This song is intended to describe the five stages of the dying process. Richard Wright, the keyboardist of the. During his lifetime, Richard Wright, the band's keyboardist, asked Durga Mc Broom, one of the backing singers on the Pink Floyd tour, to sing this song at his funeral. I have personal contact with her.But according to unconfirmed information, she was accompanied on the piano by none other than John Lord from Deep Purple.
I've watched numerous reactions to Great Gig (why wouldn't anyone?), you came up with some thoughts and comments that no one has. Nice that you looked up Clare and included part of her interview in the video, that was a great idea.
You have to remember that Clare Torry was a hired studio backing singer. She was a student at the time, singing to pay for her studies. Her fee was £30 (normally £20 but she was paid extra for Sundays!) Later the band paid her a fee in arrears for co-writing this song and she still receives production fees as a co-writer. She was recommended to record this album by Alan Parsons - the main sound engineer for this project. Incidentally, it is he who is credited with the way the album turned out and the sound it ultimately had. He had many great technical ideas that Pink Floyd applied. As Clare talks about the three singers in the interview, Pink Floyd later did that on Pulse (1994) and I think that's worth a listen too. It's different of course but very good and interesting. There are three ladies here, Sam Brown, Durga McBroom and Claudia Fontaine. Check it out (by the way, the whole Pulse concert is one of the best live performances ever - it's another of rock music's gems!)
100% serendipity. Lightning captured in a bottle. Unique one-off event. Never to be repeated. Thank you, Clare. Thanks too, Jacob for juxtaposing Rick Wright' work and Clare's commentary. Great !
It the greatest female vocal piece of all time. She was just kickin around in her home town waiting for someone to show her the way. Then incredible greatness.
Richard Wright was the keyboard/piano player. Unfortunately he passed away in 2008. PS: the mixing engineer on this album was a musical genius named Alan Parsons...
So glad to hear you're reacting to the Clare Torrey version, as good as the live version is it can't compare to this, she killed it. What really gets me is that she was briefed to express the stages of grief without words and did it in three takes.
I've let my kids know that I want TIME followed by this at my funeral. Been listening for 50+yrs and it never gets old. I'm 79 now and it's relevant and as in TIME, I'm shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
This song really struck me when I was a mere teen back in the 70s. As I got older I figured out what it was all about. It's about truth. In the beginning we get the little lie we tell ourselves about dying, that it's no big deal, but then Clare Torry comes on and just sings here guts out giving us the truth of the moment. It's so profound.
My favourite song until I heard the BEST live version of Joplin doing Summertime.....her best vocals and the bands best playing and arrangement as well. Was rare for Big Bros to play better than a 5 yo with cramping fingers. lol
I don’t think she ever performed this live with them apart from one time, Knebworth in 1989 or 1990. I have lived the live versions with the three backing singers, including David’s 2016 tour with a male singing the main part, because they are all so different from each other. But how the studio version came to be, Clare’s original improvisation, is just amazing.
It was good to hear a reaction where a person talks about how different recording was back in the 1970s. I think there was something that improved the music when you had to work around the limitations of the equipment. There is a video on UA-cam, where the members talk about making this album, and the different tricks they used to get the sound. One example, I think it was Money, they looped the tape from the tape deck around a microphone stand.
Clare was an up and coming jazz singer, who never listened to pop, rock etc. She had never heard of Pink Floyd and had never heard any of their music. After the recording she forgot about it and had no interest in the album or Pink Floyd.....her only interest was jazz. I think friends or whatever had told her about the album, but no one knew whose voice was used and Clare had no interest. One day she heard her own voice coming out of a music shop.....it was The Great Gig . Now you all heard her interview.....exactly the same as what the band said 50 years ago, what Alan Parsons said 50 years ago..... it was just one take. There was NO 2nd run through.....she wanted to escape and thought it was not good enough. The o baby o baby does not count....wrong words. lol Then a warm up on ooohs and aaahs.....thumbs up everywhere...red light on, tape on, lets go....one take and finnished.
weird thing was, and I think it's correct , but Claire had no idea they'd even used her vocal work until she either heard it on the radio , or saw her credited on the album itself , something like that ...I'd imagine it was quite a surprise . I know too she also had to pursue the band to be paid royalties for her contribution ...it's an excellent song
Interesting watching and listening to your in depth analysis of one of Pink Floyd’s greatest songs, Great Gig In The Sky. Also Clare Torry’s explanation of how it was recorded. This song always brings tears to my eyes, it is so powerful and emotional. I really ‘connected with it’ (deeper than ever, for some reason) during a performance of Dark Side Of The Moon that I went to in UK’s National Space Centre Planetarium in Leicester recently. This ‘visual imagining’ is being performed around the world. Check it out. Only one word to sum it up: ‘Amazing’! Oh, and ‘Spiritual’!
This is a great review and I loved your interest to review the interview. Its interesting to see live versions (the pulse tour with Sam Brown) is an excellent version and you can see how closely they follow but interpret the sounds
And I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it - you've got to go sometime. - Gerry O'Driscoll, Abbey Road Studios doorman
If anybody truly enjoys this the best cover is from Brit Floyd.. it has to be the one from Milwaukee.. there's different females that cover it on their tours but the one from Milwaukee is hands down the best 😁🫳🎤
There is at least one UA-cam of a guy playing Claires part on Slide Guitar which is actually pretty cool. And the Pulse Concert version where 3 backing Singers take turns to do what Claire did on her own.
Next time, try to take off your music analysis hat and listen. Just listen. Let yourself go on the journey this inspired masterpiece uniquely can, deep in your soul.
This song is intended to describe the five stages of the dying process. Richard Wright, the keyboardist of the. During his lifetime, Richard Wright, the band's keyboardist, asked Durga Mc Broom, one of the backing singers on the Pink Floyd tour, to sing this song at his funeral. I have personal contact with her.But according to unconfirmed information, she was accompanied on the piano by none other than John Lord from Deep Purple.
I've watched numerous reactions to Great Gig (why wouldn't anyone?), you came up with some thoughts and comments that no one has. Nice that you looked up Clare and included part of her interview in the video, that was a great idea.
You have to remember that Clare Torry was a hired studio backing singer. She was a student at the time, singing to pay for her studies. Her fee was £30 (normally £20 but she was paid extra for Sundays!) Later the band paid her a fee in arrears for co-writing this song and she still receives production fees as a co-writer. She was recommended to record this album by Alan Parsons - the main sound engineer for this project. Incidentally, it is he who is credited with the way the album turned out and the sound it ultimately had. He had many great technical ideas that Pink Floyd applied.
As Clare talks about the three singers in the interview, Pink Floyd later did that on Pulse (1994) and I think that's worth a listen too. It's different of course but very good and interesting. There are three ladies here, Sam Brown, Durga McBroom and Claudia Fontaine. Check it out (by the way, the whole Pulse concert is one of the best live performances ever - it's another of rock music's gems!)
100% serendipity. Lightning captured in a bottle. Unique one-off event. Never to be repeated. Thank you, Clare. Thanks too, Jacob for juxtaposing Rick Wright' work and Clare's commentary. Great !
Absolutely love you did Clare's interview
thanks!!
It the greatest female vocal piece of all time. She was just kickin around in her home town waiting for someone to show her the way. Then incredible greatness.
So good!
It's as though she heard the starting gun. Peace/JT
Claire was suggested by Alan Parsons. He was the studio engineer for the album. She was 25.
Wow
Richard Wright was the keyboard/piano player. Unfortunately he passed away in 2008.
PS: the mixing engineer on this album was a musical genius named Alan Parsons...
So glad to hear you're reacting to the Clare Torrey version, as good as the live version is it can't compare to this, she killed it. What really gets me is that she was briefed to express the stages of grief without words and did it in three takes.
Claire Torey did this in one take they did 2 others but this is the one they used. One evening
No, she did it in two takes and they used pieces of the both
I've let my kids know that I want TIME followed by this at my funeral. Been listening for 50+yrs and it never gets old. I'm 79 now and it's relevant and as in TIME, I'm shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
The music via headphones is great, but in concert with the video/laser show was INCREDIBLE.
This song really struck me when I was a mere teen back in the 70s. As I got older I figured out what it was all about. It's about truth. In the beginning we get the little lie we tell ourselves about dying, that it's no big deal, but then Clare Torry comes on and just sings here guts out giving us the truth of the moment. It's so profound.
I am convinced that voice in that song doubled the sales of that album.
Absolutely
My favourite song until I heard the BEST live version of Joplin doing Summertime.....her best vocals and the bands best playing and arrangement as well.
Was rare for Big Bros to play better than a 5 yo with cramping fingers. lol
The most unusual song in their catalog of masterpieces, 100% timeless, could have been created yesterday.
I don’t think she ever performed this live with them apart from one time, Knebworth in 1989 or 1990. I have lived the live versions with the three backing singers, including David’s 2016 tour with a male singing the main part, because they are all so different from each other. But how the studio version came to be, Clare’s original improvisation, is just amazing.
I was at Knebworth. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and it still does every time I hear it…..
I started listening to this in 1983 on cassette and havent stopped since
It was good to hear a reaction where a person talks about how different recording was back in the 1970s. I think there was something that improved the music when you had to work around the limitations of the equipment.
There is a video on UA-cam, where the members talk about making this album, and the different tricks they used to get the sound. One example, I think it was Money, they looped the tape from the tape deck around a microphone stand.
So cool. Thanks!!
Clare was an up and coming jazz singer, who never listened to pop, rock etc.
She had never heard of Pink Floyd and had never heard any of their music.
After the recording she forgot about it and had no interest in the album or Pink Floyd.....her only interest was jazz.
I think friends or whatever had told her about the album, but no one knew whose voice was used and Clare had no interest.
One day she heard her own voice coming out of a music shop.....it was The Great Gig .
Now you all heard her interview.....exactly the same as what the band said 50 years ago, what Alan Parsons said 50 years ago..... it was just one take.
There was NO 2nd run through.....she wanted to escape and thought it was not good enough.
The o baby o baby does not count....wrong words. lol
Then a warm up on ooohs and aaahs.....thumbs up everywhere...red light on, tape on, lets go....one take and finnished.
Represents the stages of dying, from anger to acceptance
As a hitman, that is the not the sensations we provide🤘🇮🇹
😮😮
weird thing was, and I think it's correct , but Claire had no idea they'd even used her vocal work until she either heard it on the radio , or saw her credited on the album itself , something like that ...I'd imagine it was quite a surprise . I know too she also had to pursue the band to be paid royalties for her contribution ...it's an excellent song
You are correct. I think she saw her name in the album after the fact
Interesting watching and listening to your in depth analysis of one of Pink Floyd’s greatest songs, Great Gig In The Sky. Also Clare Torry’s explanation of how it was recorded.
This song always brings tears to my eyes, it is so powerful and emotional. I really ‘connected with it’ (deeper than ever, for some reason) during a performance of Dark Side Of The Moon that I went to in UK’s National Space Centre Planetarium in Leicester recently. This ‘visual imagining’ is being performed around the world. Check it out. Only one word to sum it up: ‘Amazing’! Oh, and ‘Spiritual’!
This is a great review and I loved your interest to review the interview. Its interesting to see live versions (the pulse tour with Sam Brown) is an excellent version and you can see how closely they follow but interpret the sounds
As the ancient Greeks would say: The muse was upon her. Both the muse Kalliope and Euterpe I'd guess.
Clare Torry should have been paid the greatest amount ever as this is the greatest ever impromptu performance..
2 or three takes and she wasn’t even sure if they liked it. Clair Torrey is amazing!
You should watch the live version from their Pulse concert
And I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it - you've got to go sometime.
- Gerry O'Driscoll, Abbey Road Studios doorman
4:40 when the reverb and echo drop out of her voice and she sounds close to you.
For sure
If anybody truly enjoys this the best cover is from Brit Floyd.. it has to be the one from Milwaukee.. there's different females that cover it on their tours but the one from Milwaukee is hands down the best 😁🫳🎤
There is at least one UA-cam of a guy playing Claires part on Slide Guitar which is actually pretty cool.
And the Pulse Concert version where 3 backing Singers take turns to do what Claire did on her own.
Wow cool
Your comments showed great insight. Wondering if you’ve listened to Shine on You Crazy Diamond off Wish you were here?
Pretty sure Claire had not heard of Pink Floyd at that point.
From her interview about the song, I got the impression she had heard of them, and didn't like them. (The Syd Barrett era was pretty "out there.")
Interesting!
Honestly, you pulled out right before the big o... I'm sitting here and hoping you do rewind it and get the full effect. Otherwise I might cry.
The keyboard player was Richard Wright R.I.P
So good
"7th chord" 😂
WHY are you talking over such a beautiful song??? Can't watch; frustrating
you should likely just listen to the song, instead of a commentary of the song 🙏🏼❤️
Next time, try to take off your music analysis hat and listen. Just listen. Let yourself go on the journey this inspired masterpiece uniquely can, deep in your soul.