Mr. Buffet was recounting the whole unit's initial visit to the local watering hole. The bar's ordering procedure was extremely odd, and that included slow and methodical. The staff claimed it was normal practice. Jimmy kept saying that there was no way they could endure the customary wait time, so his ultimate attitude was, "why don't I just buy the place"? Ha! Even though it was never confirmed in the film, it's assumed that he actually did buy the joint.

Soon after on the agenda was Earth, Wind & Fire in 1980, and the eloquence exuded by bassist, Verdine White. Their reason for being there was to make some new music freely flow. Let it rip, so to speak. It wasn't about trying to churn out hit singles. They actually ended up producing the double album, "Faces", and completely mapped it out from beginning to end during their stay. Absolutely amazing. Verdine expressed that during their AIR time spent, it felt like "Everybody was in the band. George the Cook was in the band. The housekeeper was in the band", etc, etc. Some of them had dinner at the housekeeper’s home. One of the tracks on the album, "Let Me Talk" referenced their driver, because during their drives he would constantly say "let me talk". A prideful story he shared was one in which he was told that when the EW&F gear (labeled in cases) landed in Montserrat and were being transported to the studio, the women who were working in the fields nearby were cheering. They were cheering for the cases, not even Earth, Wind and Fire themselves.

Now it was time for the potentially resounding stamp of approval in the form of Paul McCartney. Together again, Paul and George Martin, although not working together on the project. Arriving there in late 1980, only weeks after John Lennon's death and feeling a bit vulnerable, it was originally stressful for them around the island, with heightened security around him and his family 24/7. Paul eventually loosened up that state of concern and began enjoying all the fruits that Montserrat and the studio had to offer, along with Ringo Starr, Carl Perkins and Stanley Clarke. Wait now, there was also Stevie Wonder in the house to record "Ebony and Ivory" and "What's That You're Doing". Yes, we all know that's extra cool. There was also the in-town bar left open just for Stevie (and Paul, so let's not leave him out) for late nights and large tips... with piano. C'mon now! There we have surprising and priceless audio of Stevie working the locals. The time at AIR in Montserrat, and additional time at AIR London, culminated with the album, "Tug of War".

The Police found themselves in Montserrat recording "Ghost in the Machine" in the year of 1981. Always having been creative, energetic but combustible, they are a captivating watch. Both singularly and as a whole. Personally, I definitely find them to be a percussive band, and I tend to be drawn to that. So, I got an extra dose of satisfaction examining their every move. The production scenario on "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", where after many fresh attempts to track the song, they eventually just worked around the original demo... well, that was a fun tidbit. Andy Summers felt that the isolation from the rest of the world, in that atmosphere, helped to shape meaningful material. They even had Lloyd (studio maintenance), Desmond (bartender) and additional female staff perform the backing vocals on the single, "Invisible Sun". Be reminded upon your next listen. Outside of the studio, Sting developed an interest in windsurfing, soon developing a personal relationship with a local windsurfing teacher and shop owner named Danny Sweeney. Sting even referred to Danny as his hero, as he taught him how to do something he would have never learned. That's a very interesting take. Unfortunately, what is also an interesting take is the fact that the extended amount of wondrous work and leisure apparently led to ended relationships with significant others, amongst all three of them. On a more positive note, after Montserrat and the "Invisible Sun" whirlwind around the world, The Police's career certainly turbo-charged itself to another level.

ENTER... MR... JOHN! Elton Mr. John that is, or as most of the world calls him, Elton John. Accompanying Elton to the island were the core players (Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper) that backboned most of Elton's rise in the 70s. Until they separated. Now they were back together during the summer of 1981, recording music together for the first time in seven years. So, they did it on an island in the Caribbean, and we were able to check out a few chapters of the novel. From my perspective, I may not like everything Elton John, but so much that emerges from the Elton/ Bernie Taupin camp, combined with the 70s crew, has an undeniable purity that I do like very much. From the producer to the engineer to the musicians to Elton himself, they were hoping to re-capture the magic, and once they dug in, the synergy was evident. Guitarist Davey Johnstone claims there was a point when George Martin stopped by AIR during a session and declared he hadn't seen such positive chemistry in the studio since his time with The Beatles. Elton admitted they wrote the whole album "Too Low for Zero" during their time at AIR Montserrat.

The Police, Part 2 - The Sequel! This meant the recently christened mega-stars were back on the island in the winter of '82 - '83 for round two... "Synchronicity". The meeting of the minds and instruments would not be the same for Sting, Andy and Stewart this time around. After the monstrosity that was the year touring on "Ghost in the Machine", Stewart recalled that it seemed like the members needed more time to isolate from each other, and instead they went down to Montserrat to isolate themselves as a unit. Not the best idea at first, or maybe at all. The producer also had them changing things up by recording in separate rooms for extended periods of time, which reduced the communication and increased the friction, especially for Stewart, who tends to feed off direct interaction in the studio. Andy insinuated that it was additional isolation inside the overall band isolation. More negative, not positive. Andy's tension reached a stage where he actually walked all the way to George Martin's house, in the Caribbean heat, to convince George to take over production of the album. (I would like to have been an accompanying fly on the walk and fly on the wall during that excursion and conversation). To this request, George replied "they would be just fine". They would figure it out. Andy then followed that up with a depressed and sweat-soaked walk back to their musical confines. Sting's impression of the "Synchronicity" recording seemed less abrasive, and claimed it was only a function of the day-to-day recording mechanations necessary for that specific record, being the three very alpha males that they were. Sting even took in more sessions with newfound friend Danny, his Svengali of the wind and surf. Looking back on the situation again, Stewart realized that the rigidity and battles were essential. If anybody had their way most/all of the time, the result would have been much different. Different than one of the biggest albums in the world that year? Yeah, that would have been different alright.

It was Duran Duran's turn at AIR Montserrat. Soon after The Police strolled out the door in early 1983, in came one of Great Britain's youthful rock behemoths. Nick Rhodes gave his lone perspective on the band's work at the studio and stay on the island. He seemed appropriately introspective on the creative aspects of their work, and his personal energy, in addition to the aesthetics of working on Montserrat. It was very engaging for someone like myself, who always considered them as this pure POP project. Nick said they were so used to being personally invaded, under such media scrutiny in Great Britain, that being in all the peace and seclusion seemed like they went underwater, denoting the fictional destination of Atlantis. It was a struggle for him in almost every way. Although their singer, Simon Lebon, relished the sunshine and outdoors, and it resulted in multiple breaks, Nick was the opposite. He thirsted a more consistent work schedule to provide time for increased experimentation. The atmosphere beat him down after a short while, and the group ended up finishing the recording elsewhere. One of the AIR associates did pipe in, stating that this place wasn't for everyone. All the members of Duran Duran just weren't in the headspace.

Dire Straits writing and recording the groundbreaking album, "Brothers in Arms" in '84 - '85, was a blast to soak in, from all angles. People have to be reminded that internationally, "Brother in Arms" was probably the biggest selling record for almost two years, after its release. To see the core of its inception was seriously ice-cold cool in my book. First off, it was the first fully recorded and mixed digital album, which became a retail marketing and sales catapult in the early age of CDs. Secondly, Mark Knopfler admitted that early on, the "rum punch, evening, and a later start" worked its way into their professional methods. The producer, Neil Dorfsman, laughingly confesses that there was a moment when he realized the songwriting was becoming "almost too chill" and that "everybody in towels, sun cream on their noses and sunglasses, playing at 40 bpm... felt too mellow". His narrative was pretty comical. Having worked with both Dire Straits and many artists in the past, Neil explained that it was easy to lose perspective in the studio, depending on the surroundings. After the band worked their way through their overcharged island behavior for an undisclosed period, they locked in... in a serious way. Keyboardist, Guy Fletcher, held true saying the sound of the island absolutely comes across on the recordings. They tracked the whole album in a few days, so says Mark. This would be after Guy Fletcher and keyboardist Alan Clark ALSO learned their windsurfing ways from Sting's pal, Danny. Danny even mentions he went to AIR Studios, during mixing, and when he heard "Walk of Life", he could not stop dancing. Right then and there, he swore that not only would it be a huge hit, but the whole album would be, as well. To drop the cherry on top, Mark Knopfler learned that Sting was vacationing in Montserrat while they were recording. So, his next move was to successfully convince him to drop in and drop the extremely MTV intro to "Money for Nothing". You can't make this stuff up.

You can't make these guys up either; The Rolling Stones. During a fallout between Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, Keith put together a backing unit he thoughtfully named the X-Pensive Winos. In the summer/fall of 1988, they gathered themselves up and took a trip down to George Martin's Caribbean location. Now they didn't spend their time down there going bowling. They worked on his solo debut, "Dirty Talk". Remember Lloyd, the studio maintenance man? Well, he may have been the spark that got the "Steel Wheels" ball rolling... stones-style. He told Keith that The Rolling Stones were one of his favorite bands and they should get back together and record in Montserrat. Lloyd's translation of Keith's response would be, "Lloyd, I am the only man who can put the band back together, and I am gonna put them back together, and we're going to come here and record". Who knew it could be that simple. Keith was true to his word, and The Rolling Stones got to work in the same spot in the spring of 1989. Being a temporary observer of Mick and Keith crafting a song is some special artist exposure to appreciate. The Rolling Stones long-time producer, Chris Kimsey, noted that Mick and Keith were the most warm and friendly they had been towards each other in many years. Regarding the two of them writing together, Keith mentioned "we both agree that the best music for the both us is to get together... nobody else... it's easy between the two of us... it's when other people are around you, that it can be a problem". Being at AIR Montserrat seemed to be a crucial part of the band's re-booting to the planet. The chef, George "Tappy" Morgan, simply wraps up The Rolling Stones visit with, "all the guys... they smoke a lot, they drink a lot, they eat a lot... they were a whole set of cool guys".

Sadly, The Rolling Stones would be the last to grace AIR Studios Montserrat. In September of 1989, Hurricane Hugo made its way over Montserrat, causing damage across the entirety of the island. Although AIR took a substantial hit, that was just the nail in the business coffin, so to speak. The '70s and '80s were the golden age of massive studio budgets, but with recording and mixing continuing to move away from analog to digital in the late '80s, the increased simplicity made finding ample studio locations an easier task and less expensive. In basic terms, studio budgets were getting cut. The costs for George Martin's dream recording location were already pricing themselves out of the mix. The doors officially closed in 1989. Six years later, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted, laid waste to a good portion of Montserrat, but that's another story for another time.

As much as you will remember details of the artists' participation at AIR Studios on the island of Montserrat, you may also have the local employees and characters etched in your memory. Personally, the repeated visual of both Lloyd Oliver and Desmond Riley being interviewed side-by-side in their lounge chairs was amusing. You may be able to recall entertaining flashes such as Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi describing one of his flights on the mini-plane (Cessna), while the pilot has a joint in his hand... "uhh, this don't look too safe". You'll hear how all the prominent and legendary people who landed there need not worry about being overwhelmed by the community. As mentioned in the film, the artists had to understand that if you were a cricketer or an athlete, then you were recognizable and famous, but otherwise, you were mostly left alone. The point is, "Under the Volcano" is definitely a unique, historical, yet still casual look into a part of the music business, usually not accessible in those settings at that level. The casual flavor filling out this documentary gives it a small sense of relatability. What, you can't relate to Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards? That's a you problem. Ok, maybe I stretched the description a touch, but you can watch and judge for yourself.

After engulfing yourself in "Under the Volcano" and all of the star-studded appearances, the real guts of the story is what a talented and impactful visionary George Martin was in the music business.