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Ashton’s tribute to Lennon
Back in 1996 Tony Ashton recorded a song in tribute to John Lennon. The song is called The Big Freedom Dance and is named after Hamburg’s Grosse Freiheit Strasse, which housed the famous Star Club, showcase for many of Britain’s young musicians in the 60s. This was where the Beatles first made their mark, and where the young Tony Ashton, playing keyboards in another Brian Epstein band, The Remo Four, did his musician’s ‘apprenticeship’, as he put it.
Some years after John Lennon’s shocking death, Tony recorded this personal tribute to John — a song made even more poignant by the death since of his old friend George Harrison, and by Tony’s own death in 2001.
The song is being released by Tony’s widow Sandra and should be available worldwide on iTunes from this week.
Thanks to Drew Thompson for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Tony Ashton is one of the best ever…watch his performance on the butterfly ball…wonderful…I love his albums
December 10th, 2008 at 20:47Please someone tell me why Aston parted way with Lord and Paice?
December 11th, 2008 at 09:52I have to admit the Beatles and Lennon never impressed me much! Sure they´ve earned their place in music history, as a phenomenon and the first “boy band!
In my opinion Lennon was a stoned and naive hippy with little grasp of reality! We all have a desire for world peace,but it´s not going to happen….ever! Why?? It´s just not in human nature and we have fought since the dawn of time! As long as their is people on this planet their will be wars going on somewhere in this world!
No,I wouldn´t call myself a pessimist or cynical,just realistic!It would be a relief if people in general didn´t put him on a piedestal, and made him some kind of saint, and instead recognised him for what he really was……A musical genius,dreamer,stoned hippy and married to a Japanese weirdo woman in constant orbit!
Or maybe it´s just me…..overdosed on Camus,Sartre and Charles Bukowski…..Ah,well!!
“Imagine all the people had some common sence for reality”!!!!
December 11th, 2008 at 11:16# 2 .. yeah why? malice in wonderland is a phenomenal album…
# 3 .. yeah human nature…. but also and the most important reason, why war will always be is
December 12th, 2008 at 04:03RELIGIONS… I thing lennon and wife were always on overdose but not from camus and the rest….
long live DP.
stefan 3
I agree with you about you think of “peace and love” ,
but I think that is also true that if we could not dream about it,write about it,speak about it,sing about it,(…..),our life could be worst..
A Man need to dream,for his soul,for his freedom.
About Beatles,
I prefered always them to Rolling Stones,Beatles were the real rebel band before RS..more trasgressive (IMHO)
ciao
December 12th, 2008 at 11:13cheers
IF YOU DON’T HAVE JUST DONE IT, LISTEN TO THE THREE ASHTON GRADNER & DYKE ALBUMS – THE PAICE/ASHTON/LORD ALBUM – AND THE ASHTON/LORD ALBUMS (LAST REBEL SOUNDTRACK AND FIRST OF THE BIG BANDS).THESE ARE MASTERPIECES!
December 12th, 2008 at 12:04AND DON’T FORGET TO WATCH AHSTON PERFORMANCE ON BUTTERFLY BALL SHOW…
TONY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST AND ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED EVER…
I have to agree with stefan; never was a big Beatles fan, thought The Stones were much better. And then I discovered Deep Purple. No one else compares, (except Black Sabbath maybe!)
December 12th, 2008 at 15:20Dear Andrea!
The main difference between The Beatles and The Stones were more than musical…..Fab four sang about “holding hands” and Jagger & co. about “F**KING”!
To say The Beatles were rebellious is just ridicilous! They were probably as dangerous as Gandhi on weed!!
Back to “the Mule”, Made in Japan Version cranked up to maximum volume!Ciao Bella……ROCK ON!
December 12th, 2008 at 16:26I could and actually have listened to our great DP for days and weeks without other music, but other than DP, The Beatles are the only group I could listen to for any expanded length of time. I think they were very inovative and quite ahead of their time. A phenomenon or boy band?? I don’t hardly think so.
December 13th, 2008 at 00:16True the beatles did sing about “holding hands”, but that was early on listen to the White Album, Abbey Road, Revolver etc. “not too much more in the holding hands dept”. Still in all DP is my fave of all time.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:14Cheers
Another example of something ridicilous by Stefan.
A boy band?!
Come on!
I love all kinds of music incl The Stones but prefer The Beatles.
Btw,
December 14th, 2008 at 19:33I m one of the Mc Cartney gang not John Lennons
I think you already knew.
Purplepriest!
It´s widely recognised that The Beatles were considered the worlds first boy band, with all the trademarks present:catchy songs,corny lyrics,shrieking fans(teen girls mainly),cute image,teen magazines and daft films!
Hell….Even the Überveggie himself Macca have stated so in numerous interviews! Ignorance is no excuse Priest! Yeah…They were great occassionally but in my mind greatly overrated!!!!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 09:55The Beatles ‘hype’ seems to have been exaggerated over the years………..
Lennon seems to be more memorable for his later ‘spaced out hippy’ shit…………
Macca more memorable for his later attempts at generating tired and washed out wanky tunes………
December 15th, 2008 at 17:23I have to agree that Beatles is very overrated. This case seems happenned with Led Zeppelin (I can’t stand comments said Led Zeppelin is better than Deep Purple at all considerations) and U2 (great in popularity, but their music says nothing to impress me except social and humanity lyrics)
But after all The Beatles still standing as the greatest band in this world. Yes they are looked like boyband. But they are also wonderful songwriters and lyricist, very creative and genius(or crazy???), pioneers of modern music (First time I heard Daytripper, Sgt. Peppers, Hey Jude, Martha My Dear, and Come Together, I thought they came from sometimes in the 80’s but how wrong could I be), and other things that make sense for all of us.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:12I wonder where I can get this Ashton composition?
December 16th, 2008 at 11:12Can anybody give the review about this song other than comments about a band which has been in grave for almost 40 years?