Rock legend Mick Jagger and the other high-profile recording artists who comprise the new rock group SuperHeavy used the superyacht Octopus to record part of their self-titled debut album.
SuperHeavy—which also includes music producer and Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, soul/R&B singer Joss Stone, reggae artist Damian Marley, and composer A.R. Rahman—used traditional recording studios for some sessions. For some, though, the group gathered aboard Octopus, which features a state-of-the-art studio as well.
In an interview with Live magazine, published by The Daily Mail newspaper, Stewart says, “We recorded all over the place: LA, Jamaica, Turkey, Italy, Greece, India, Miami. We had people coming in at different times, different places. Paul Allen lent us his boat.”
Secrecy was of the utmost importance throughout the process, even aboard Octopus. Interesting enough, Jagger says it wasn’t hard for him to keep quiet, though he wasn’t so sure about everyone else. “I was worried about Dave because he often blabs when he’s talking, and then my brother (Chris) said something. But if you want to keep things private, you can. Dave blagged Paul Allen’s boat, and we recorded vocals sailing ‘round Greece and Turkey; boats are very private places. Fake names in recording sessions, keep it simple… you know.” (Editor’s note: “Blagged” is slang for talking your way into a restricted place or gaining some type of material good, using confidence and/or cheekiness.)
Rahman, who received an Oscar for the Slumdog Millionaire score, says Octopus was a great place to both work and relax. “Being on the yacht was totally amazing,” the magazine quotes him as saying. “There was a studio there, and everyone relaxed and drank—except me, because I don’t drink. I did a lot of work, and it was very fun and creative— lots of swimming off the boat. I missed going down in the submarine, but I gained from being with these people.”
This isn’t the first time that one of the megayachts belonging to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has played host to music legends. Rock group U2 used the recording studio aboard Méduse for tracks for the album All That You Can’t Leave Behind. In addition, Allen has had his own band perform with other musical guests onboard Octopus during the Cannes Film Festival in recent years.
Incidentally, the SuperHeavy debut album releases next week.
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