"  "I wanted to make the kind of Time records that I'd enjoyed so much. I didn't want to go with Jam and Lewis because I'd mentioned them to the record company before they became the Jam and Lewis we all know. At the time they said 'who the hell are Jam and Lewis' ? then, later, they started saying why don't I work with ... Jam and Lewis!


Six YEARS ago, Junior Giscombe scored a massive American hit with "Mama Used To Say". Although released in the UK just months earlier, it took the thumbs up from America, and a remix, to make it a hit over here. A string of American hits later, and things have changed little.

But despite the welcoming arms extended from America, his heart remains true to dear old Blighty. In fact the title of his new single, "Yes (If You Want Me)", could stand as a statement to the fact.

Junior has spent six of the last nine months knocking around with the likes of Prince, Jam and Lewis and Monte Moir, who's responsible for one of the tracks on his forthcoming LP.

"I've been so lucky with the American market place in as much that, with all my records, I've been fortunate enough to have top 20 success.

"My mum keeps telling me 'Junior you should go and live in America' ? but I can't. This is home. I've got too much affection to leave. Even though in my work I haven't had that affection put back to me, in other ways I have.

"I do have a very strong affection for America because it's been so good to me. And I will repay that loyalty, any way I can."

And he's been as good as his word recording four of the nine tracks from his new LP in America including an as yet untitled track with Monte Moir.

"I wanted to make the kind of Time records that I'd enjoyed so much. I didn't want to go with Jam and Lewis because I'd mentioned them to the record company before they became the Jam and Lewis we all know. At the time they said 'who the hell are Jam and Lewis' ? then, later, they started saying why don't I work with ... Jam and Lewis!

"I wanted Monte because I figured he was one of the guys within the whole troop that everyone seemed to have by-

The end result is a Minneapolis style track, stamped with Junior's own inimitable style. But the final outcome is a mystery, even toJunior himself.

"We put down three different titles, we put down three different songs lyrically, and we've got three different melodies. We could have taken any of the three completely, but what we did was concentrate on the groove with three different songs and melodies, and all of them work.. We could use any of them!"

The fact that Junior looked for outside help on production, in the light of his work with Paul Johnson may surprise a few people. But Junior has his reasons.

"After doing Paul, and other things, in terms of production, it was good to be able to stand back and allow somebody else to throw in ideas, and pretty much direct a course.

"I totally enjoyed the whole experience of producing Paul's album. But I found when it came to doing my own album, because of the way people had received Paul's songs, I started I ended up stealing ideas from myself. . . which was rediculous."

 His work with Paul more than demonstrated his production skills, bringing recognition for what he'd been practising in the studio for years. It also bought him to the attention ofStevie Wonder , who tracked Junior down to congratulate him on Paul's cover of "Ten Zillion Light Years Away". And it ended with Junior taking the backing singers featured on the track, down to the studio for a session with Stevie when he arrived in town the other week.

Junior takes up the story: "They did backing to this track of his called "Free", and it sounded brilliant. He rang up his girlfriend in America, and when the part came on with the singers, he jumped in the air and shouted, 'they're from England, these singers are English'."

Junior's voice is full of pride as he relates the tale; pride in the great strides being made by his fellow countrymen. "It's got even that far now", he continues barely containing the excitement in his voice, "where even out peers want to use musicians here and singers here because they think they sound so good.

"The wealth of talent that's here, and the music that's coming out of Britain at the present really is electric. It still has a lot of urgency, and a hell of a lot more energy than what's coming out of America."

On the flip side of the coin, he's irratated at all the clones clogging up the airwaves: "A lot of people today aren't unique. They sound like someone else, or I think I've heard the bassline somewhere else before.

"For instance that no.1 we've got at the moment (Rick Astley) is a Colonel Abrams rip off. Everybody's saying, 'but it's a really good song'. But I don't find that flattering to anybody, ripping off somebody else's song, and so blatantly.

"You can become a superstar in Britain with just one record, which is ludicrous. I can never understand how people can make a record and be ordained a superstar . . . that comes over a period of years in recognition of making great records. But that's how it is in Britain."

Junior believes he has suffered at the hands of our tabloid press and hip magazines simply because he has courted neither. He'd rather concentrate on his music rather than Fleet Street slagging matches, which he feels partly accounts for his wider recognition in America.

"Image has a lot to do with selling records in Britain. In America it's more about lyrical content and the energy in the music than being seen in the right clubs."

Despite his professional credibility as a singer, musician and producer, he's far from complacent about his position. However he does know what he wants, and what he doesn't want is to compromise.

"What I do is what I want to do from now ? not what is inflicted on me to do. I think that's important in terms of my career, and in terms of my musical credibility to the public at large, in as much as making sure what I put out, I actually believe in. I'm not just putting something out because I think it's going to be a hit record.

"With the new album it's basically coming into my own completely now. It was pretty much there with the third LP, but with the new album it's all there. It's basically what I want, and if we can't have it how I want it, then ... we don't do it!" (SB B&S)