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The late, legendary music producer Sir George Martin’s Monserrat studio is set to be the focus of a new music documentary, titled Under The Volcano. Best-known for his signature sound that seamlessly merged both classical and pop genres in the sixties with The Beatles, Martin and his music studio take centre stage in the upcoming film. AIR Studios was located in Monserrat in the Caribbean, an idyllic location which was strangely near an active volcano, and went on to host to a string of well-known musicians who created there during its heyday.
AIR’s studio facility on Montserrat, a tiny British Overseas Territory in the eastern Caribbean, has passed into rock folklore. In 1977 George Martin fell in love with the island and decided to build the ultimate, get-away-from-it-all recording studio. Opened in 1979, AIR Studios Montserrat offered all of the technical facilities of its London counterpart, but with the advantages of an exotic location.
For more than a decade, AIR Montserrat played host to recording sessions by a who’s who of rock and pop. More than 70 albums were recorded there in ten years, including Hot Hot Hot by Arrow, Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity by The Police, Elton John’s Too Low for Zero and Steel Wheels by the Rolling Stones. Duran Duran, Ultravox, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath and Eric Clapton all passed through the idyllic Montserrat studio.
Then, in 1989, disaster struck when Hurricane Hugo hit the island, destroying 90% of its structures. The building and its equipment were irreparably damaged, and, perhaps aware that record labels wanted their stars closer to home, George Martin called it a day. His love for Montserrat never faded and in the wake of a later devastating volcanic eruption his fundraising efforts went a long way towards putting the island back on its feet.
The new documentary is set to tell the ten year story of the music studio and the artists who made records there – many well-known, major hits were captured by some of the biggest musical artists in the world.
The film, directed by Gracie Otto (best-known for The Last Impressario) and is produced by Cody Greenwood. Featuring interviews with artists, they recount how the studio was the birthplace of mega hits such as Money for Nothing and Every Breath You Take. Through these personal accounts, never-before-seen footage, and backed by a blistering soundtrack, Under the Volcano is the definitive account of the place that stumbled upon the perfect storm of talent, technology and isolation, creating music that would live on long after the last tape rolled.
As previously reported by TheatreArtLife last year, there is also an upcoming Peter Jackson docuseries in the making, which will also incorporate the late, great producer who was often referred to as ‘the fifth Beatle’. The Beatles: Get Back is set to be released on Disney+ from 25 – 27 November 2021.
Under The Volcano is available from 26th July via digital, DVD and Blu-ray, and can be pre-ordered from the Under The Volcano Movie Website.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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