Funky Nassau – The Compass Point Story: 1980-1986

Within the mix of rock and roll lore and history, the impact of the recording studio should reside within its own chapter. As cherished as the Beatles’ Abbey Road recording facility or as identifiable as Funk Brother James Jamersons’ bass lines recorded in Motown’s Studio A, the room, itself, has an often under-acknowledged hand in defining the recordings we hear. In the late 70’s, Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Music, decided to create his own idyllic recording institution, Compass Point, on a Bahaman island. On Funky Nassau, laid out over thirteen tracks, is a glimpse at a stunning, fun-filled discography that sythesized meticulous engineering and artistic spontaneity. With an available house band that included reggae legends Sly & Robbie, the studio popped-out worldly amalgamation of funk, disco, reggae and no/new wave for dancefloor diva Grace Jones, crafted Tom Tom Club’s “Genius Of Love” as well as provide the influence for two significant Talking Heads albums and Ian Dury’s notorious “Spasticus Autisticus”. A great compilation and fascinating bit of history.