High in the hills of Montserrat, a small volcanic island in the eastern Caribbean, once stood one of the most remarkable recording studios of the vinyl era. Founded and built by legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin in 1979, AIR Studios Montserrat became a creative sanctuary where some of the biggest artists in the world escaped the pressures of urban studios to make landmark albums.
Please read the footnote for details on accuracy and how you can help.The studio was the vision of George Martin, already famous for his work with The Beatles. After founding AIR (Associated Independent Recordings) Studios in central London, Martin found himself confronted by an unusual problem caused by his own success. As he explained to Billboard magazine in February 1980:
““It was at the point that AIR London had been going for a while and had been so busy and so successful that I couldn’t get into it. Also, more and more of my work was being done abroad. I was aware that I was renting other people’s studios all the time and I couldn’t get into my own. I began to think I would like to have an outside studio.””
Before setting his sights on the Caribbean, Martin toyed with the concept of a "world mobile", considering an ocean-going ship fully fitted out as a luxury recording facility that could sail anywhere on earth. When the sheer economics of maintaining a ship studio proved prohibitive, he turned towards finding a permanent haven far from the commercial pressures of London, New York, or Los Angeles. Montserrat turned out to be the perfect location.
“The studio was in the most beautiful location, high in the hills overlooking the azure waters of the Caribbean to the west. Working into the night, we’d often take a short break at last light, sitting by the pool with a beer, watching the giant sun sinking over the horizon.”
The Studio Location: Olveston, Montserrat
Montserrat lies in the Lesser Antilles, roughly midway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad. Small, green, and volcanic, the island was known as a quiet, rural community free from the commercial music business infrastructure of major cities. When Martin approached the local government with his proposal to build a cutting-edge facility in the hills of Olveston, on the northwest ridge of the island overlooking the sea, officials initially wondered if he had lost his senses, having seen various short-lived commercial ventures come and go. Yet backed by the Chrysalis Group and clearances from the Bank of England, Martin pushed ahead.
In July 1979, Martin opened AIR Studios Montserrat.
The concept was simple but unusual at the time: a completely self-contained residential recording studio. Situated 500 feet above sea level on a 30-acre ridge looking out towards the Caribbean Sea, the facility was designed as a total environment. Artists paid a flat weekly fee that included full 24-hour studio access, private accommodation for up to ten people, an on-site swimming pool, and dedicated catering staff.
Musicians lived together on the island while they recorded, often staying for weeks at a time. Days were spent tracking in the live room; evenings involved dinner overlooking the water or taking breaks between takes under the Caribbean stars. The environment encouraged long creative stretches and a sense of isolation that many artists found genuinely liberating.
The Remote Studio Boom
George Martin's idea was not entirely without precedent. By the 1970s, a number of major artists had already discovered the creative benefits of recording far from the music industry's conventional hubs.
Wings had travelled to Kingston, Jamaica to record much of Band on the Run in 1973, escaping London for the looser atmosphere of the Caribbean. Around the same time, The Rolling Stones had turned a rented villa in the south of France into a temporary recording base while making Exile on Main St..
What George Martin did with AIR Studios Montserrat was formalise that emerging instinct. Instead of converting domestic villas or adapting local hire spaces, he created a purpose-built complex designed specifically for artists who wanted to step away from the commercial treadmill and immerse themselves completely in the craft of an album. While AIR's primary base remained in London, Martin designed Montserrat as a distinct Caribbean counterpart, offering acts the same uncompromising acoustic standards within a secluded tropical retreat. For bands wanting an alternative to traditional London recording studios, it proved irresistible.
Behind the Glass: The Neve Console and the Move to Digital
At the heart of the Montserrat control room was an exceptional piece of British audio engineering: a bespoke 12-foot custom mixing console built by Rupert Neve and Company. Featuring 52 input channels and 32 monitor outputs, the board was commissioned especially for the island facility. Martin was unequivocal about his choice of desk, noting in Billboard:
“I like the economics of a Neve board. I like a knob I can get hold of.”
The sound from the Montserrat board was so well regarded within the AIR organisation that management ordered a sister version of the custom console to replace the existing board in Studio Two at AIR London.
A classic trade advert from The Neve Group celebrating their technical partnership with George Martin's AIR facilities in both Oxford Street and the Caribbean.While the studio was planned as a modern facility, Martin initially resisted the early wave of digital tape machines during the studio's opening months:
“I am purposely holding off digital because it’s in a mess right now. It’s a great idea but there’s no standardisation. It’s in danger of becoming like quad. I’ll hop in and have digital when it’s here.”
The studio initially relied on twin MCI 24-track analogue tape machines with synchronisers, alongside monitoring from JBL, Tannoy, and Altec. By 1986, the control room underwent a significant refit, installing a 60-channel Solid State Logic (SSL) console alongside 32-track Mitsubishi digital machines, bringing Martin's digital prediction to life just as compact discs were taking over the market.
Yet despite the high-tech surroundings, working in Montserrat often came down to pure human instinct. Midge Ure later recalled the tactile, hands-on nature of mixing Ultravox material on the island:
“We ended up mixing it manually – old school stuff, with 10 faders each. You had to get your moves, your pans and level changes all correct and throw your echoes...”
Landmark Air Montserrat Sessions
For many artists, the Montserrat environment proved extraordinarily fertile.
The inaugural recording took place in May 1979, when Jimmy Buffett arrived to track Volcano. Buffett titled both the record and its signature single after the then-dormant Soufrière Hills crater that loomed quietly above the facility.
The Police recorded there on two separate occasions, tracking both Ghost in the Machine (1981) and their final studio release, Synchronicity (1983). By the time of the Synchronicity sessions, band tensions were simmering, but the isolation of the island channelled that friction into one of the defining multi-platinum records of the decade.
The studio also reunited Paul McCartney with George Martin for the first sustained period since the early 1970s. McCartney recorded substantial portions of Tug of War (1982) on Montserrat, including his global duet with Stevie Wonder, “Ebony and Ivory”.
Other major albums followed in quick succession. Elton John settled into a prolific groove on the island, cutting three albums across the decade including Too Low for Zero (1983), which yielded hits such as “I'm Still Standing”, and “I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues”. Eric Clapton teamed up with Phil Collins to track Behind the Sun (1985), bringing an updated rhythm section and polished synthesiser textures to his blues playing.
When Dire Straits arrived to record Brothers in Arms (1984–1985), the facility had become a focal point of the recording world. While Mark Knopfler was tracking “Money for Nothing”, Sting happened to be visiting the island on holiday. Dropping by the studio to swim and catch up with the musicians, Sting was invited into the control room to add his distinctive backing vocal, borrowing the melody line from “Don't Stand So Close to Me”.
The tropical setting could also prove seductive. Duran Duran arrived in 1983 to record Seven and the Ragged Tiger. According to band lore, the swimming pool, sun, and island hospitality frequently tempted the band away from the desk. Even so, the sessions produced the basic tracking for two of their biggest singles, “Union of the Snake” and “The Reflex”.
The final major project completed at the studio occurred in the spring of 1989, when The Rolling Stones booked AIR Montserrat to record Steel Wheels. Following years of public disputes between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the band retreated to the Caribbean to patch up their working partnership. The isolation worked: they wrote and tracked the bulk of the record in a productive burst, capturing tracks such as “Mixed Emotions” and “Rock and a Hard Place”.
AIR Studios Montserrat Timeline - Key Dates
1977–1978: George Martin conceives the residential studio idea after shelving plans for a mobile boat studio; selects a 30-acre hillside site in Olveston, Montserrat.
July 1979: AIR Studios Montserrat officially opens, fitted with a bespoke 52-channel Neve console and dual MCI 24-track tape machines.
May 1979: Jimmy Buffett cuts Volcano, the first album tracked at the facility.
March 1980: Steve and Jan Jackson take over day-to-day on-island studio management from Denny and Meryl Bridges.
1981: The Police record Ghost in the Machine; Paul McCartney commences sessions for Tug of War.
1983: The Police complete Synchronicity; Elton John tracks Too Low for Zero.
1984–1985: Dire Straits record Brothers in Arms; Eric Clapton and Phil Collins record Behind the Sun.
1986: Studio control room is refitted with a 60-channel SSL console and Mitsubishi 32-track digital machines.
March–June 1989: The Rolling Stones record Steel Wheels, marking the studio's last major tracking project.
17 September 1989: Hurricane Hugo strikes Montserrat, tearing through the complex and severely damaging the island's infrastructure. The studio closes its doors permanently.
18 July 1995: The Soufrière Hills volcano awakens, leading to catastrophic eruptions that destroy the capital of Plymouth and close the southern half of the island.
15 September 1997: George Martin stages the Music for Montserrat benefit concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, raising £1.5 million to build a new community cultural centre on the island.
Complete AIR Studios Montserrat Discography: Albums and Hit Singles
| Year | Artist | Album Title | Key Tracks Tracked / Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Jimmy Buffett | Volcano | Volcano, Surviving the Next Flood |
| 1979 | Gerry Rafferty | Night Owl | Night Owl, Days Gone Down |
| 1979 | Climax Blues Band | Real to Reel | Summer Rain |
| 1979 | America | Silent Letter | Only Game in Town, All My Life |
| 1980 | Roger Daltrey | One of the Boys | Without Your Love, Free Me |
| 1980 | UFO | No Place to Run | Young Blood, Lettin' Go |
| 1980 | Climax Blues Band | Flying the Flag | I Love You, Gotta Have More Love |
| 1980 | Little River Band | Time Exposure | The Night Owls, Take It Easy on Me |
| 1981 | The Police | Ghost in the Machine | Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Spirits in the Material World |
| 1981 | Sheena Easton | Take My Time | Morning Train (Nine to Five) |
| 1981 | Earth, Wind & Fire | Raise! | Let's Groove, I've Had Enough |
| 1982 | Paul McCartney | Tug of War | Ebony and Ivory, Take It Away |
| 1982 | Ultravox | Quartet | Reap the Wild Wind, Hymn |
| 1983 | The Police | Synchronicity | Every Breath You Take, King of Pain |
| 1983 | Elton John | Too Low for Zero | I'm Still Standing, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues |
| 1983 | Paul McCartney | Pipes of Peace | Pipes of Peace, Say Say Say |
| 1983 | Duran Duran | Seven and the Ragged Tiger | The Reflex, Union of the Snake |
| 1984 | Elton John | Breaking Hearts | Sad Songs (Say So Much) |
| 1984 | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Junk Culture | Locomotion, Talking Loud and Clear |
| 1985 | Dire Straits | Brothers in Arms | Money for Nothing, Walk of Life |
| 1985 | Eric Clapton | Behind the Sun | Forever Man, She's Waiting |
| 1985 | Midge Ure | The Gift | If I Was, That Certain Smile |
| 1985 | Mike + The Mechanics | Mike + The Mechanics | Silent Running, All I Need Is a Miracle |
The End of an Era and the Island's Legacy
AIR Studios Montserrat operated for only a decade, but its end came with astonishing swiftness.
On 17 September 1989, Hurricane Hugo tore through the Caribbean with Category 4 winds. While the reinforced concrete exterior of the studio held firm, the roof was partially breached, water penetrated the premises, and the wider infrastructure of the island was badly damaged. With the music industry shifting towards suburban private setups, cheaper digital technology, and home facilities, the cost of re-establishing a remote Caribbean operation could not be justified. The studio never reopened.
Any lingering prospect of returning to the site was erased in July 1995, when the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy. Pyroclastic flows and thick ash falls buried the capital of Plymouth and forced the evacuation of the entire southern two-thirds of Montserrat. While the studio structure in Olveston sits just outside the permanent exclusion zone, the abandoned rooms have slowly surrendered to the tropical elements, their decaying frames celebrated in the documentary film Under the Volcano.
The bond between George Martin and Montserrat endured. Following the volcanic disaster, Martin organised the Music for Montserrat concert on 15 September 1997 at the Royal Albert Hall. The performance brought together many of the artists who had recorded classic albums on the island, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Sting, Mark Knopfler, and Phil Collins.
The concert raised roughly £1.5 million. The funds were channelled directly into building a new Montserrat Cultural Centre, providing the island community with a modern gathering space, auditorium, and conference venue that Martin formally gifted to the island.
AIR Studios Montserrat captured a brief, golden chapter of the vinyl era. High on that hillside ridge, the combination of complete isolation, first-class acoustics, and Caribbean warmth created a creative environment that shaped some of the greatest music of the 1980s.
A note on accuracy: Whilst every effort has been taken to verify dates, locations, and tracking credits, unpicking studio history decades after the event is rarely an exact science. Inevitably, conflicting session logs and fading memories mean the odd discrepancy creeps in. If you have verifiable evidence or first-hand memories that can help set the record straight, I would love to hear from you.