“Oh, that piano, it was magnificent. Words cannot describe the pleasure of listening back to the final mix of ‘Hey Jude’ on four giant Tannoy speakers which dwarfed everything else in the room.”
~Paul McCartney
Trident Studios was a British recording facility located at 17 St. Anne’s Court in London’s Soho district between 1968 and 1981. In mid-1968, Trident Studios were among the first in the UK to use Dolby noise reduction, and employ an eight-track reel to reel recording deck. I realize an eight-track recording deck is laughably small today but back then, it was a huge deal.
While Abbey Road Studios still only used four-track at the time, Trident’s Ampex eight-track machine drew The Beatles on July 31, 1968 to record the first single for their Apple label.
But the studio is not why I brought you here today. This piano is.
A feature synonymous with the studio was the “Trident Piano,” a handmade Bechstein grand piano over 100 years old and often described as “the best rock and roll piano ever.”
It was notoriously difficult to play because of its stiff hammers, meaning that the player had to really hit the keys to get something out of it. Despite this notoriety, the bright and crystal clear sound it delivered attracted loads of musicians.
And every song in today’s medley features that very same glorious piano Paul McCartney used on that July evening in 1968.
Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right
The Trident Piano Medley
Beatles – America – Elton John
Nilsson – David Bowie – Queen
Mott The Hoople – Carly Simon – T. Rex
Enjoyed this medley of diverse musicians that recorded with this piano.
As the widow of a piano technician, tuner and rebuilder, for me this begs the question as to why they didn’t or couldn’t adjust the action to make the touch softer?
Your back stories are just as entertaining as the music!
You provide the opportunity to learn something new each day 👏
Thanks, Mary Helen.
The best answer i can come up with came from an engineer who worked at Trident in the 70s.
“It did have a distinctive sound, due as much to the supposed hardening of the hammers after a century of use, as to the fact that the action on the keys was really knackered forcing the player to attack the keys that little bit harder.“
I found this medley to be so fascinating. To listen specifically to piano in each of these songs shows how very different it can sound in each one. I must admit that I never knew anything about the trident piano, but I sure know a lot now. Piano itself has always been interesting to me, even as a child. I can remember a beautiful old upright piano that sat in the corner of my grandmother’s living room, And no one ever played. I used to sit down and just stare at the sheet music with harbor lights on it thinking should I try to play this. Unfortunately I never developed into a piano player. But I always love the beautiful range of music that it produced. Thank you for bringing all of this to our attention, and also for the assembly of these varied artists to show whether the piano was a feature, an intro, or Melody throughout the song. This was fantastic I really loved it! Thanks Ray! You’re the best!
Thanks, Sandy 🥰
Our family also had a piano which wasn’t used much but I did fool around with a bit as I got into my teens years. One of the songs I did learn to play was Hey Jude! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. 🙂
What a great “piano medley” .. love all of them – in the last couple of days have listened at least 4 times .. . LOL
Have a wonderful day Mr DJ Man!!
Love and hugs!
Thank you, Penny 🥰
I guess it’s safe to say you enjoyed this medley. 😉
Have a wonderful day!