A Piano Superstar

[Mark Kaufman]

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
Killer 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. This one:



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?

[ggalen]

Interesting!

Who would have thought that piano was on so many records. But then, I guess it makes sense since Trident was so popular and pianos are fixtures that aren't moved around and replaced all that easily.

[Mark Kaufman]

Interesting!

Who would have thought that piano was on so many records. But then, I guess it makes sense since Trident was so popular and pianos are fixtures that aren't moved around and replaced all that easily.

Yeah, it totally intrigues me, Glenn. I wonder what other superstar instruments are out there...there must be more. Certain microphones at Gold Star or EastWest...lots of history in certain instruments or equipment pieces. But this piano is one we can all recognize just by thinking about it...Elton John's intro to "Your Song"...Freddy Mercury tinkling through "Bohemian Rhapsody"...Rick Wakeman banging out the chords behind "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes"...Mick Ronson playing that awesome intro to "Lady Stardust"...Carly playing the Carole King-like"You're So Vain" riff...McCartney playing "Hey Jude"...man, I can hear every one of those. It's the sound I always want on my own stuff, bright and crisp and thick.

A fellow who posts on the Gearslutz board had this tale to tell:

When Trident Studios was sold to Tape One in 1987, the piano was badly damaged as it was being moved to Trident 2 (which WAS in the Victoria area and still owned by Trident at the time!). The cradle supporting the piano broke as it was being extracted from Studio 1 and the piano went tumbling down the stairs! This happened in front of me, so I know what I'm talking about! The frame was split and the harp cracked! The bits were then crated off to Trident 2 where I understand it was eventually rebuilt before being sold. I have no idea who eventually bought it, but it was rumored to have gone to the U.S.

I understand the most recent sale of the piano racked up something like $350,000.

[orest]

Interesting thread!

Another interesting thing is that Rick Wakeman plays the piano on several songs with David Bowie and Elton John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Wakeman

[Mark Kaufman]

Interesting thread!

Another interesting thing is that Rick Wakeman plays the piano on several songs with David Bowie and Elton John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Wakeman

Yes! Rick Wakeman really stayed busy, didn't he? I never knew he played on "Morning Has Broken"...in that article he says he was only offered 10 pounds to do it, then never got an album credit. Never even got the ten pounds!

[orest]

But Wakeman has earned a lot of money from it since then on his own recordings.

Wakeman recorded over 2.000 songs with different artists/bands (Black Sabbath to name 1..) except being an original player in the band Yes and making around 30 solo albums in the 70's. He has done around 90 solo albums all and all.

This Bechstein piano might be his?

[Bad Monkey]

hello all,
boy if that piano could talk. I can't imagine what the movers felt as that piano went tumbleing down the stairs.

[mojobone]

There's a piano still at Abbey Road with a similar story, an upright known as Mrs. something or other; there's a sampled version available.