Q : How did that two-album deal with Frontline/Virgin come about in the first place?

A : Well, the first one, the soundtrack was recorded in London.

Q : So it was like this, you had the 'Weather Balloon' LP for Gorgon (run by Neville Lee, Byron's brother) in Jamaica, and then came to London and got the deal for these albums when the title track was a big hit, they signed you on that merit?

A : No, it was released in London first, and then take it back to Jamaica. Because what happen in those days a lot of the guys didn't want to take songs that is already been released in Jamaica unless it becomes a monster seller so that they need to release it in London. But normally them mostly want fresh product that they first released, and Virgin first got the album and they got it to distribute worldwide away from the Caribbean. And that's how it was released on Gorgon in Jamaica, Gorgon which is a part of Sonic Sounds.

Q : But that was a big hit, perhaps your biggest seller, 'Weather Balloon'.

A : Yeah man, was a big massive hit, man.

Q : And the single was issued on the Hit Sound label. Your own imprint I should say.

A : Hit Sound which is my label. Yeah, about '78 or '79.

Q : After this Virgin released 'Mr Brown Something', done with co-producer Fatman on some Jammys tracks.

A : 'Mr Brown Something' through Fatman, yeah.

Q : Do you think Virgin plans to put it out as well?

A : I don't know, yunno. Because they never tell you nutten until you see they do it. Because like I said it awkward, it's their own produc' so they don't have the discipline to phone you and say, "Hey, we've decided that we gonna do this again" - they just do it! Then when you see it and try to get to someone about it, they're always pissin' you around.

Q : Looking back on the deejay style of yesterday, in particular the seventies era, alot of that has stood the test of time remarkably well. How do you look back on it now?

A : Yeh, you see what happen people was more relaxed and people were working on a more spiritual level. Now it's more competitiveness, and people striving not only to do their bes', but only to be more competitive, more competition, and to be competitive you have to be aggressive! Not necessarily, but in this market place today it calls for more aggressiveness, some aggressive people come in different ways. It's just like when you're playing video, they're constantly playing all the time. They might not be aggressive in the sense of violent, but they're aggressive in a way that they keep on pushing it, pushing it, pushing it in front of your face until it grows on you, and you go out and buy the record and the artist becomes the saviour. And in those days people were more on a spiritual level and in a more relaxed form, even if they're suffering it come across in a more spiritual way, and a more real way. Beca' a lot of the things that a lot of the guys are saying now, they're not living that way.

Q : Of the modern deejays we have now, is there anyone in particular that you check for?

A : Well, I check fe a lot of them, yunno, but there are some outstanding ones that are really making me feel like 'Yeah, me and them could work together', that we are in the same type of category. Like Louie Culture, Prezident Brown.

Q : Now he is pretty close to you, your 'protegé', like - Prezident Brown.

A : Yeah, yeah, well, we get inspiration and we grow. We hang out in the same kind of community for the last couple of years and he get inspired from me as a younger youth, just like how I get it from U Roy. With people like Tony Rebel, Sizzla, Buju Banton, Capleton. Anthony B, Determine, y'know, me listen to them. Although me is an older man to them, both in age and in business, me still can listen to them. People like Josey Wales, Brigadier Jerry, and even the same Charlie Chaplin, y'know wha' I mean.

Q : Do these youngsters respect you as one of the elder deejays, or what kind of attitude do you get down in Jamaica now?

A : Well, some do, some don't. It's a mixed attitude, all kinda different attitude. Good, bad and indifferent, all you can think of, y'know. You have some who is not like that, and some who are like that, and some who pretend that they're not like that, but they are! Some people they have funny attitude, but when they see you they smile but deep within themselves they're not with you. So at the end of the day, I don't pay them no mind. I deal with them I can deal with. If I can't deal with them I don't have nothing against them, I just leave them and try to focus on other important things.

Q : As producer, forming your Hit Sound label in '77, what did you set out to achieve, who did you want to work with then? Anyone in particular?

A : Well, tell you the truth, yunno, we do work with anyone who me can work with who might spread the technique to work with. Because I'm just working and producing records, anything I hear. Because some times when you're producing record, it's a different time from now. Now you can sit down and seh 'I would like to work with that man and do an album with that man'. But in those days you just work with people and it depends on what develops from there, then you can say, y'know, 'Yeah well, then I would like to do an album with this person an' that person'.

Q : Who was the first artist you produced for Hit Sound?

A : Al Campbell.

Q : How did you link with him, it was down by Randy's again?

A : We usually hang out down by Chancery Lane, by Randy's, and I met him through Trinity.

Q : How much did you record with Al at the time?

A : I record about... wha'... two albums with Al Campbell, yunno.

Q : None of these came out on Hit Sound?

A : No, different labels. One came out on a label - I forgot the label, but it's called 'Mr Con Man', and another one came out called 'Rainy Days' on the Hawkeye label.

Q : They did well for you and Al?

A : Yeah, they was OK, man. They were satisfactory enough, y'know.

Q : You still have the masters for those albums?

A : Yeah, I still have the master tapes for them.

Q : Do you think there's a possibility to reissue them? Should be of interest for any of the labels reissuing the music in Europe I think. Al Campbell was great in that period.

A : Yeah, well, y'know, the thing is not only if I get the request but if I can, ca' you know everything is... you will have to have more capital to deal with it. And when you have the capital you must also have the outlet, people who you can deal with. Because everything become political now, and sometimes some people know that the records is good but they don't want to sell it because you and them is not friends. That's how it goes, they wanna buy the record and try to stifle you.

Q : There's a good anthology of your Hit Sound productions on the French Tabou1 label titled 'Hit Sounds From Channel One', some great productions contained therein.

A : Yeh, thank you.

Q : I did an interview earlier this year with Carlton Livingston where we spoke about your hit song with him, 'Please Mr Deejay' aka 'Play This Song For Me', and after this there was no real follow-up to the success. You didn't really deal with him anymore afterwards, which could be considered a bit strange, doesn't it? Why don't make an album around the hit and strike while the iron is hot?

A : No, is not to say that I couldn't in any way deal with him anymore, the thing is... But you see wha 'appen, no, let me tell you what really happened: I should've really do - I did some more tracks with him, I did do about four tracks with him, but what happened is that...

Q : He felt you dealt too much with Al Campbell at the time so there wasn't much space left for him or any of the other artists you worked with.

A : No, is not 'dealt too much with Al Campbell'. The thing is, I was an artist at the time also and I have my career to deal with as well, and I am the one who have to go out and work the money to bring in the money to produce the records with him, or Al Campbell. So, what happened, I was also involved in travelling up and down the place doing three different sets also. So, y'know, to be honest with you, an artist cyaan be a producer who produce himself an' other artists and - is too much!

Q : Too occupied.

A : Yeh, you get too busy and something is gonna get messed up in it. So, unfortunately, right now I am sorry that I really didn't (do) an album with him, but is just that I never get around to do it.

Q : Not enough time and space, isn't that how it always is.

A : Not enough time and money.

Q : What about some of the other acts you produced, apart from Al and Carlton there was Sugar Minott.

A : Yea, Al Campbell, Sugar Minott, we work with Prezident Brown.

Q : Even at that time..?

A : No, not at that time. And I worked with...

Q : A guy called Vincent Taylor?

A : Vincent Taylor.

Q : Who was that?

A : Vincent Taylor is from a group named...? Jack Ruby had some groups like... Foundation.

Q : You mean The Revealers?

A : Revealers, yeah. But they changed their name from Revealers to - another guy did leave the group, so they form a different group, and I think it's called Jah Messengers (also known as Earth Messengers), or something like that, from Ocho Rios. Jack Ruby produced it and I think other songs were released by the Heartbeat label.

Q : And you did some productions with the late Delroy Wilson. I like that one which is included on the Hit Sound album, some good Wilson on there.

A : Delroy Wilson, yea. I did an album with Delroy Wilson but the master tape... I lost it, 'cos there was a flood in Jamaica and it messed up the house.

Q : That's a pity indeed! You did some songs with the late Freddie McKay too if I'm not mistaken, I think he's on the CD out of France.

A : Yeah, I recorded a song with Freddie McKay, we did with Ernest Wilson.

Q : Ernest too? So how did this compilation with Tabou1 come about?

A : Well, it wasn't - it never came out that well, it never came out well to be honest, never came out well. But those are some of the things that you learn (from) doing business. You learn good things and you learn bad things, bad experience and good experience.

Q : I heard this company went down.

A : Bankrupt.

Q : So you didn't get any proper money from it.

A : No, didn't get proper money and I need to get my stuff back from them as well so that in years to come he don't have it in his possession to do something else with someone, and then when I see it I have to go through five or six different people to get any justice, ca' that's how the tape business go, yunno.

Q : What about your own Hit Sound LP from 1979, the 'Repatriation' album should come out as well.

A : It's also released, yunno, Patate released it. Patate in France is doing that, Patate Records in Paris.

Q : Recently?

A : Yeah, he is doing reissue on that.

Q : Is it out there yet?

A : Yes it is, with added tracks on it as well. Yeah, bonus tracks with all other people on it. Yeah man.

Q : Overseas tours for you in the early days, you went to the States with Jack Ruby's sound in the late seventies. Where was it?

A : Yeh, that was early, early years ago, man. In New York it was.

Q : What became of Socialist Roots owner Tony Welch, is he still in the music or left the musical activities a long time ago now?

A : He's in Jamaica, man. Involved in music still? No, not that I know of.

Q : Welch was one of the ghetto dons in that time, would you say this contributed to the dances being as violent as they were in those times, especially when you are so obviously involved with one of the parties as he was?

A : Yeah, yeah, violence. Because violent people take violence anywhere, yunno, anywhere they think that the person that they are against, y'know wha' I mean, or they take it anywhere. If they know you're in the church they come in there for you anyway! That's how violent people are, yunno. If they're against you and they know you're sitting in the church or hidin' in the church, they are going in there for you same way.

Q : You never experienced any form of 'political label' that got you in trouble back in those days?

A : No, no, no. I always try to get myself away from that. People might try but it never sticks, never sticks, no.

Q : So you never really experienced any of the more ugly things some artists talk about; blackmail, threats of different kinds? Like you have to take side, get 'involved'.

A : Well, I experienced certain things and that was enough for me to know that 'hey, don't try and let things get worse', y'know. Because even if you don't involved in it you still don't experience it, 'cause you're living around it, you're living into it. So even if they don't come at you, but when it happens around you it's like it's at you same way because it still affects you. Because if you're living in an area and something goes bad there, you know it still affects you even though it's not you, they do it too. But it affect the area and because everybody's looking down, and more pressure, and you have to go through that as well.

Q : If you would sum up your career so far, are you pleased with how things have been for the most part?

A : Yeah, but give thanks each and every time, yunno, it could be worse. It could be worse, and that's how I see it. A lot of man come in the business and end up worse off than me, so... Give thanks for that, and I give thanks and I hope better will come, y'know.

The great Mr Brown went on to discuss his latest work in conjunction with Bunny Lee, doing something that seems to be the trend among vintage artists currently, laying new vocals over seventies tracks. This is being produced in Striker's studio in Kingston. He continues to produce on his own, the latest being an album for Jet Star, 'Still Standing Strong'. He has also done albums for Jah Warrior and Dub Vibes a while back, and not to forget some strong mid nineties recordings for labels like Roof International and Barry O' Hare's X Rated. And finally, he took to press what should've been pressed on a 45 years ago, the brilliant 'Don't Cuss Rasta' by Carlton Livingston on the Hit Sound imprint. Try to find that one if the Tabou1 CD becomes too difficult to locate. One problem as with so many of the older artists is that the work is getting increasingly hard to find, and U Brown is no exception. A good introduction to U Brown in the now 49-year old deejay's heyday ("I've been doing this two thirds of my life and the work isn't getting easier", as he puts it) is the Blood & Fire-anthology 'Train To Zion', which is based around the original 'Satta Dread' album, his 1975 debut on Joe Sinclair's Klik label, along with some obscure singles. There is a treasure trove of U Brown singles for various producers that has never been collected up to now, if anything this Blood & Fire project could be the best example of how it should be done. And Mr Brown deserves a similar compilation out there. Meanwhile, the 'Repatriation' CD out of France is well worth a listen, extending the original 1979 self-produced Hit Sound LP with vocals by Al Campbell and others.

Unlike most of his peers, our deejay survived the transition from rockers to the rub-a-dub era in the eighties remarkably well, hitting big with 'Tu Sheng Peng' and the album 'Jam It Tonight' in 1983, which has seen reissue in a rather dubious way on the 'Black Princess' CD in recent times. U Brown says he is trying to slow down the pace a little bit now, at least productionwise, focusing on performances, such as being a steady guest on Blood & Fire sound system for the past eight years. My wish for the future is that Bunny Lee starts a new reissue program of some of his Attack albums, just like those Ravensquire LP's that appeared out of the UK twelve years ago. That was a good move. Now we need to see more of the same on vinyl, such as U Brown's Third World/Count Shelley-released 'Starsky & Hutch', 'Tribulation', 'Revelation Time' and 'London Rock' albums, complete with original artwork. How about it, Mr Lee?

U Brown website : www.u-brown.com