Film Review – Under the Volcano

The best music documentaries focus on the stories involved with the creation of records, or exploring band or artist dynamic. This is what audiences come for, to get a peek behind the curtain, understanding how creativity ebbs and flows, occasionally resulting in world-shifting successes. “Under the Volcano” is a simple picture about the days of Associated Independent Recording, with co-founder George Martin moving the process of creativity to the island of Montserrat in the West Indies. He took his reputation and the money made after working with The Beatles and constructed a living space for bands hunting for a different vibe when developing their careers. Instead of the coldness of urban life, AIR Montserrat provided paradise, albeit in the shadow of an active volcano, and director Gracie Otto (“The Last Impresario”) gathers interviews from those involved with the studio to best understand how this building and vibe managed to inspire some of the best albums of the 1980s. And yes, there are wonderful stories contained within. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com