Trident Studios — Soho, London

Trident Studios at 17 St Anne's Court in Soho was one of the most important recording studios in London during the late 1960s and 1970s. Opened in 1968 by brothers Norman and Barry Sheffield, Trident was one of the first studios in Britain to install an 8-track recording desk (later upgraded to 16 and 24 tracks), giving it a technical advantage over the EMI and Decca facilities that most major acts used. The Beatles recorded portions of 'Hey Jude' at Trident in 1968; the studio went on to host recording sessions for David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, and Carly Simon, among many others.

Queen recorded their first three albums — Queen, Queen II, and Sheer Heart Attack — at Trident, and it was at Trident that they developed the layered, operatic sound that would reach its fullest expression on A Night at the Opera. Elton John's early recordings, including 'Your Song' and 'Tiny Dancer', were made there. David Bowie recorded portions of Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust there. The studio's location in a small Soho alley gave it an intimacy that the larger facilities lacked, and its technical modernity made it the first choice for artists who wanted to work beyond the constraints of the major label studios.

Trident Studios closed in 1981 as the recording industry was restructuring and many studios of its era became economically unviable. The premises in St Anne's Court have since been converted to other uses. There is no specific heritage marker at the site, though its significance is well documented in the histories of the artists who recorded there. St Anne's Court is accessible from Wardour Street in the heart of Soho.