John Jones - A Biography

Building the Ship

In 1980, while working as a local cable TV director/producer for Classicom Cable TV in Richmond Hill, John, with Dee Long of Klaatu, designed and built, re-designed and re-built, ESP Studios, north of Toronto in Buttonville.
Located in the back of an antique store in a 19th century blacksmiths shop, the studio was based around a Fairlight CMI and a variety of keyboards and computers, and was a pioneer in the use of computers and MIDI in the recording process.

The first album recorded in the Studio was the last album recorded by Klaatu; Magentalane.
Other clients in the studio included Alice Cooper, Bob Ezrin, Ed Thacker, Jim Boyer, Jim Valance, Glass Tiger, The Partland Brothers, Klaatu, Tom Cochrane & Red Ryder, Gary O, Dalbello, Rational Youth, Dan Hill, Images in Vogue, Lucasfilm/Nelvana, Bob Segerini, and Alfie Zappacosta.

During this period John started to cut his teeth on television and film scores. He composed the music for the film "Perfect Strangers", directed by award winning Canadian director Neil Grieve; the television movie/Serial "Blue Murder", as well as the score for the last film that Orson Welles acted in for Magder Films, "Never Trust an Honest Thief".

ESP Studios had a fantastic atmosphere and played a large part in the sound of Toronto during the early 80's with Dee and John pioneering the use of MIDI and the Fairlight CMI in Canada.
The experience of designing, constructing and operating the studio were extremely valuable lessons that would continue to play a role in many of John's future musical productions.

In the summer of 1984 John was assisting Dee Long, who was producing the Rational Youth album "Heredity", when John's father passed away suddenly, and he found himself taking a hard look at his life.
He was spending more and more of his time trying to keep the studio running and paying the bills rather than recording his own music, which was the reason he built the studio in the first place.
This was during a time when the music business in Canada was rife with drugs and filled with missed oportunities for some very talented artists and business people. On top of the depressing atmosphere of the Toronto scene in 1984, Canadian album recording budgets were getting slashed, due in part to their parent companies restructuring, so running the studio was getting more difficult by the minute.

By great coincidence, and at a time when he was yearning to escape Toronto, Capitol Records, who had yet to be neutered, and who were pleased with the work on Heredity, allowed the duo to mix the Rational Youth album wherever they chose.
They chose London and the famous AIR Studios on Oxford Street.

London was a revelation for Dee and John during the Rational Youth mixing sessions, which included the hit songs "Bang On" and "Malade" written by John. Air was one of the worlds great studio's with brilliant people working at every level, from the night watch men to the studio manager Malcolm Atkins. Their eyes opened widely to the oportunities London offered and it was just the life cleansing the 2 friends needed.
John spent as much time as possible around the mixing session meeting artists and record company personel and evaluating the possibilities of relocating and working in London in the near future.

The future came fast.
Upon returning to Canada, Dee and John decided to close ESP studio and move to London permanently. The opportunities seemed so great for making music and the Studio buildings and the equipment were sold, and off they went to take their chances...

movin on...