Clare Torry Interview and Great Gig

edited;
overcoming bad recording quality in order to meet this incredible artist

[@TacomaPaul]

5 Stages of Grief. Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Anger,... and Acceptance. I swear Clare sings all about that. ;-)

[@VanessaHape]

And maybe a bit of sheer terror thrown in.

[@stevedrew]

In my humble opinion, the finest performance of the female vocalist ever recorded.

[@mauistevebear]

So sad that she had to sue Pink Floyd years later to get any kind of royalties for the most stirring vocals from any one on planet Earth! It sends you there no matter who hears it!

[@joe18425]

You aint alone in that opinion.

[@matthewherman5980]

Or male for that matter

[@zuzannasymonowicz1752]

So true. You need to be a genius to do it.

[@Vesper_Songs]

I totally agree. It is jaw dropping

[@Johnnydammit]

And here we are 47 years later still listening to one of the greatest albums ever!

[@tinbird191]

Johnny Dammit....917 weeks on the Billboard charts----unbelievable...being a Sabbath fan in them days i didnt like dark side on first listen---but almost 50 years later i have the whole album on my playlist and for night drives its ON

[@Longtack55]

Well, if Beethoven's 7th symphony had been recorded in 1812 I would be listening to it I imagine.

[@sly2392]

my dear clare. your part in the recording of pink floyds dark side of the moon. one of the greatest albums in musical history. will live on till the end of time. thank you so much for being at the right place at the right time.

[@GregCrack]

Yess, I agree...

[@stephenpeterson7940]

Clare's performance was perfect and beautiful. I still get goose bumps when I hear it, even after all these years.

[@clivepatterson4321]

Probably the most remarkable thing about this, is, how matter of fact her attitude was in creating one of the greatest vocal performances of all time on record, that she was able to walk into Abbey Road Studios, help create a masterpiece, and then go home,as if it was all in a days work. Amazing.

[@ernestinebass4371]

Lightning in a bottle!

[@147sterling6]

Glad she finally got some royalties.

[@igoski1582]

Pink Floyd didn't really know what they wanted her to sing. She didn't know how to sing without lyrics. Her task was to sing with the music, something that was not prewritten, that had no lyrics and a materpiece was created in 2 1/2 takes. Incredible.

[@janicecosentino525]

Clare Torry’s voice is MAGNIFICENT! The Best Female performance Ever! Still!❤️

[@edwardshaw9743]

Maybe it's because there is so much emotion, agony, but no words, it reaches into you, to show you how deep your own passion goes. I've seen people brought to tears by that song. That's what you call sublime.

[@FlockofAngels]

Clare's haunting voice sung me to sleep many nights when I was a teenager. Like a profound and powerful lullaby, very memorable... 🎶🌓

[@loveamerica3426]

She's just being modest. There is so much feeling behind her voice, I think she's way deeper than she's letting on. I think she was channeling the deepest human feelings that we have spanning the years of our lives and condensed them into "pure sonic alchemy" as has been said of pink floyd.

[@Reddawg45]

Simply stunning and sensational!

[@GaryLaaks1]

I was trying to put it into words. You hit the nail on its head.

[@jonathansmith3742]

I often wonder how Clare feels when people say this is the best female vocal ever. I know I think so. I am not frightened of dying. Thank You Clare for this wonderful experience.

[@mikemartin8088]

Many have tried since, and did very well. No one has ever come close to what Clare did that evening at Abbey Road!

[@charleskennedy8695]

Check out Eva Avila with Brit Floyd ....Milwaukee Wisconsin, May 5th 2018 ...the closest to the original and best live performance of this song ..let me know what you think ...Eva 's performance in Kansas city June 8th 2019 was also spectacular

[@markrymanowski719]

The singers doing a cover of this are probably being careful with their voice. No one tears into it like Clare.

[@kevinmcguinness1113]

Incredible performance, still gets me every time. In a similar vein, maybe check out Theresa Thomasen on the intro of the live version of Dream Theater's "Through Her Eyes". Her vocal duet with John Petrucci's guitar is stunning.

[@marthastephens2179]

Masterpiece. Her vocals are the greatest in history . Had no idea Alan Parsons was responsible for this . Brilliant

[@user-qi7ze8su8o]

Алану Парсонсу за многое и за многих нужно сказать спасибо!

[@kurtzimmerman1637]

alan is a genius!

[@odinsson204]

That one brief moment when the planets align and the gods come down and bless us with this vocal performance.

[@gavincabral7896]

The first climb to the high note when her vocals first come in is, in my opinion, the best piece of music ever recorded in history

[@120255Denise]

I don't think words can describe what I feel when I hear this song. It's more of a feeling than a word and it lives in my soul.

[@elrein9]

Clare torry made the most powerfull and the most amazing perfomance ever.

[@cirenosnor5768]

I was unbelievably fortunate to see Roger Waters here in Ny on one of his early post Floyd tours where she walked on stage to do this. Unreal. Once in a lifetime and she nailed it. Goosebumps

[@windymatheo]

Jesus Christ what a magnificent voice. It brings tears to my eyes even after so many years.... Pure love

[@Skootsem]

So one of the greatest soul songs of ALL time was an accident. Amazing

[@MeanMaoriMean555]

Hearing this interview a few years later down the track is a crack up. 😅😆 Her song will always be my favourite. I’m 64 now. Clare was hand picked. The whole thing was no accident! This all came together perfectly. It was a realtime in-the-moment Overture. Her naivety & ability made her an open platform. It was a perfect mix. A vessel of openness to interpret & convey an expression of feeling that could not be expressed in any other way. Or by anyone else! That’s why it still sticks today! She’s the chosen one. The perfect channeller for that song.

[@timmynormand8082]

Still listening 2019 still amazing since begining

[@JoeGator23]

Almost 2022 now... same. :) Astonishingly brilliant vocals to this day... and evermore.

[@michaelhayward9532]

There is no way that singing track could have ever been composed or written or planned to be executed to the brilliance that Miss Clare brought to the DSOTM album, in two just-go-for-it takes, and most assuredly the guys know it to this day, and the world knows it, one of the greatest rock albums ever made in the history of music, my #1 band and album.

[@markbirchette8740]

Never heard a female vocal equal it and it's 2022. Brilliant ma'am. 🥂

[@katmatally]

She seems so prosaic as she's talking. But what an incredibly happy accident that she came in and with SO little direction, invented this fantastic vocal. Emotionally it is agony, acceptance, grief, and musically, it is pure gold.

[@mikes3827]

Totally agree with her voice (and the song) running the gamut of VERY powerful emotions. Still gets me emotional when I listen to "Great Gig in the Sky" all these years later. Few songs have that strong an effect as this one.

[@stevec-b6214]

I was, I am, and I always will be moved by this performance

[@thomasthompson6378]

There really is something almost holy about this masterpiece of music, and Clare Torry's contribution to it cannot be overestimated. Just astonishing, nothing like it before or afterwards . . .

[@deancrow3525]

Too bad there isn't any film of it being recorded

[@muabilu]

She reached the top of vocalists and nobody can't raise up to her. This song is titled perfectly, accompanies me whole life and will be played at my funeral.

[@kingofthecatnap5422]

I know that if I had been in the studio and had just seen and heard something so incredibly soulful, I'd have been speechless, too. Thank you, Clare. 🍃

[@kerrypittenger963]

One of the most iconic tracks ever. It still gives me chills.

[@bmag1964]

I wonder how she feels that her voice will be heard for as long as there are humans alive. As close to immortal as you can get. Wow is all I can say,,,

[@ralphpernesiglio1884]

This is the most hauntingly beautiful song ever!

[@craigf2696]

Hauntingly beautiful, are the exact words my grandmother used to describe this in 1973...

[@davidemory3561]

A Sunday evening stop into the studio produces a gem. Just as life should work

[@nastycanadian1975]

best song on the record ..BUT it took me a few years of growing up to realize. Such a sophisticated song.

[@spacemunky53]

Very much God smiling down on you clare...crying for the world.

[@scottrose7016]

Yes thank you so much!

[@simonlallement9553]

It's very impressive... Arrived at the studio "Hi I'm Clare I came to sing the song". 3 takes later said "Ok that's enough byebye". And 50 years later, the entire world listening to her and her first take ahah. Very very cool!

[@samiam261]

When I was 15 I hated this part of the album. Now at 58 its my favorite song . Amazing journey. Thank you PF. Thanks you Clare.

[@chrisbarlow2131]

I know EXACTLY what you mean. We mature and life and experience teaches us so much.

[@FlightData101]

I thought it was just me. I think I responded that way because it reminded me of the Metropolitan Opera performances I had to sit through at my grandmother’s house on Saturdays. It was years later when that same grandmother bravely endured a lengthy and quite painful death that I fully understood the emotion Clare brought through in this performance. I can’t hear it today without remembering how much I miss her and my mom.

[@DonnyWilmer]

@@FlightData101 -OMG. This is the quintessential, and most beautiful, comment about this song and Clare Torry's performance. Thank you. ❤️

[@artfranz2273]

samiam261 I started listening to this on cassette when I was about 21, and, like you, always fast forwarded thro it. I think it was partly bc of the poor quality of the sound system I had, that I didn’t really appreciate what was all in there. But now, at 64, and with digital, wow, just wow!

[@JonathonPawelko]

I always had an affinity for this song, and it dug it's claws in me and wouldn't let go. Now over 40 years later, the I can unequivocally state it is my favourite song on Dark Side of the Moon. Wish You Were Here is my second favourite. Isn't she the very model of the artist, she sang her heart out, recognized that she didn't want anything less than her best performance and delivered it. Rightfully so, we love her. Cheers from Canada.

[@Buba417]

After all those years (50?) I still get goosebumps hearing this song. Timeless masterpiece, no doubt.

[@mar10dg]

At last, I can now put a face to that magnificent performance, thank you for posting! And thank you, thank you, thank you Clare Torry!

[@markflem]

The most amazing powerful vocal ever recorded on a rock album! Nick Masons drumming and Richard Wrights keyboards give it the perfect platform! Thank you Clare, you were a jewel in the greatest rock album recorded!

[@freedomrider266]

She nailed this in a way I don't think anyone else could have....Kudos Ms Torry!

[@ericwhite1000]

Being a life long 40+ year floyd fan and this alway being my favorite song, it brought a tear to my eye

[@vinnyvincent2862]

A perfect example of how many great wonders there are in Life , Discovered by Accident . 🌹

[@Gruntol5]

A marvelous example of serendipity. I bought the LP when it first came it in 1973. Never to be forgotten - a golden period.

[@JosEPh-zy3yr]

So did I on Cannery Row Monterrey Cal. Next door to the Record Shop was a small theatre were you laid on Bean bags to watch the movie. That day a group of us went there to see Yellow Submarine. The owner of the Theatre had also just bought DSOTM. So before showing YS he asked the group if it would be alright if he played the new Pink Floyd album 1st. Since I had mine in my record shopping bag we all said, "Yes! Please!" So, we all listened to DSOTM and then Watched Yellow Submarine before heading back to The Presdio. We were all military at that time. Great memory, since the Mrs and I were Newly Weds too.

[@arildsgaard975]

still got goosebumps when I hear her sing this one

[@nehemiahalvarado1209]

I think the reason why they didn't know if it was amazing or not was because they just didn't know that they wanted for this song it seems. Maybe it took them like a day or two to realize what a spectacular vocal performance this was for this tune.

[@johndelepine4856]

The Supernatural Greatness of a human, Thank You for your Wisdom Ms. Clare Torry. You have had a tremendous positive impact on 100's of millions.

[@joe48bug1]

when i listen to the album this is the song that stays in my mind for days(not that i mind that)

[@vickiseeboth8150]

This is what an artist does. The human voice as another musical instrument. Her interpretation was absolutely brilliant. I love to sing along with her whenever I hear this album, which is actually about once or twice a month on my power walks at the park.

[@JR-df1nb]

When words fail...Music Speaks.

[@richardpotter9870]

Sometimes songs don't need words to be great and ever lasting, Proof here, this is her work of art.

[@mikeb3419]

I'm conflicted knowing this meant nothing to her, but meant so much to so many people. The singers on the live versions can't even keep pace with you. It's weird seeing you be so nonchalant about your contribution, when you were literally the focal point of one of the greatest albums of music ever created by man.

[@jamesgarrett2815]

This....absolutely "focal point" to my Dark Side experience....."I am not scared of dying"...I did not understand this in 1974 at 18, I certainly get it in '19 at 64

[@johnlacey155]

Listening to her interpretation of the music tells the real story. Oh, and never believe an aircraft pilot when they tell you that everything was totally safe when you had that engine failure either (I'm sure you get the picture).

[@Drivehead103]

Eva Avila of Brit Floyd does a stunning rendition of this, absolutely mind-blowing!

[@judyyoung1167]

I think it had to be like that for her in order for it to turn out like this

[@Ralph2]

Thank you Clare for your amazing contribution to the world of music.

[@marjoryarmstrong6953]

Clare Thankyou...I get goosebumps everytime I hear this song.....Bless you....

[@rouroustar8592]

Sublime ! Grace à vous je viens de l'écouter pour la 72453 ème fois sans doute et j'ai les poils des bras hérissés comme la première fois, j'avais 19 ans et j'en ai 67. Merci

[@garypeatling7927]

The perfection of piano is never mentioned when you listen to other versions , piano is to heavy intrusive and often out of time this is perfection

[@GaryLaaks1]

The thing about music (good music) is that it is timeless. I played this album to death or so I thought at the time. Still love the music 40 odd years later.

[@alanevans930]

Gets better every time I listen to this, and the complete album.

[@saddletramp6935]

I was wrong I wrote earlier that I thought another version was better, I couldn't have been more wrong, my God girl that may be the best vocal performance of all time.

[@mikelegare4502]

No matter all the Enya, all the Yanni, all the Deuter, Zero Cult, Ludovico Einaudi, George Winston, Loreena Mckennitt and all the Lisa Gerrard (and the like) I have listen to over the years, the one album that has always stood the test of time for me is Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. The album is about birth, life, suffering, reaching achievement, struggling with one's fears, and ultimately, succumbing to one's death. Truly an album that has affected me in numerous ways since I was about 12-years of age. An album I even tried never to listen to again (due to bad memories & for the fact I think it has a certain tendency to bring about a certain type of depressive mood in the listener) which lasted for about twenty years, but something about this album (most probably the connection it has to my kin that has since passed on) has always ended up pulling me back into listening to it again. There's also a lot of wisdom in the lyrics of the album as a whole in terms of utilizing one's time, not wasting one's life, but rather reaching for a piece of the apple pie, so to speak. I must admit that, as a whole, the album is outstanding, especially for the time (1972) it was created that could bring about such ingenuity and excellence in sound, but the one song that has always moved me the most, even when I was a young boy and no one else could figure out why I was drawn to such drab opera-like vocals, was the fourth track of The Dark Side of the Moon entitled, "The Great Gig in the Sky": A song, yet an experience really, about surrendering to one's inevitable death.

[@stinkyfartbum]

It takes me personally somewhere new every time I listen to the album. It brings pain it brings love and all 4 of my children were brought into this world with this album and in particular this track playing as they were born. This is perfection personified

[@naysay02]

I know I woke up today to read this story. Thanks for sharing.

[@ianhamilton2035]

When the stars and planets align, some may say it's an accident, but I don't think so!! Blows me away everytime!!! 😃

[@ronnie7075]

I have always loved this Original track, it speaks to you. Clare is a gem.

[@retired4365]

To unknowingly capture the emotions of dying into a vocal performance will outlive us all. Thank you Clare.

[@ronwood355]

Clare is same age as me now and is still amazingly humble and very talented

[@dawsondoorshansen3241]

25 years old and she pulled those vocals out of thin air... That definitely wasn't the devil looking out for her that day. I think the world will be eternally grateful for the time she took that Sunday evening. An absolute masterpiece.

[@algebra737]

This comment made me think that if not for the talent and the circumstances we would have never known this masterpiece.

[@dawsondoorshansen3241]

@@algebra737 and thank you Alan Parsons for suggesting Clare to Pink Floyd.🙂

[@geraldodadsescarlan102]

So powerful and a Heavenly voice, after all these years i'm still listening this song..i'm 67 and i still love this "Great Gig In The Sky" Nobody ever does it better than Ms Clare Torry..does anybody out there can give me an update of Ms Clare Torry??

[@andrefjbernardo]

8:58 the intensity in her breathing! And then there she goes again... Spectacular.

[@billcantrell3760]

So incredibly unique, to be moved in such a way is unbelievable, this voice is indeed the throne of inspiration....still after all these years this gives me chills!!

[@petertimmins6657]

THE heart and soul of a great album….

[@annmassingham9463]

It makes me cry every time I hear it: not bad for nearly 50 years.

[@daniaann]

Same, 48❤

[@mikemartin8088]

She nailed it! What a beautiful solo with that vocal... Just brilliant!!!

[@redsidebiker]

No word of a lie, this is brilliant. I've seen a few tributes and Floyds' own replications. There is a Brit Floyd tribute band that can 85% match her. The Brit Pink Floyd Experience. I took a mate from work to see them, he cried a little bit when they did this. He needed a whisky & a cigarette when I told him the background later on. He's 37 and a convert 🙂

[@enriquem.l.9723]

One of the best improvisations of the history of any instrument. Its not too repetitieve, it has a climax, the quality of the voice and the performance, the symbiose with the rest of the instruments... A miracle! Sometimes you just need to give confidence to say "do what you want" I think Alan Parsons knew that it will work ok, but for sure, he didnt expected such an amazing result.

[@VanessaHape]

Yes, Pink Floyd were the huge beneficiaries of both Clare Torry's amazing talent and Alan Parson's sound savvy and recognising her talent.

[@cincity076]

Thank you for countless hours of listening to this song

[@josephballantyne2800]

Timeless

[@gracielabruera9559]

I love you Clare , from my heart , ever ever ! You are so wonderful

[@phillacey878]

A masterpiece of voice improvisation probably one of the greatest in musical history thanx Claire and she didn't think anyone would get to hear it .👁👀✌️

[@substanceabusive]

Delighted to read Clare eventually got paid a decent amount for her massive contribution to this album. Sad to read she had to go legal.

[@chrisbarlow2131]

Yep. And yet didn't Floyd sing something about money?

[@Total1Now]

Lawyers. It’s all about lawyers. Hope she did quite nicely out of it. Yes, without doubt one of the greatest vocal performances of all time. Male, female or bifurcated trans-gender. Absolutely bloody brilliant in every respect. And her matter of factness about it. Utterly extraordinary. Is this an example of being unconscious... or of being in mastery?

[@ronaldbellinger9844]

As a teen when this album came out I did not get this track. I would go past it. As my appreciation of great, and out of the ordinary music grew with my age, I revisited it. Suddenly I got it! The stages of dealing with death. A moment of clarity. This song is amazing.

[@bernios3446]

Bloody hell. The song (and the entire record) didn't age one day. Class is timeless. But funny, she seems so down to earth, yet her singing on the album expresses so intense emotion, like almost no other female performance in rock music. A bit strange to hear that the band didn't react really that day...

[@marcchapleau8343]

I saw them 3 times in Montréal. Epic concerts!

[@chazwyman8951]

It is hard to reconcile the square, straightlaced middle class woman with the emotional roller-coaster of her voice. If there were 100 woman in a room and asked to pick which sung that tune, she would have been the last picked. Others have sung on this song, and might even have a better voice but they all stand on her shoulders. It's not just the sound, but the invention.

[@toolman67]

Truly enjoy Durga's take on this, but man oh man, Clare in that multiple take session is in a class all her own. This original can be replicated, but never reproduced in my opinion.

[@DraGnFly007]

This song never gets old! Thank you, Clare T. for taking a chance! Your voice REALLY is the cornerstone of this album.

[@michaelnigrin6599]

This is a personally moving and wonderful interview of the process to lay down the vocal track to ironically 'The Great Gig in the Sky'. So many gifted musicians go about life this way, laying down tracks for hire, unknowing of the amazing gifts that they bring to the world. God bless Clare!

[@JoBisbee]

She HAD to Buy her own album! WTF boys in the band? Clare is the Cherry on The Dark Side of the Moon pie.

[@opowqte]

Yes....lol...what an under-sight on the part of the band or those involved with the band...lol

[@fabrix7907]

They had to pay royalties for life also to each member of the chorus who sang in another brick in the wall, guess they settled to 500 pounds each per month or so. Often is due to management who overlook collaborators even when it becames an all time classic.

[@rayjeske6564]

Greatest vocal interpretation and performance ever, male or female. Thank you Clare for being available that special evening. Like David's solo on Comfortably Numb, and the overall writing on the record, a collaboration, Clare, of unmatched creativity that summoned every band member's highest contribution that they would ever make. A triumph of universal recognition.

[@coolmtnman1]

bought the album when it came out, still love it

[@toreckman8899]

I was 15 when I heard this. I’m 64. Still the same chills

[@RonH714]

after all these years some insights on what we've listened to so many times. thank you

[@jean-marcducommun8185]

Magic, simply magic! The timing, how she got the job, filling an empty space with her voice, 2 takes and done, soon after released on what would become one of the most successful albums - almost 50 years later I still listen to it like the first time and can't wait for "The great gig in the sky" track to enjoy the unique performance of Clare Torry. Without her part and her voice Dark Side of the Moon wouldn't be what it is today, namely a masterpiece of music that connects abstract sounds reflecting the spectrum of modern life with the essence of our lives - deep feelings of joy, suffering, praying ...

[@margareta.halliseyq1777]

Masterpiece!

[@juliosanchez6399]

This interview is pure Gold! 👌

[@mikewilkinson4588]

When I saw them in 1974 ......Seattle center Coliseum ....I noticed Mr Screen....I was just getting off....and knew this was going to be an extraodinary night.....set and setting....the vibe was just right.......time is a river......Pink Floyd creates a dimension all their own.....

[@leohorishny9561]

Thank so much for sharing this!

[@Copperrooney]

This is like Eddie Van Halen walking into the Thriller session for free and doing that iconic riff. Took me 10 live yt's until I discovered this back story. Incredible. I want this song played at my funeral.

[@APHS-B]

As big Pink Floyd hauler is in our conscience, it seemed like a still bigger, giant truck smashed their course that day, chopping its motorway through. I remember first hearing this - given the band's earshot - wondering "what is that unreal sound, it's no Waters, or Gilmour voice, what masterpieces do these guys whittle with ... tech". Little did I think up of a guest singer's pristine accomplishment, that would leave the Floyd marked on end.

[@opowqte]

This song along with Clair's singing leaves one Breathless...perfect in every way !