Super Bear, the legendary but forgotten recording studio of the French Riviera

From 1978 to 1986, Kate Bush, Queen, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Francis Cabrel and Van Morrison recorded in the hills above Grasse, at the least known of France’s legendary recording studios. Damon Metrebian entrusted Tom Hidley with the acoustic design of the studio. During those years, Super Bear was the favorite stopover of British geniuses, many of whom slept, dined and worked in Berre-les-Alpes.

Damon Metrebian, the remarkable founder of the Super Bear studio in the south of France, tells how it all began. The exclusive interview appears in the book Studios de Légende, secrets et histoires de nos Abbey Road français (Legendary Studios: Secrets and Stories of Our French Abbey Roads).

Where does the name Super Bear come from?

Damon Metrebian: Three months before opening, we still didn’t have a name. The locals called it Le Cythère (its old name when it was a restaurant). My team called it “The Studio,” which was my first choice. One day, I overheard someone in the village giving the address to a delivery driver: “The studio is at Super Berre.” Berre is pronounced like the English word “bear,” and “super” simply means super. I suddenly pictured a flying bear in a cape wearing an SB logo. I thought Super Bear was original, memorable and fun. Of course, we never used a flying bear for the logo, but it is made up of the letters SB.

Why France? And why Berre-les-Alpes in particular?

D. M.: Choosing France was easy. First, I didn’t want to settle in the United Kingdom because of the uncertain economic climate created by James Callaghan’s Labour Party. So I was ready to settle abroad. Second, the British press often reported that famous musicians, including Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and others, had homes in the south of France, which was nicknamed the “playground” of the rich.
So I figured they might also like to record in the same region. Obviously, I was right! Maybe the choice of Berre-les-Alpes was divine intervention? In 1977, while I was putting my team together, I asked Denis Boulle, a friend whose French is better than mine, to scout the region for a location. He placed ads in Nice-Matin, and in February I flew in with Jo, my fiancée, to visit three sites. The first was a château in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, but it was austere and too far from the beaches and the nightlife of the French Riviera. The second was a villa in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, but it was too small and too expensive to convert. The last one, a restaurant in Berre, was only 650 square meters, but the dining room had an 8-meter ceiling and there was room to expand. The proximity to the coast and the wonderful climate were perfect for letting artists unwind. There was also a pond near the restaurant with a trout farm. I had a vision of a two-level swimming pool. André Occhirossi, the owner, sealed the deal. He ran another restaurant, Le Cheval Blanc, and invited Jo and me to meet his lovely family: Sylvie, his wife, and their children, little Marc and Murielle. I don’t know whether what swayed my decision was that André looked a lot like my father or that he served us a fantastic bouillabaisse, but either way, we closed the deal that very afternoon.

Tom Hidley worked on the acoustic design of the recording room. Did you already know him?

D. M.: I had entrusted John Etchells with the technical side of the recording studio. John had been a sound engineer at the BBC, and I had worked with him as an artist for several years. When I told him I wanted the best studio designer, he suggested Tom Hidley. John and I went to the AES convention in Paris (in January or February 1977), where we met Dave Hawkins, an associate of Hidley and of Eastlake Audio, and later that same month, Tom himself. I was blown away by their client list. Choosing Tom Hidley wasn’t hard.

How did things go with the locals? Did they enjoy having superstars in Berre, or were they not aware? I read that the mayor played pétanque and had aperitifs with members of Pink Floyd…

D. M.: We couldn’t have hoped for better. People were warm and welcoming. We landed in Berre without warning and got straight to work. The locals had no idea what was about to hit them! André Occhirossi, the former owner, introduced me to key figures in Berre, including the mayor, Séraphin Deleuse, and his son, Jean-Pierre, who still gives good advice and once lent his villa to Freddie Mercury; Maurice Lavagna, the current mayor, who also owns Berre’s biggest construction company; Jean-Pierre and Albert Puons, managers of the village’s number-one bar/hotel/restaurant, the Hôtel des Alpes; and Joe Baldi, a plumber, thanks to whom we stay warm in the winter and have normal running water. We made the effort to hire local craftsmen during and after the renovation. A lot of money therefore flowed into the local economy, including our business taxes.

I never surveyed the people of Berre, but from the feedback I’ve received, they’re proud to be part of Super Bear’s success. Their warmth and generosity played an important role. I don’t know whether they had aperitifs with members of Pink Floyd, but our guests appreciate what the village has to offer.

Cover photo: the Super Bear studio – © DR