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Compass Point Studios

January 01, 1970

Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records.[1][2] The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producers and engineers, all dedicated to a specific and recognisable sound and style. The session band at the studios, as well as visiting recording artists, became known as the Compass Point All Stars.

Compass Point Studios

Located on the island of New Providence, 16 km west of Nassau, the studio attracted musical artists from around the world to record at its facilities during the 1970s and 1980s.[2][3] AC/DC's Back In Black, the second highest selling album ever, was one of many albums recorded there.[2] The studio closed on September 2010.

History edit

Compass Point Studios was built in 1977 in Nassau, Bahamas, by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. In 1980, Blackwell assembled a recording band with Jamaican reggae foundations, based around Sly and Robbie, who had been signed to Island Records in the 1970s. The band consisted of Sly Dunbar (drums), Robbie Shakespeare (bass), Mikey Chung (guitar), Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion), and British guitarist Barry Reynolds, formerly a session for Marianne Faithfull, another Island Records artist, along with synth-keyboards from French-African Wally Badarou (later of Level 42), and then Tyrone Downie (formerly of The Wailers). Under Blackwell's direction, and with co-producer, engineer and mixer Alex Sadkin, the group created the "Compass Point Sound", providing backing for albums including Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life by Grace Jones and Sheffield Steel by Joe Cocker.[4] This backing band later became known as the "Compass Point All Stars" (CPAS). Blackwell said that he "wanted a new, progressive-sounding band, a Jamaican rhythm section with an edgy mid-range and a brilliant synth player. And I got what I wanted, fortunately".[5]

One resident musician in the early period of the studios was Robert Palmer, who provided backing vocals on Joe Cocker's "Sweet Little Woman", along with Jimmy Cliff. Sly and Robbie used some of the CPAS for Black Uhuru and Gwen Guthrie projects, eventually adding Darryl Thompson, Spaceman Patterson, and Monte Brown (guitars) to the core of the band. An attempt to record a CPAS album ended up as Sly and Robbie's Language Barrier. Compass Point residents later included Chris Frantz (drums) and Tina Weymouth (bass) of Talking Heads, who went on to start Tom Tom Club with co-producer Steven Stanley engineering and mixing. British engineer Andy Lyden came to the studios to work on a Wally Badarou solo project, and became a resident engineer. The core musicians of CPAS lived in a condominium called "Tip-Top", at the top of a hill behind the studio. James Brown came to record with the CPAS, but the project did not work out due to publishing disputes.

The studios developed into a musical community,[6] and through the 1980s, the label of "Compass Point All Stars" was given to many creative projects recorded at or simply connected to the studio, including productions by Bill Laswell, remixes by Larry Levan and François Kevorkian, and resident or non-resident artists of various genres, such as The B-52's. This community is showcased on the compilation Funky Nassau/The Compass Point Story/1980-1986 released by Strut Records, including tracks from Chaz Jankel, Cristina, Will Powers, and Guy Cuevas, as well as extensive interviews by David Katz.

In 1987, for Island Records' 25th belated anniversary, some of the initial CPAS performed live for the first time at Pinewood Studios in London, backing Eric Clapton on "I Shot the Sheriff". Mikey Chung and Sticky Thompson did not participate. A video was released as Island 25: Alright Now.

Artists edit

Artists who recorded at Compass Point Studios included The Rolling Stones,[citation needed] AC/DC,[2] The Tragically Hip,[7] Grace Jones,[3] Brian Eno,[8] Talking Heads,[9] Madness,[10] Iron Maiden,[11] The B-52's,[12] David Bowie,[13] Emerson, Lake & Palmer,[14] and Dire Straits.[15]

Closure edit

As Blackwell moved into other business ventures towards the end of the 1980s, he spent less time on the studio. After producer and manager Alex Sadkin died in a car crash in 1987, the studio began a period of decline into the early 1990s.[3]

In 1992, Blackwell hired Terry and Sherrie Manning, the owners and operators of a recording studio and video production house in the US, to manage Compass Point Studios. After their arrival in late 1992, the Mannings began a complete renovation of the two large studios, rewiring them with modern recording equipment. The studios were subsequently used by artists including Julio Iglesias, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, Sade, Mariah Carey and Björk.

In September 2010, the studio in the Bahamas closed.[16] According to the Compass Point web page, "Compass Point Studios ceased operations in Nassau as of the end of September 2010 because of a series of incidents, socio-political based happenings which made it untenable to continue business in The Bahamas".[17]

Members of CPAS collaborated remotely on half a dozen projects after the mid-2000s, including Warrior by ex-Black Uhuru Michael Rose, and Grace Jones' Hurricane.

Albums edit

With full CPAS line-up edit

Recorded at Compass Point with some CPAS members edit

  • Barry Reynolds: I Scare Myself (by Barry with Mickey, Sticky, Wally, Sly & Robbie)
  • Charlélie Couture: Pochette Surprise (with Barry, Mickey, Sticky, Wally & Steven)
  • Gregory Isaacs: Night Nurse (with Wally)
  • Gwen Guthrie: Just for You (with Wally)
  • Jimmy Cliff: Give the People What They Want (with Sly, Robbie, Sticky & Wally)
  • John Martyn: Sapphire (with Barry, Sticky, Andy & Steven)
  • Ian Dury: Lord Upminster (with Sly, Robbie & Tyrone)
  • Lizzy Mercier Descloux: Mambo Nassau (with Wally & Steven)
  • Mick Jagger: She's the Boss (with Sly, Robbie & Wally)
  • Robert Palmer: Pride (by Robert)
  • Robert Palmer: Riptide, Heavy Nova (by Robert, with Wally)
  • Talking Heads: Remain In Light, Speaking in Tongues (by Chris & Tina, with Wally & Alex)
  • Wally Badarou: Echoes (by Wally, with Andy & Steven)
  • Wally Badarou: Words of a Mountain (by Wally)
  • Will Powers: Dancing for Mental Health (with Steven)

References edit

  1. ^ Bahamas Handbook and Businessman's Annual. Etienne Dupuch, Jr. Publications. 2005.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Caribbean Getaway Where the '80s Were Recorded". reverb.com.
  3. ^ a b c "The funky legacy of Grace's island". The Independent. 15 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Broken English" excerpt from Faithfull: An Autobiography / David Dalton / Little, Brown & Co, New-York
  5. ^ "Keep On Running – The Story of Island Records" by Chris Salewicz, p. 135. Interview by David Katz.
  6. ^ Chapter 45 from Nathalie Delon: Pleure pas, c'est pas grave / Flammarion
  7. ^ "The Tragically Hip". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  8. ^ Sheppard, David (18 September 2008). On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno. Orion Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4091-0593-0.
  9. ^ Frantz, Chris (21 July 2020). Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-20923-8.
  10. ^ Reed, John (30 August 2014). House of Fun: The Story of Madness. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78323-334-2.
  11. ^ Brown, Jake (4 July 2011). Iron Maiden in the Studio: The Stories Behind Every Album. Kings Road Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84358-765-1.
  12. ^ Magazine, Various Mojo (November 2007). The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1-84767-643-6.
  13. ^ Pegg, Nicholas (6 December 2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated 2016 ed.). Titan Books (US, CA). ISBN 978-1-78565-533-3.
  14. ^ Giles, Jeff (18 November 2013). "How Emerson Lake and Palmer found themselves on 'Love Beach'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Dire Straits: Communique".
  16. ^ Bachman, Randy. "Compass Point Studios", Vinyl Tap, CBC Radio, September 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "Compass Point Home".

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Island Records website
  • Wally Badarou website
  • Strut Records website
  • Island: island50.com

January 01, 1970
compass, point, studios, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, ma. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Compass Point Studios news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell the owner of Island Records 1 2 The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in house sets of artists musicians producers and engineers all dedicated to a specific and recognisable sound and style The session band at the studios as well as visiting recording artists became known as the Compass Point All Stars Compass Point Studios Located on the island of New Providence 16 km west of Nassau the studio attracted musical artists from around the world to record at its facilities during the 1970s and 1980s 2 3 AC DC s Back In Black the second highest selling album ever was one of many albums recorded there 2 The studio closed on September 2010 Contents 1 History 2 Artists 3 Closure 4 Albums 4 1 With full CPAS line up 4 2 Recorded at Compass Point with some CPAS members 5 References 6 External linksHistory editCompass Point Studios was built in 1977 in Nassau Bahamas by Chris Blackwell founder of Island Records In 1980 Blackwell assembled a recording band with Jamaican reggae foundations based around Sly and Robbie who had been signed to Island Records in the 1970s The band consisted of Sly Dunbar drums Robbie Shakespeare bass Mikey Chung guitar Uziah Sticky Thompson percussion and British guitarist Barry Reynolds formerly a session for Marianne Faithfull another Island Records artist along with synth keyboards from French African Wally Badarou later of Level 42 and then Tyrone Downie formerly of The Wailers Under Blackwell s direction and with co producer engineer and mixer Alex Sadkin the group created the Compass Point Sound providing backing for albums including Warm Leatherette Nightclubbing and Living My Life by Grace Jones and Sheffield Steel by Joe Cocker 4 This backing band later became known as the Compass Point All Stars CPAS Blackwell said that he wanted a new progressive sounding band a Jamaican rhythm section with an edgy mid range and a brilliant synth player And I got what I wanted fortunately 5 One resident musician in the early period of the studios was Robert Palmer who provided backing vocals on Joe Cocker s Sweet Little Woman along with Jimmy Cliff Sly and Robbie used some of the CPAS for Black Uhuru and Gwen Guthrie projects eventually adding Darryl Thompson Spaceman Patterson and Monte Brown guitars to the core of the band An attempt to record a CPAS album ended up as Sly and Robbie s Language Barrier Compass Point residents later included Chris Frantz drums and Tina Weymouth bass of Talking Heads who went on to start Tom Tom Club with co producer Steven Stanley engineering and mixing British engineer Andy Lyden came to the studios to work on a Wally Badarou solo project and became a resident engineer The core musicians of CPAS lived in a condominium called Tip Top at the top of a hill behind the studio James Brown came to record with the CPAS but the project did not work out due to publishing disputes The studios developed into a musical community 6 and through the 1980s the label of Compass Point All Stars was given to many creative projects recorded at or simply connected to the studio including productions by Bill Laswell remixes by Larry Levan and Francois Kevorkian and resident or non resident artists of various genres such as The B 52 s This community is showcased on the compilation Funky Nassau The Compass Point Story 1980 1986 released by Strut Records including tracks from Chaz Jankel Cristina Will Powers and Guy Cuevas as well as extensive interviews by David Katz In 1987 for Island Records 25th belated anniversary some of the initial CPAS performed live for the first time at Pinewood Studios in London backing Eric Clapton on I Shot the Sheriff Mikey Chung and Sticky Thompson did not participate A video was released as Island 25 Alright Now Artists editArtists who recorded at Compass Point Studios included The Rolling Stones citation needed AC DC 2 The Tragically Hip 7 Grace Jones 3 Brian Eno 8 Talking Heads 9 Madness 10 Iron Maiden 11 The B 52 s 12 David Bowie 13 Emerson Lake amp Palmer 14 and Dire Straits 15 Closure editAs Blackwell moved into other business ventures towards the end of the 1980s he spent less time on the studio After producer and manager Alex Sadkin died in a car crash in 1987 the studio began a period of decline into the early 1990s 3 In 1992 Blackwell hired Terry and Sherrie Manning the owners and operators of a recording studio and video production house in the US to manage Compass Point Studios After their arrival in late 1992 the Mannings began a complete renovation of the two large studios rewiring them with modern recording equipment The studios were subsequently used by artists including Julio Iglesias Diana Ross Celine Dion Sade Mariah Carey and Bjork In September 2010 the studio in the Bahamas closed 16 According to the Compass Point web page Compass Point Studios ceased operations in Nassau as of the end of September 2010 because of a series of incidents socio political based happenings which made it untenable to continue business in The Bahamas 17 Members of CPAS collaborated remotely on half a dozen projects after the mid 2000s including Warrior by ex Black Uhuru Michael Rose and Grace Jones Hurricane Albums editWith full CPAS line up edit Black Uhuru Chill Out Grace Jones Warm Leatherette feat Private Life Grace Jones Nightclubbing feat Pull Up to the Bumper I ve Seen That Face Before Grace Jones Living My Life feat My Jamaican Guy Gwen Guthrie Gwen Guthrie feat It Should ve Been You Peek a Boo Gwen Guthrie Padlock Joe Cocker Sheffield Steel feat Talking Back to the Night Ruby Lee Junior Tucker Some Guys Have All The Luck Sly amp Robbie Language Barrier Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club feat Genius of Love Tom Tom Club Close to the Bone Recorded at Compass Point with some CPAS members edit Barry Reynolds I Scare Myself by Barry with Mickey Sticky Wally Sly amp Robbie Charlelie Couture Pochette Surprise with Barry Mickey Sticky Wally amp Steven Gregory Isaacs Night Nurse with Wally Gwen Guthrie Just for You with Wally Jimmy Cliff Give the People What They Want with Sly Robbie Sticky amp Wally John Martyn Sapphire with Barry Sticky Andy amp Steven Ian Dury Lord Upminster with Sly Robbie amp Tyrone Lizzy Mercier Descloux Mambo Nassau with Wally amp Steven Mick Jagger She s the Boss with Sly Robbie amp Wally Robert Palmer Pride by Robert Robert Palmer Riptide Heavy Nova by Robert with Wally Talking Heads Remain In Light Speaking in Tongues by Chris amp Tina with Wally amp Alex Wally Badarou Echoes by Wally with Andy amp Steven Wally Badarou Words of a Mountain by Wally Will Powers Dancing for Mental Health with Steven References edit Bahamas Handbook and Businessman s Annual Etienne Dupuch Jr Publications 2005 a b c d The Caribbean Getaway Where the 80s Were Recorded reverb com a b c The funky legacy of Grace s island The Independent 15 February 2008 Broken English excerpt from Faithfull An Autobiography David Dalton Little Brown amp Co New York Keep On Running The Story of Island Records by Chris Salewicz p 135 Interview by David Katz Chapter 45 from Nathalie Delon Pleure pas c est pas grave Flammarion The Tragically Hip The Canadian Encyclopedia Sheppard David 18 September 2008 On Some Faraway Beach The Life and Times of Brian Eno Orion Publishing Group ISBN 978 1 4091 0593 0 Frantz Chris 21 July 2020 Remain in Love Talking Heads Tom Tom Club Tina St Martin s Publishing Group ISBN 978 1 250 20923 8 Reed John 30 August 2014 House of Fun The Story of Madness Omnibus Press ISBN 978 1 78323 334 2 Brown Jake 4 July 2011 Iron Maiden in the Studio The Stories Behind Every Album Kings Road Publishing ISBN 978 1 84358 765 1 Magazine Various Mojo November 2007 The Mojo Collection 4th Edition Canongate Books ISBN 978 1 84767 643 6 Pegg Nicholas 6 December 2016 The Complete David Bowie Revised and Updated 2016 ed Titan Books US CA ISBN 978 1 78565 533 3 Giles Jeff 18 November 2013 How Emerson Lake and Palmer found themselves on Love Beach Ultimate Classic Rock Retrieved 3 March 2021 Dire Straits Communique Bachman Randy Compass Point Studios Vinyl Tap CBC Radio September 22 2018 Compass Point Home External links editOfficial website Island Records website Wally Badarou website Strut Records website Island island50 com Mojo Island 50 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Compass Point Studios amp oldid 1216237220, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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