Yessir, you confirmed my long-ago suspicion that the white grand piano of the" Imagine" video is a Steinway Model "O", which measures 5 feet 10-3/4 inches overall. What gave it away is the rounded tail (the small end, farthest from the keyboard). The larger grands, Models B, C, and D, and the O's replacement, the Model L , have a more square-ish tail. . It was not a new instrument: production of the Model O ceased in 1924, to be replaced by the similar-sized Model L . John may have had it refurbished and painted white for the occasion, though white Steinways had been made since the early 1920's. I wonder if it was made in New York or Hamburg ? The serial number would tell a good story of its provenance, to be sure. I always thought the piano on Imagine sounded too small to be a mid-sized grand. Now i see why.
Great video, I knew about the white piano at the Dakota and the one George Michael bought and that it is on display in Liverpool. What I didn't know (until I viewed this video) that there is a third piano and its connection to the 'Imagine' story. Andrew Dixon, I hope you find the third piano and make a video about it, keeps us informed.
Very interesting news! I also thought that it was the white famous grand piano the song Imagine was used for the recording of the song. I did not know that three different pianos were involved in the creation of the song.
I absolutely loved this. Very fascinating. Hoping this might turn into a regular series where you break down the recording techniques, instruments of other sessions.
Cool video. Been having a hard time finding a deep dive video on McCartneys missing Hofner. Was hoping it would come up in the Get Back doc because I heard it might have been stolen during those sessions. Interested in doing something on that?
Always interested in things like that if I find something out that looks like it would benefit from sharing with others! It's not something I know enough about just yet though....
Great stuff. Any idea what was used for the second piano that comes in along with the singing in the right channel. Sounds thinner than the other one. Is it nicky Hopkins or john on overdub? Cheers
Hi Andrew. Where did you get the info about the battered old piano he composed on PLEASE! I knew about the piano that George Michael purchased which John recorded Imagine on. But never heard about the battered one.
Years ago a buddy of mine who was an avid and very good fly fisherman, bought his wife an expensive fly fishing outfit because she wanted to spend more time with him. Sure enough, his plan came together and she quickly grew impatient with the sport. He therefore inherited a very nice fly rod and reel - one that he would have been reluctant to buy for himself. Gotta wonder if John bought Yoko the piano for the same reason.
I love this level of nerdy detail! Next up, on which Mop Top tracks is Macca playing the Hofner500/1 and which the Rickenbacker 4001S? Thanks for all of the fun Andrew!
Hi Andrew, nice vid... sorry to add confusion all over again, but there may also be a fourth piano used in the recording of this song. There is a possibility that the song Imagine was rerecorded yet again at the Hit Factory in New York, with Klaus Voormann on bass and Jim Keltner on drums, this remake being the final released version. Also possibly remade at The Hit Factory were the tracks Don't Want to be a Soldier and How do you Sleep.
The white piano is now on display in a behind the scenes tour at the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando Florida. They removed all the white keys and sent to all the rock pianists like Eton John, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney etc. The keys were all signed and returned to the Hard Rock and put back into the piano. They also have a sofa that John lounged about on at Kenwood , Weybridge . They are on display in the back stage area. You could take a tour of the back stage area. Don’t know whether they doing it at present due to Covid. In the 90’s it was on display in a Beatles exhibition Revolution that was in the London Pavilions.
When Sean posted that photo on Twitter last week, I totally thought to make a breakdown video. I'm glad you beat me to it, did a way better job than I ever would.
I don't know about that! But I was in the mood for it after having just been to Strawberry Field a couple of days before that photo appeared on Facebook....
Great vid Andrew! Didnt know about the upstairs piano, always thought it was just the white n upright ones. Very informative as these types of videos that you produce are. Hope you are well and recovering well after your op!
Andrew,very interesting three pianos , I didn’t know this , I know about the white, the upright one in Strawberryfields, (someday I will go there), but the one at Tittenhurst I did not know about that one, I Hope they find this one , it is a valuable part of John Lennon’s, creativity, genius, e will forever be my favorite, Bless You, Be Safe, Friend, and hope they find it, Steve
I didn't know. I thought he had used the white piano for the recording but now, all is clear ! Thank you Andrew ! An other nice post. Hope all is ok for you. Take care.
Thanks fir sorting this confusion out. I was at the strawberry fields and saw that piano well done for doing a thorough Sherlock Holmes a wonderful insight into its history 🙏
Hi mete, An interesting video. You made a deep dive into the piano solution. I see you wear a Pink Floyd t-shirt, have you tried Atom Heart Mother, their 1970 album? If you haven't, give it a try. A very underrated album. Take care.
Hi Pe, yes I've got a digital copy of Atom Heart Mother, I don't know it as well as some of the other albums, but I like "If", an unusual style.of Pink Floyd song!
Superbly explained Andrew. I often thought myself until last week that John wrote Imagine on the one he uses in the Imagine movie of 1988. As ur video shows when he is showing the others 👍👍 Now I know 👍👍
@@AndrewDixonMusic Yes, I did. I'm currently enjoying one of the zillion special bottlings of Glenfarclas. you should make a video of Ringo's favourite whisky in the 70's. It's of historic importance and I'm sure the subject will make your heart pound with enthusiasm.
Imagine three pianos not just one or two so Dixon tells the story and now we know what's true The white one was for Yoko but she couldn't play a tune then came Nikki Hopkins playing by John's side let's try an octave higher acoustics poor inside and so will use the Steinway to record my special piece oh -o-o-o-o then later we can mime it with Yoko pleading peace. .... and then 5 decades later she'll claim the lyrics hers written in a poem in one creative splurge and don't forget McCartney and on the day John died oh-o-o-o-o ignore the words Paul mumbled cause deep inside he cried... we'll now John, he's in heaven and McCartneys getting on but they'll always be remembered as the greatest composers ever known. This was my second attempt at writing a silly poem but then I hit a button and version one had gone. and so you poor dear reader enduring version two oh-o-o-o got stuck with this trite effort yet you stuck to the end right through!
Thank you! MUCH confusion over the years on this. Now, where is the battered old piano? The mystery continues!
Yessir, you confirmed my long-ago suspicion that the white grand piano of the" Imagine" video is a Steinway Model "O", which measures 5 feet 10-3/4 inches overall. What gave it away is the rounded tail (the small end, farthest from the keyboard). The larger grands, Models B, C, and D, and the O's replacement, the Model L , have a more square-ish tail.
. It was not a new instrument: production of the Model O ceased in 1924, to be replaced by the similar-sized Model L . John may have had it refurbished and painted white for the occasion, though white Steinways had been made since the early 1920's. I wonder if it was made in New York or Hamburg ? The serial number would tell a good story of its provenance, to be sure.
I always thought the piano on Imagine sounded too small to be a mid-sized grand. Now i see why.
Great video, I knew about the white piano at the Dakota and the one George Michael bought and that it is on display in Liverpool. What I didn't know (until I viewed this video) that there is a third piano and its connection to the 'Imagine' story. Andrew Dixon, I hope you find the third piano and make a video about it, keeps us informed.
Thanks Thomas, I did make some enquiries with Yoko's team but didn't get an answer (or perhaps it's not known what happened to it)
Andrew, stellar episode, thank you, Mate 🙏
Saw it today!
Very interesting news! I also thought that it was the white famous grand piano the song Imagine was used for the recording of the song. I did not know that three different pianos were involved in the creation of the song.
Very informative...thanks
I absolutely loved this. Very fascinating. Hoping this might turn into a regular series where you break down the recording techniques, instruments of other sessions.
Cool video. Been having a hard time finding a deep dive video on McCartneys missing Hofner. Was hoping it would come up in the Get Back doc because I heard it might have been stolen during those sessions. Interested in doing something on that?
Always interested in things like that if I find something out that looks like it would benefit from sharing with others! It's not something I know enough about just yet though....
Great stuff. Any idea what was used for the second piano that comes in along with the singing in the right channel. Sounds thinner than the other one. Is it nicky Hopkins or john on overdub? Cheers
But aren't there TWO pianos played on the recording?
It's a brilliant and informative video. 🎹
I was confused as well!! Thank you for your explanation!!!
What about the live performances, which pianos?
I'll let someone else tackle that task! Although I don't suppose he played it live on piano too many times, presumably just a handful.
Brilliant and informative clarification there Andy thanks!
Great job on the video. Very interesting and informative! Thanks.
Hi Andrew. Where did you get the info about the battered old piano he composed on PLEASE! I knew about the piano that George Michael purchased which John recorded Imagine on. But never heard about the battered one.
A combination of the Facebook post I showed and detail that's in the 2018 book and box set.
@@AndrewDixonMusic. I will have to read the book. Thanks.
Interesting video, Andrew. How amazing he got the superb tone on the upright Steinway!
Great video as always Andrew
Yes, so well researched and a very original subject. Thanks again, Andrew.
John buying a piano for Yoko is like Homer Simpson buying a bowling ball for Marge 😂.
Very nice research Andrew! Superbly explained
Not when he writes songs for her on it. Imagine John Lennon writing a song about you.
Years ago a buddy of mine who was an avid and very good fly fisherman, bought his wife an expensive fly fishing outfit because she wanted to spend more time with him. Sure enough, his plan came together and she quickly grew impatient with the sport. He therefore inherited a very nice fly rod and reel - one that he would have been reluctant to buy for himself.
Gotta wonder if John bought Yoko the piano for the same reason.
Yoko is a classically trained pianist. She more than likely played much better than John did.
You learn something new every day.Thanks Andrew.Keep these videos coming!
Thanks for this !
I love this level of nerdy detail! Next up, on which Mop Top tracks is Macca playing the Hofner500/1 and which the Rickenbacker 4001S? Thanks for all of the fun Andrew!
The piano on the recording definitely sounds like an upright
Hi Andrew, nice vid... sorry to add confusion all over again, but there may also be a fourth piano used in the recording of this song. There is a possibility that the song Imagine was rerecorded yet again at the Hit Factory in New York, with Klaus Voormann on bass and Jim Keltner on drums, this remake being the final released version. Also possibly remade at The Hit Factory were the tracks Don't Want to be a Soldier and How do you Sleep.
The white piano is now on display in a behind the scenes tour at the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando Florida. They removed all the white keys and sent to all the rock pianists like Eton John, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney etc. The keys were all signed and returned to the Hard Rock and put back into the piano. They also have a sofa that John lounged about on at Kenwood , Weybridge . They are on display in the back stage area. You could take a tour of the back stage area. Don’t know whether they doing it at present due to Covid. In the 90’s it was on display in a Beatles exhibition Revolution that was in the London Pavilions.
The white piano from Tittenhurst is still owned by Yoko and resides at her home at The Dakota.
Thanks for confirming! I hoped I hadn't got it wrong 🙂👍
When Sean posted that photo on Twitter last week, I totally thought to make a breakdown video. I'm glad you beat me to it, did a way better job than I ever would.
I don't know about that! But I was in the mood for it after having just been to Strawberry Field a couple of days before that photo appeared on Facebook....
@@AndrewDixonMusic sad it wasn’t there when I went in 2019, would’ve loved to have seen it. Great tomato soup in their cafe though. 😂
Just a cup of tea for me!
Great vid Andrew! Didnt know about the upstairs piano, always thought it was just the white n upright ones. Very informative as these types of videos that you produce are. Hope you are well and recovering well after your op!
Cheers for that, Andrew. We can always rely on you to deliver the goods: informative, entertaining and articulate!
Andrew what's the name of that beautiful track you're playing in the background?
Can't remember the exact name of it , but it's by BenSound, there's a link in the video description to the website 🙂
Very good explanation! Thanks for video!
Andrew,very interesting three pianos , I didn’t know this , I know about the white, the upright one in Strawberryfields, (someday I will go there), but the one at Tittenhurst I did not know about that one, I Hope they find this one , it is a valuable part of John Lennon’s, creativity, genius, e will forever be my favorite, Bless You, Be Safe, Friend, and hope they find it, Steve
I didn't know. I thought he had used the white piano for the recording but now, all is clear ! Thank you Andrew ! An other nice post. Hope all is ok for you. Take care.
finally.. thanks for this!!
Thanks fir sorting this confusion out. I was at the strawberry fields and saw that piano well done for doing a thorough Sherlock Holmes a wonderful insight into its history 🙏
Hi mete,
An interesting video. You made a deep dive into the piano solution.
I see you wear a Pink Floyd t-shirt, have you tried Atom Heart Mother, their 1970 album?
If you haven't, give it a try. A very underrated album.
Take care.
Hi Pe, yes I've got a digital copy of Atom Heart Mother, I don't know it as well as some of the other albums, but I like "If", an unusual style.of Pink Floyd song!
Superbly explained Andrew. I often thought myself until last week that John wrote Imagine on the one he uses in the Imagine movie of 1988. As ur video shows when he is showing the others 👍👍 Now I know 👍👍
How did they get that much low resonance out of a standup piano? One Take 1 the piano is almost in the background.
00:01 So now you've become unfaithful to your good old Tamnavulin (3:20)!
You spotted the Balvenie!
@@AndrewDixonMusic Yes, I did. I'm currently enjoying one of the zillion special bottlings of Glenfarclas.
you should make a video of Ringo's favourite whisky in the 70's. It's of historic importance and I'm sure the subject will make your heart pound with enthusiasm.
Imagine three pianos
not just one or two
so Dixon tells the story and now we know what's true
The white one was for Yoko
but she couldn't play a tune
then
came Nikki Hopkins
playing by John's side
let's try an octave higher
acoustics poor inside
and so will use the Steinway
to record my special piece
oh -o-o-o-o
then later we can mime it
with Yoko pleading peace.
....
and then 5 decades later
she'll claim the lyrics hers
written in a poem
in one creative splurge
and don't forget McCartney
and on the day John died
oh-o-o-o-o
ignore the words Paul mumbled
cause deep inside he cried...
we'll now John, he's in heaven
and McCartneys getting on
but they'll always be remembered
as the greatest composers ever known.
This was my second attempt
at writing a silly poem
but then I hit a button and version one had gone.
and so you poor dear reader
enduring version two
oh-o-o-o
got stuck with this trite effort
yet you stuck to the end right through!
Wow, you put more creative effort in to the video than I did! 🙂👍
I always thought the white piano was the same one from the I Am The Walrus video.
No, he bought it for Yoko's 38th birthday in 1971. In the Imagine 2018 books it shows the receipt to Steinway from when he bought it.
I'm sorry, but it's not completely clear to me yet. Could you please explain it one more time?
He was a terrible pianist. To be fair.
london 0 hull 4! I love this album!
One of my all time favourites!
Andy do you have an email address
@@AndrewDixonMusic Andy Hi, It was your E mail I was after mate,
@@stan8364 yes that's my email address I typed
@@AndrewDixonMusic Got it pal cheers
I assume Yoko still has the white piano....anyone.?
She does, it's at The Dakota. There's a photo of her sat at it in this video 🙂👍