The Great Gig in the Sky
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| "The Great Gig in the Sky" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd | ||
| Album | The Dark Side of the Moon | |
| Released | 1973-03-17 | |
| Recorded | June 1972 - January 1973 | |
| Genre | Progressive rock | |
| Length | 4:47 | |
| Writer | Richard Wright, Clare Torry | |
| The Dark Side of the Moon track listing | ||
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Side one
Side two
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"The Great Gig in the Sky" is the fifth track[1] from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It features voice instrumental music by Clare Torry. The song was called either "The Religion Song" or "The Mortality Sequence" during recording.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Clare Torry's vocals
Clare Torry had worked previously with Alan Parsons and he suggested her for the song, and had an accountant at Abbey Road Studios call her.[2][3][4]
David Gilmour said that she did "maybe half a dozen takes, and then afterwards we compiled the final performance out of all the bits. It wasn't done in one single take."[5]
Roger Waters said that Clare came into the studio and the group said that "there's no lyrics. It's about dying".[2]
Torry said that on her first take she sang "Ooh-aah, baby, baby - yeah, yeah, yeah." That wasn't satisfactory and on the next take she tried to emulate an instrument, which is the take used on the album. She started to perform another take but stopped because she was just repeating her previous take and it sounded "contrived".[3]
Chris Thomas, who was brought in to assist Alan Parsons in mixing the album mentions that they were actually in mixdown at the time. On the DVD, various members mention that they had this song and weren't quite sure what to do with it. Wright further mentions that when she finished, she was apologetic about her performance even though those present were amazed at her improvisation.[citation needed]
Torry left thinking that her vocal tracks wouldn't be included on the final cut. The only way she knew it was used was when she saw it at a local record store, saw her name in the credits and purchased it.[3]
[edit] Lawsuit
In 2004, Torry sued Pink Floyd and EMI for songwriting royalties, on the basis that her contribution to "Great Gig in the Sky" constituted co-authorship with Rick Wright. Originally, she was paid the standard Sunday flat studio rate of £30. In 2005, a settlement was reached in High Court in Torry's favour, although terms were not disclosed.[6] All pressings after 2005 list the composition to Richard Wright and Clare Torry.[7]
[edit] Trivia
- During live performances by Pink Floyd, up to three singers were used, each taking different parts of the song. For example, Durga McBroom performed on the A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell tours, as well as at Knebworth and on Gilmour's solo tours.
- Aside from the vocals there are two spoken parts, an introduction at 0:38 spoken by Gerry O'Driscoll (an Irish Abbey Road Studios doorman at the time), and Puddie Watts' (wife of roadie Peter Watts)[8] voice at 3:33.
- At 3:33 the music gets very quiet. If you listen close to the studio album version you can faintly hear a woman whisper out "I never said I was frightened of dying." This is just before a small piano bridge.
- Published interviews mention that she recorded the takes very quickly — on the DVD, the track sheet shows two tracks (four takes) used for her vocals.
- Featured in the 2003 Italian film Buongiorno, notte, along with Shine on You crazy Diamond.
[edit] Composition
When the Dark Side of the Moon suite was performed in 1972 (before the album was released), the song was completely different and went under the title "The Mortality Sequence". Then, it was simply an organ and samples of people speaking about death being played during the performance.[9]
[edit] Spoken parts
(At 0:38)
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 gotta go sometime.– Gerry O'Driscoll
(At 3:33, faintly)
I never said I was frightened of dying.
– Puddie Watts, wife of roadie Peter Watts
[edit] Alternative and live versions
The song was performed as the "Mortality Sequence" throughout 1972, then from 1973-1975, and from 1987-1994. In live performances of the song during the band's 1974-1975 tour, David Gilmour would play both lap steel guitar and the Hammond organ, allowing Richard Wright to concentrate solely on piano (his keyboards were arranged where he couldn't play both). David's pedal steel for Great Gig was located accordingly beside Rick's Hammond. This practice was discontinued in 1987 after additional touring keyboardist Jon Carin took over the Hammond parts. Live album P•U•L•S•E features a version sung by host of backing singers, one of whom is Sam Brown. Similarly, the earlier Delicate Sound of Thunder video features two different backing singers who provide the vocalisations for the song, with Durga McBroom being present on both occasions.
A re-recorded version piece was used as the backing music in a UK television advert for an analgesic (Nurofen) in the early '90s (the band were not involved in this version, but Clare Torry again did the vocal).[11] The original version was used in a Dole banana commercial around the time of the release of the album.
On the Echoes compilation album, the song segues from "Marooned" into "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".
[edit] Covers
On the Easy Star All-Stars' Dub Side of the Moon album, there are two different Dub music versions of the track, The Great Gig in the Sky (Track 4) and Great Dub in the Sky (Track 11).
Phish also does a live cover in Live Phish 7, Disc 3, Track 6
Seattle local band The Squirrels did a full-length parody "tribute" of DSOTM in 1999 entitled The Not-So-Bright Side of the Moon. Their version of "Great Gig" has vocalist Baby Cheevers singing after guitarist Joey Kline says "Sorry, the girl didn't show up!"
[edit] Personnel
- Richard Wright - Piano and Hammond organ
- David Gilmour - Steel Guitar
- Roger Waters - Bass
- Nick Mason - Drums and Percussion
- Clare Torry - Vocals
[edit] References
- ^ The track number depends upon the album version; some releases merge the two tracks "Speak to Me" and "Breathe," for instance.
- ^ a b "'Dark Side' at 30: Roger Waters". Rolling Stone. March 12, 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pinkfloyd/articles/story/5937470/dark_side_at_30_roger_waters. Retrieved on 2009-02-18. "It was something that Rick had already written. It's a great chord sequence. "The Great Gig in the Sky" and the piano part on "Us and Them," in my view, are the best things that Rick did -- they're both really beautiful. And Alan [Parsons] suggested Clare Torry. I've no idea whose idea it was to have someone wailing on it. Clare came into the studio one day, and we said, "There's no lyrics. It's about dying -- have a bit of a sing on that, girl." I think she only did one take. And we all said, "Wow, that's that done. Here's your sixty quid.""
- ^ a b c Harris, John (2005). "Interviewed by author John Harris for his book "Dark Side of the Moon"". Brain Damage. http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/other-related-interviews/clare-torry-october-2005-brain-damage-excl-2.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-18. "I went in, put the headphones on, and started going ‘Ooh-aah, baby, baby - yeah, yeah, yeah.’ They said, ‘No, no – we don’t want that. If we wanted that we’d have got Doris Troy.’ They said, ‘Try some longer notes’, so I started doing that a bit. And all this time, I was getting more familiar with the backing track. ... “That was when I thought, ‘Maybe I should just pretend I’m an instrument.’ So I said, ‘Start the track again.’ One of my most enduring memories is that there was a lovely can [i.e headphone] balance. Alan Parsons got a lovely sound on my voice: echoey, but not too echoey. When I closed my eyes – which I always did - it was just all-enveloping; a lovely vocal sound, which for a singer, is always inspirational.”"
- ^ "'Dark Side' at 30: Alan Parsons". Rolling Stone. March 12, 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pinkfloyd/articles/story/5937469/dark_side_at_30_alan_parsons. Retrieved on 2009-02-18. "She had done a covers album; I can remember that she did a version of "Light My Fire." I just thought she had a great voice. When the situation came up, they started head-scratching, saying, "Who are we going to get to sing on this?" I said, "I've got an idea -- I know this girl." She came, and in a couple of hours it was all done. She had to be told not to sing any words: when she first started, she was doing "Oh yeah baby" and all that kind of stuff, so she had to be restrained on that. But there was no real direction -- she just had to feel it."
- ^ "'Dark Side' at 30: David Gilmour". Rolling Stone. March 12, 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pinkfloyd/articles/story/5937468/dark_side_at_30_david_gilmour. Retrieved on 2009-02-18. "Clare Torry [session singer] didn't really look the part. She was Alan Parsons' idea. We wanted to put a girl on there, screaming orgasmically. Alan had worked with her previously, so we gave her try. And she was fantastic. We had to encourage her a little bit. We gave her some dynamic hints: "Maybe you'd like to do this piece quietly, and this piece louder." She did maybe half a dozen takes, and then afterwards we compiled the final performance out of all the bits. It wasn't done in one single take."
- ^ "Seventies Singer". 2005. http://www.freelanceuk.com/news/1006.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-01-23. "A female vocalist may have become the first British artist to win an out-of-court settlement for a piece of music recorded over 30 years ago. Clare Torry was paid £30 to perform on Pink Floyd’s 1973 album ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and was given a written credit at the time. Yet the session singer, who contributed to the track The Great Gig in the Sky, has taken her claim to the High Court where she has won a half-share on copyright ownership on the song performed. Although most details of the case are secret, the Daily Telegraph has reported the singer secured a cash payment with Pink Floyd and their label, EMI."
- ^ Echoes. 2007. ISBN 0955462401. http://books.google.com/books?id=qnnl3FnO-B4C&pg=RA4-PT76&dq=%22Clare+Torry%22+EMI&ei=9KmcSdCzKJnMMvvoxPgF. "... all pressings after 2005 bear the credit Richard Wright/Clare Torry. ..."
- ^ Inside Out. Nick Mason. First edition P171
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus,. pp. 150p.. ISBN 071194301x.
- ^ Inside Out. Nick Mason. First edition P171.
- ^ "Echoes FAQ". http://www.pink-floyd.org/faq/faq6.html#1. Retrieved on August 29 2006.
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