For someone like myself who doesn’t know much about music history or anything about record producing, I was happily surprised that the documentary “Under the Volcano” had me under its spell throughout. World premiering as part of the’ 24 Beats Per Second’ section at this year’s SXSW festival, it’s directed by Gracie Otto and depicts the creation of an influential music studio.
This studio was AIR Studios Montserrat, created by legendary music producer George Martin (known for his work with The Beatles). What made this studio unique was that it was on the isolated island of Montserrat in the West Indies, situated under the dormant volcano Soufrière Hills. Artists like Elton John, The Police and Stevie Wonder would come to record at this studio during a revolutionary time in music recording during the 1980s.
Learning about the history of the island is fascinating, but watching these artists at work is the real delight. It’s especially neat for me as someone who would hear the name George Martin and think of “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin before the music producer. For those who don’t know much about the music history, we learn a music producer’s role and watch George at work.
The talking heads in the documentary talk about the studio like a paradise. It’s apparent that it was and there’s a feeling of euphoria as we get a history of what albums were recorded here, what legendary songs were created on Monsterrat, and how it upped the band’s creativity and productivity. No one was recording music like this. Verdine White, lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire at one point says, “Where it was, it touched our spirit in a different kind-of way.”
The stories about how they interacted with the people on the island, too, is heartwarming, especially when we learn the citizens influenced some songs (like “Let Me Talk” by Earth, Wind & Fire). It all feels like great trivia, especially when we learn that Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote “I Guess That’s Why They Call it The Blues” in 20 minutes on this island.
Gracie Otto, co-writer/director of “Under the Volcano.”
The script, by director Gracie Otto, producer Cory Greenwood, and Ian Shadwell paints a great picture of the scope of this specific studio’s influence. We get such a sense of the albums created here and the imprint on their careers. It’s well-organized and since it goes from one band to the next, all with different personalities, and is always entertaining. There’s also a bit of everything here in terms of music genre from the 1980s.
Some of the euphoria leaves as “Under the Volcano” shows some of the bands that had lukewarm experiences. It’s realistic as being one with nature and getting away from the city wouldn’t be for everyone. That’s a reason “Under the Volcano” is such a well-structured documentary as it provides so many voices, so many opinions, and offers evidence that Montserrat wasn’t always paradise.
The documentary tracks the history of the studio and what happened to it, as music moved into the digital age in the early 1990s. It all makes this bittersweet at times, but the moments where it’s at its happiest has surprising emotion. It all feels so special. It’s an experience that, for much of it, I just wish I could have been there. Be a fly on the wall watching these artists make music and make history. Gracie Otto’s direction truly transports us too, learning all the trivia and influence that happened under this roof.
It’s a charming love letter to music and to George Martin in general. You can truly tell through these interviews with artists (Sting himself is a great voice for this doc) that they all had the utmost respect for him. He’s a pioneer and a colleague and what makes “Under the Volcano” so great. To end on a quote, musician Ray Cooper described George best: “Music is the architecture of our emotions and George was the architect.”
