Various Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story
Hordes of foreign rock stars became richer after recording at Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point studio […]
Hordes of foreign rock stars became richer after recording at Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point studio in the Bahamas. The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Wings, and even Judas Priest visited the place, but a lesser-known fact is that ’80s psychedelic funk bloomed there. Funky Nassau documents such works, both famous and obscure. The Talking Heads’ fractal-funk masterwork “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” shines bright here alongside the Tom Tom Club’s Tina Weymouth-showcasing classic “Genius of Love.” Disco avenged its false 1979 death well at Compass Point, where Bits & Pieces’ “Don’t Stop the Music” and Set the Tone’s “Dance Sucker” flew in the face of the “disco sucks” hordes. Not everything is golden, though: Grace Jones delivers a flat, lite-reggae jaunt, while the treble is cranked up too high on Sly Dunbar’s “River Niger.” Nonetheless, Funky Nassau gives overdue attention to a Caribbean treasure trove.