“Early grave” 💀Written by John Anthony C Ashdown and Ian Ripsher. Arranged,performed and produced by (c)John Anthony C Ashdown (c)2021

Dedicated to the memory of the Grenfell 72.
“Capital Streets 
(Ashdown)

We get on board the busy trains
All the people like us
We cozy up with crowding strains 
Call it hardly a buzz
But we all know it's part of life, we go there
On occasion or work 
We defy the ones who try and kill us
Some murderous jerk

All the crime and the grime all the less sublime,
All the hate they state, in sealing fate
So taken to extreme and then excretes 
In the name of the shame and the game of the blame
From pointing fingers, terror lingers,
Carry on so life it never beats 
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets.
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets 

We walk out and we see the pains 
And we're catching our breath
We choke at all the burnt remains 
Of a tower of death 💀 
Out On all the bridges cross the river
Become pavements of hell
In the darkness of the shadows of their temples
We drowned as we fell

All the crime and the grime all the less sublime,
All the hate they state, in sealing fate
So taken to extreme and then excretes 
In the name of the shame and the game of the blame
From pointing fingers, terror lingers,
Carry on so life it never beats 
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets.
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets.

We take in democratic views
With an opening mind 
But some of us are bound to lose
(As others) speak do and find
Still what we all believe or where we come from
There is tolerance here
So parliamentary fools and all hate preachers 
No one likes you, and we don't care 🤷‍♀️ 

All the crime and the grime all the less sublime,
All the hate they state, in sealing fate
So taken to extreme and then excretes 
In the name of the shame and the game of the blame
From pointing fingers, terror lingers,
Carry on so life it never beats 

All the crime and the grime all the less sublime,
All the hate they state, in sealing fate
So taken to extreme and then excretes 
In the name of the shame and the game of the blame
From pointing fingers, terror lingers,
Carry on so life it never beats 
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets.
Still everyone meets
On the capital streets.”

"Capital streets" Song copyright (C) John Anthony C Ashdown 2018

“From what I can see
Is an ideal place
I look at the trees
And the fields all around here
And the background noise 
Of the M25
Is faint but still quite loud enough..
Is the only blur tho 
And I know that I'm left alone 
To do my thinking 
To do my thinking 
And contemplations..

My pleasantries 
Are away from it all 
Feeling no pressure 
All the people around here 
The mind their own business 
And lazily play
So I'm alone on Lullingstone lair..
And I need the time tho
And I know that I'm left alone 
To do my thinking 
To do my thinking 
And contemplations..

And I need the time tho
And I know that I'm left alone 
To do my thinking 
To do my thinking 
And contemplations..

Leaving the park, as I turn to my car
Alone with my thoughts, left to travel not far,
What to do best, could it soon be,a written quest,
Mixed are my feelings, a door left ajar..

Driving away the the bright countryside,
Anticipation too comes for the ride,
Maybe I’m crazy,is my life so hazy,
But I’m still my own man,myself I confide..

And contemplations,
I am sure we all find in ourselves, somewhere,
From one thought to the next,
To the things,that we say,
And the things,that we do..
For me and for you..
For me and for you...

So now I return to confusion 
All around me am I out of my mind
Maybe it’s all just an illusion 
It’s the sort of thing that I could leave behind 
Still we go round, in our usual ways
Still we try to find a way out this maze
With our actions and words
What we think and feel and contemplations..

So for my own sake i will never
Make a difference if I’m going to stay
Maybe I’ll leave all this forever 
Instead of just a night and a day
Still we go round, with our usual fears
Joys and the pains, and the laughter and tears 
With our actions and words
What we think and feel and contemplations..

And contemplations..

But I know it’s for real-I can go there the same
So I’ll call it a deal-and there’s no one to blame 
With our actions and words-and contemplations..”

Bittersweet Veneers

And Contemplations

“And Contemplations” Song copyright (C) John Anthony C Ashdown 1990

“Tailored and curled
In your waistcoat and your hat
And stylish in your Cuban heels
Endearing so is, that
You’ll play your harp in heaven
Now you’ve left us and we’ve cried
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.

You always had a open house and with an open heart
Yourself and all your loved ones I remember from the start
In wintertime a coal fire you’d be stoking in your place
And all your clan of feline friends would feel it on the face
We sit out at your table with a whisky tea or wine
In summer in your forest of a garden is sublime 
We’d listen to Bob Marley and we’d put the world to rights
And up there in the clouds is a reflection from your lights…

Tailored and curled
In your waistcoat and your hat
And stylish in your Cuban heels
Endearing so is, that
You’ll play your harp in heaven
Now you’ve left us and we’ve cried
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.

We played so many great songs in a state of music flux
In open G you’re sliding through your fender blues deluxe
We’d compliment each other in the places where we stand
The two of you, the four of us, the short and curly band
You freed yourself of cable on a wireless out you go
You’d walk into the crowds on your harmonica you’d blow
And when I was your neighbour you would drive us there and home
Now up there in the clouds you have another place to roam….

Tailored and curled
In your waistcoat and your hat
And stylish in your Cuban heels
Endearing so is, that
You’ll play your harp in heaven
Now you’ve left us and we’ve cried
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.

Your horticulture paradises, where you could be found 
From fixing up and and making things and planting in the ground
Your house so full of little ones in which you both are grand
They grew up very fast you both are there to lend a hand
We used to marvel at your car kept running for so long
Yeah that was oh so you and for us all you would be strong
Now everyone is sad you’ve gone so suddenly and why
But let’s all call it farewell for the present, not goodbye 

Tailored and curled
In your waistcoat and your hat
And stylish in your Cuban heels
Endearing so is, that
You’ll play your harp in heaven
Now you’ve left us and we’ve cried
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.
Tailored and curled
In your waistcoat and your hat
And stylish in your Cuban heels
Endearing so is, that
You’ll play your harp in heaven
Now you’ve left us and we’ve cried
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.

You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.
You’ll jam up there with all the greats 
On guitar with your slide.”

“Tailored and Curled” Song copyright (C)  John Anthony C Ashdown 2022

“Get out of bed
You’re feeling dead
Your lover wants
To give you head
She’s on your London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

So after that
Dress up you twat
Your cider drink 
And leave your flat
Get on the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

Out with the gang and we’re gone for a laugh
Up for the pier, and a pint and a bath
If it ain’t cold in the dirty old sea
And the birds overhead-ain’t shitting on me
Get on the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

Croydon East 
An ugly beast
We got some cans
We’ll have a feast
Drunk on the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

Get on the train 
Oh that’s a pain
Toilet locked 
Hear someone strain 
Dump on the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

So off we go and we’re gritting our teeth
Redhill and Reigate and Hayward’s Heath
Is on the way down with Southern rail
Let’s have a drink, it’s gonna be the pace of a snail 
Hammered on London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

Oh feck
Ere what the heck
Held at the Croydon 
Bottleneck 
Stuck on the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton 

We effing pine
The lewes line
They shut it down 
In 69
The other London to Brighton.
(Corruption with Marples)
The London to Brighton.

We’re at the Mainline so no more a trek
We have a stroll on the promenade deck 
I could be freezing my balls off for days
Taking the piss out the grannies, the druggies and gays
Got off the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

We’re at the bar
Having a jar
Or maybe ten
That’s how we are
Crawling the London to Brighton.
The London to Brighton.

Now we are beat
Something to eat (fish and 🍟)
savaloy
Sick on my feet 
Back on the Brighton to London.
The Brighton to London.

We had a laugh, and were all saying when
When are we all gonna do it again 
One guy has vomited all down his shirt 
still he’s snogging, his bird with his hand up her skirt
We’re on the Brighton to London.
The Brighton to London.

(Turn it round!!)
The London to Brighton.
(That’s better)
The London to Brighton!
The London to Brighton!
The London to Brighton!
The London to Brighton!”

“Lhundon ter Brighton” Song copyright (C) John Anthony C Ashdown 2017

Written a long time ago,but now appears with a complete production.
Tells a story of a skiing holiday at christmas.
Would love it if you could share this one around like a box of Cadburys 
Milk Tray.
Thanks,
John

See you in the snow.Written,arranged,performed and produced by(c)John Anthony C Ashdown (c)2007

When all my enemies are dead 💀(c)John Anthony C Ashdown(c)2016

“Well I remember from the palace
400 feet above below
I could see Morden these surroundings(lol)
Down where the wandle has to flow

I grew up in around the Norwoods
(And camberwell)
Still now there's not a lot to show..

(Way on down)
they built no underground 
(In south London Town)
in the south east
(I'll take you round)
it was the biggest lie
(All the sight and sounds)
a 1930s beast
(White black and brown)
they built the overground
(You'll smile and frown)
something at least
(In south London Town..)

Tory Bromley blue has,open greens
Along the Stone park avenue
Ritzy Brixton,market grime
Ali Mandela went there too

From tooting high road through to Streatham
(in Greenwich time)
And Wimbledon that tennis queue..

(Way on down)
deep in that castle
(In south London Town)
that elephant is old
(I'll take you round)
You ain't no queen in Purley
(All the sight and sounds)
unless you're cane hill bold
(white black and brown)
take a shot down lewisham
(You'll smile and frown)
be drunk or dead and cold
(in south London Town)

(Way on down)
they got a tram way
(In south London Town)
around the Shirley hills
(I'll take you round)
through the Croydon outback
(All the sight and sound)
band playing thrills
(Progress,decline)
the Addington wasteland
(So foul,and fine)
it's marijuana,pills
(Closure benign)
and like on Deptford Broadway 
(By the railway lines)
blood may always spill 
(White black and brown)
tore down high level rail 
(You'll smile and frown)
with low level skill
(In south London Town)”

"Way on down in South London Town" Song copyright (C) John Anthony C Ashdown 2016

“One day I'll confess to all of my life
That I lived more then inside my head
One day I'll confess to all of the strife
Before you learn the hard way instead 
Soon Will land on our doorstep from when I went wild
Will be lovers I had as you cared for our child 
The things that I said people listened for need
Were lies that I told just to hide all my greed...

One day You'll Confess to all of your life
That You lived less then inside your heart
One day you'll confess to what You did rife 
All so funny sad stupid and smart
Soon will come out the truth from the lies that You told 
Of places You claimed to be at was not bold
Instead You were cheating and gambling galore
And when the time comes I will want you no more..

One day I'll confess.
One day I'll confess.
One day I'll confess.
One day I'll confess.

What is the truth,when we,hunt it down
To ourselves we think this way
That our guilty partners all to blame
For the past but not today...

One day we'll confess to all of our lives
That at fault was as much you as me
One day we'll confess we both pointed fingers except at ourselves we will see
Your actions that you're so responsible for
My actions burnt bridges and then closed the door
We then said goodbye with the pain that we earned
And if we admit it from lessons we learned..

Then we have confessed
Then we have confessed 
One day we'll confess 
One day we'll confess”

"One day ill confess" Song copyright (C) John Anthony C Ashdown 2016

“Lhundon ter Brighton.” Written, arranged, performed and produced by (c) John Anthony C Ashdown (c) 2017 😎

Was out along a sidewalk and I tripped-and-fell
I hit somebody’s negligence, what-the-hell??
I broke my little finger and was knocked out cold
And when I came around, in the pain-I-rolled
Somebody called an ambulance but they-said-mate,
We got an pandemic there’s a four-hour-wait
He may have hit his head and you may scream-and-shout 
Because if he ain’t bleeding we ain’t-coming-out!!
I’m lying on the ground- in everybody’s shoes

Coronavirus blues
Coronavirus blues
Wide out there in the open we ain’t gonna get to choose 
Coronavirus blues 
Coronavirus blues 
If we are gonna get it some will win and some will lose

It started out in China so the big-guys-say
And blowing up a storm over italia-way
They panic and their yelling in-the-USA
Keep calm, wash your hands in-old-UK
They got the numbers-up in the fatherland 
Without the gas chambers-to hand
And all the world leaders they come out-in-sight
They tell us don’t go out today, tonight 
We’ll all be staying in-and taking off our shoes 

Coronavirus blues
Coronavirus blues
Wide out there in the open we ain’t gonna get to choose 
Coronavirus blues 
Coronavirus blues 
If we are gonna get it some will win and some will lose

So if our time is done how will we end-this-ride?
Are we all gonna laugh after we all-have-cried?
I gotta go and buy my last-toilet-roll
High priced hand gel, wiped-my-hole
Confess for everything that we-have-lied
Have cocaine and hookers in my bed-each-side
Or drink myself till the end-of-life 
And tell my best mate that I screwed-his-wife
I’m lying in a mortuary with dead mans shoes

Coronavirus blues
Coronavirus blues
Wide out there in the open we ain’t gonna get to choose 
Coronavirus blues 
Coronavirus blues 
If we are gonna get it some will win and some will lose

This one features the “Pete Best bossa nova,” the one where the drummer suddenly decided to go into in the middle of the original recording of love me do. The die was already cast and the knives had been sharpened, but It was the final straw for producer George Martin and the rest of the Beatles, and Pete became history in a way that was far less desirable to the rest of them.

Other then that, “Trapped in a town” is the bastard son of “Coronavirus blues” and hopefully the last I play solely with a bottleneck, as my hand was still recovering from breakage at the time.

The infection rates are upon us again they say. My effort here hopefully makes things a little more light hearted. 

Happy listening 😎

John TC

“Trapped in a town!”😮🌍Written,arranged,performed and produced by(c)John Anthony C Ashdown(c)2020

“We sit in the cold with our friends, and relations now outside,
those not in a bubble that’s bursting,
We try to conceal,
We look at some places the last time,
Close up all the windows and doors,
From Wales up to Manchester, sailing the Irish Sea,
Cross the border it roars..like..crazy

From holding their cups full of Yorkshire tea shout and they cry,
Under a lockdown sky.

We block up the roads and we spit in the face of the mainlines,
Said they’ve had it coming for years while we poison the air,
They quarantine students In dormitories,
No jobs so no money for beers,
Businesses begging please, on their knees bankruptcies 
123 will end in tiers!..like...crazy

From rolling their roll ups the smoke from the dog ends goes high,
Under a lockdown sky.

Now the usual suspects are all throwing parties together,
While the elderly mother has passed away all on her own,
We then practice Boris’s slogans,
And show him we’re up to the task,
While their,
Double standards reveal, such a bad deal, and Stanley’s forgotten his mask!...another fine mess...

If it’s nature’s revenge, not all true but then not all a lie,
Under a lockdown sky.”

"JOHN TC's BITTERSWEET VENEERS" is a complete new album released on the 29/11/2022.
Lyrically the album is largely fueled by childhood memories of South London and past and present railway history. It also briefly touches on the dark side of human nature in relationships, boorish behavior and "Under a Lockdown Sky" states the obvious.
Musically the album offers a cross between pop, rock, progressive, blues and folk styles, late sixties beat and marks a personal comeback from a hand injury sustained from last year.
Release date: 29/11/2022.
 
 ABOUT JOHN TC ASHDOWN:
Having the first, second, third and forth of many final cracks of getting my sounds out into the world. May go for a fifth too.. Well you never know!

Always loved music, started off on keyboards before discovering the beautiful guitar sounds of John Williams at 15 years old. 
Songwriting followed at 18, 21 was the first live performance.

First proper band was a quartet called Agent's Estate, mostly featured original material.

Had my first proper original band at the age of 23, in which we wrote songs with strong melodies. I like to think that has stayed with me to this day, the years of listening to the Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Hollies, Jethro Tull, Yes, Stranglers, Pink Floyd, Squeeze, Beautiful South, Dire Straits, Joe Jackson, David Bowie etc. Paying off in some way.

The ensuing years after has mostly been that of a bread-and-butter musician, from playing other people’s music in lots of different settings, with lots of highs and lows-some of the highlights were backing the Drifters when they toured over here, to playing cabaret shows backing winners from Stars-in-their-eyes and Cabaret shows with Brian Conley.

But now here we are again with the original stuff, this time as a DIAY man (do it ALL yourself😂)Oh and check out Stone Park Avenue here too, my last originals band I was in. Big highlight there was playing a rock festival in 2016-held in the middle of a prestigious wine estate in Northern Italy!  

I hope you like what you hear here (lol😂) please spread the word or a hundred.

John TC xx

Guitars:
Fender rosewood D28 acoustic electro guitar
Bryce resonator acoustic slide guitar
Suzuki D28 acoustic slide guitar 
Gibson Les Paul future electric guitar
Gibson Les Paul lite electric guitar
Gibson Les Paul Marauder slide guitar
Vintage P90 loaded stratocaster guitar

Strings:
D'Addario Nickel Wounds, Dean Markley Blue Steel and Martin Phosphor Bronze 

Amplifiers:
Fender M80 combo
Ashdown Peacemaker
Fender Stage 100

Recording equipment:
Apple Mac software

Effects:
Donner Compressor, Chorus and Delays
Mooer Green Mile Tube Screamer
TC Electronic Looper

John TC Ashdown

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