Caribbean islands have always been a dream destination to relax and disconnect from everyday stress. Paradisiacal beaches, calm, and a leisurely, unhurried lifestyle. But what would happen if that tropical getaway also became a place to work, a space for further inspiration? That’s what Island Records founder Chris Blackwell envisioned when setting up Compass Point Studios in the late 70s in the Bahamas. Becoming a kind of magnet in the early 80s, this recording studio opened its doors to everyone, from Roxy Music to Duran Duran, from The Rolling Stones to AC/DC, from David Bowie to Robert Palmer, from Bob Marley to James Brown. They all went there. But none did it as many times as Talking Heads, the cutting-edge new wave band that became a key bridge to global beats.
Already in 1978, the band led by David Byrne landed in Nassau to record their second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food. It would be the first of many excursions to Compass Point Studios. 1980’s Remain in Light, their fourth album, was even written there, as their producer Brian Eno suggested changing the creative method. 1983’s Speaking in Tongues was also recorded in Compass Point. And it was there, as a result of a short hiatus between those Talking Heads albums, that drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth conceived Tom Tom Club as a side project — the name was taken from a dance hall in downtown Nassau where they first rehearsed.
Tom Tom Club recorded almost everything there, including their 1981 self-titled debut album, driven by the hit single “Genius of Love”, number 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance and one of the most sampled songs ever. Those recording experiences were decisive in shaping Compass Point’s sound. A funk-reggae-Caribbean sound that also had a lot to do with the Compass Point All Stars, the in-house band that Blackwell assembled to give a sonic identity to his studio project. He began recruiting Jamaican musicians: drummer Lowell “Sly” Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare — the rhythm section and producer tandem Sly & Robbie — along with guitarist Mikey Chung, percussionist Sticky Thompson, and keyboardist Tyrone Downie. They would be joined by British guitarist Barry Reynolds and French-African keyboardist Wally Badarou. Also, a key part of the All-Stars were the producers and sound engineers Alex Sadkin and Steven Stanley.
“Reggae’s expanding with Sly and Robbie,” Weymouth said about Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”, proving that it was possible to experiment with pop. Before, she already added her bass over the syncopated beats of Talking Heads. All of this was happening at Compass Point, as part of a sonic matrix that was becoming increasingly recognizable. That unmistakable sound came from a fusion of cool, often quirky songwriting, dub production techniques and low-end funk, expanded into wide, slow-paced 12” versions. This was evident in the work the All-Stars did in the first half of the ‘80s with female singers such as Grace Jones, Gwen Guthrie and Will Powers (alias of photographer Lynn Goldsmith). That was the studio’s most fertile period, with a musical community emerging from the connection between reggae musicians, new wave bands and solo artists.
It made a lot of sense to have an in-house band like the Compass Point All Stars, a bit like labels like Motown or Stax, or even studios like Muscle Shoals, had done, with their rhythm sections and their session musicians. The All-Stars brought a unique blend of groovy funk and choppy reggae to the studio recordings. According to Blackwell, it started not very well. He admitted that Jamaicans and Europeans didn’t quite get along at first. “It was my fault because I didn’t tell them what I was doing,” Chris told Caribbean Journal, fully aware that he was looking for that mix for the band. “I knew the five guys from Jamaica were solid, but the two others just added something special.” Chemistry happened, however. “We managed to discover each other and go on this incredible journey,” added Badarou.
The All-Stars’ magical connection occurred during the sessions that led to Grace Jones’ best albums, 1980’s Warm Leatherette and 1981’s Nightclubbing — both records, along with 1982’s Living My Life, make up her iconic “Compass Point Trilogy”. For the Jamaican diva, it was a key moment: she was just taking her first post-disco steps. Inspired by Black Uhuru and David Bowie, the band came up with a glamorous and funky approach to reggae and pop. “The first time we played ‘Warm Leatherette’ with Grace Jones, it was like magic,” Barry Reynolds also recalled for Caribbean Journal. “The band was so good because everyone was hearing everyone else and playing around everyone else. We locked into that reggae groove.”
Compass Point’s sonic signature was also evident on 1981’s Lord Upminster, the second solo album from punk and new wave legend Ian Dury. For that recording, Dury traveled to the Bahamas with his musical ally in The Blockheads, Chaz Jankel, to work with Sly & Robbie. The singer-songwriter would take the opportunity to apply what he learned there on subsequent albums, while Jankel would return to the studio in 1983 to record his solo album Chazablanca. Another key record that took place in Compass Point was Mambo Nassau by new-wave French singer-songwriter Lizzy Mercier Descloux. Better received in Europe than in the US, this 1981 album was co-written and produced by Wally Badarou, an essential part of Compass Point All Stars and touring member of Talking Heads.
Dragged to the Caribbean by Blackwell, The B-52’s made their first records on Compass Point — David Byrne produced their 1982 EP Mesopotamia and certainly captures that spirit. Also, French-Cuban Guy Cuevas — cult DJ and figure of the Parisian night scene — recorded there his 1983 single “Obsession”. Another notable single, released on 12″ vinyl to hit the dance floor, was “Don’t Stop the Music”, signed by Bits & Pieces, a Sly & Robbie project with Wailers keyboardist Tyrone Downie that mixed electronic funk and hip-hop.
In the second half of the 1980s, Compass Point fell into crisis. It’s said that Chris Blackwell stopped focusing on the studio around this time due to other business interests. This negligence coincided with the problematically increasing circulation of cocaine and crack cocaine in the region — sadly, some studio employees ended up manipulating the accounts to suit their purposes. Alcoholism also became a problem, especially among foreigners. By 1987, the return of Alex Sadkin — who had left Nassau to work on high-profile productions — seemed to resolve all these problems. He was going to take over as director at the studio, but he tragically died in a car accident. There have also been rumors of curses and voodoo issues surrounding Lee “Scratch” Perry, father of dub and the Wailers’ first producer. Perry, who had long wanted revenge on Blackwell for having “stolen” Marley from him, had just recorded an album in 1984 for Island and was unhappy with the limited exposure he received. In 1993 it reopened. And in 2010 it closed forever.
Compass Point was where elements of African and Caribbean rhythmic music were combined. There, funk and reggae came together like never before. Synthesizers were used in inventive ways. The recording studio became a space to play and experiment, in tune with the teachings of dub. Compass Point was a sonic laboratory of innovation and talent that almost secretly completely changed pop music’s perception.