A Piano Superstar - Trident's Bechstein Grand

Question: What do all these songs (and albums) have in common?

Beatles
Hey Jude
Martha My Dear
Honey Pie
Bowie
Changes
Life On Mars?
Oh! You Pretty Things
Suffragette city
Lady Stardust
Aladdin Sane
Let's Spend the Night Together
The Rolling Stones
Jiving Sister Fanny
Downtown Susie
Nilsson
Without You
Gotta Get Up
Spaceman
You're Breakin' My Heart
Lou Reed
Perfect Day
Satellite of Love
Ringo Starr
It Don't Come Easy
George Harrison
Parts of album All Things Must Pass
Carly Simon
You're So Vain
The Right Thing To Do
Elton John
Your Song
Border song
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Madman Across the Water
Supertramp
Bloody Well Right
Crime of the Century
Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody
Genesis
Albums Nursery Crime and Trespass
T.Rex
Album T.Rex

Answer: It was the very same piano that played on all of them. (I can't absolutely confirm its use all of the songs on the above list...but it's a very high probability, and most of them are confirmed.)



It was a 100-year-old Bechstein grand piano, kind of hard to play, with very stiff action, and it lived at Trident studios in England from 1968 and through the 70's. But what a recognizable sound when played by people like Paul McCartney, Rick Wakeman, Mick Ronson, Nicky Hopkins, Elton John...

I wonder how many other "superstar instruments" are out there that have a resume like this one?

 

IIRC, the piano is now owned by Roy Thomas Baker. And I believe that Justin Hawkins played it on the final Darkness album (which RTB produced).

 

It's a cool sounding piano! I was reasonably certain that "Hey Jude" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" both were recorded on it.







I wish it was more in tune for "Bohemian Rhapsody"

 

From what I understand, it was difficult to play...but that sound!

Cool to hear Roy Thomas Baker has it...I remember reading it was auctioned for quite a good price...I also understand it slipped the ropes when they were moving it out of Trident and it smashed somewhat, but was repaired. What a lot of history on that thing...and you begin to recognize its sound after hearing a few of the above songs.

I wonder what other instruments in other studios have the same sort of radio airplay.