Poll: How do you rate Richard Wright's "Broken China" album?

And here's Rick's other solo album!

The rules for this series: this poll is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of their other catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. Please simply consider how YOU would rate the album in question, in comparison with the rest of the Floyd's discography! And as always, a shout-out to member mrjinks for creating all the groundwork for this series.

Note: please use the same criteria for rating these solo albums as you would Pink Floyd as a band albums, so we can compare the results of this poll to, say, The Division Bell. A poll like this only makes sense rating the few - or only - albums of each solo member against something else - the logical choice is their works as a band. This will not change.

So, how do YOU rate this album?

Album history: "Broken China is a progressive rock solo album by Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright.[2] It was his second and final solo album.

The album is a four-part concept album which documents Wright's then-wife Mildred's battle with depression,[3] and is very much like a classic Pink Floyd concept album in its structure and overall feel. Two songs, "Reaching for the Rail" and "Breakthrough" feature Sinéad O'Connor on lead vocals, with Wright singing elsewhere. The album was recorded in Wright's personal studio in France. Broken China was only Wright's second solo record after 1978's Wet Dream and the last to be released before his death in September 2008.

Wright asked fellow Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour to perform on the album, and Gilmour agreed to play one track. However, the approach for the song was changed later on, and Gilmour's performance was not used on the finished release.

On the DVD David Gilmour in Concert, a guest appearance is made by Wright, who sings "Breakthrough" accompanied by David Gilmour and his band.

The packaging has artwork by Pink Floyd's regular designer, Storm Thorgerson, and Peter Curzon.[4]"


Tracklist:
1. Breaking Water 2:28
2. Night Of A Thousand Furry Toys 4:22
3. Hidden Fear 3:28
4. Runaway 4:00
5. Unfair Ground 2:21
6. Satellite 4:26
7. Woman Of Custom 3:44
8. Interlude 1:16
9. Black Cloud 3:19
10. Far From The Harbour Wall 6:19
11. Drowning 1:38
12. Reaching For The Rail 6:30
13. Blue Room In Venice 2:47
14. Sweet July 4:13
15. Along The Shoreline 4:36
16. Breakthrough 4:19




Previous polls:
Pink Floyd (updated 11/13):
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Currently 674 people have voted, with an average of 4.23.
A Saucerful of Secrets. Currently 377 people have voted, with an average of 3.80.
More. Currently 310 people have voted, with an average of 3.38.
Ummagumma. Currently 447 people have voted, with an average of 3.09.
Atom Heart Mother. Currently 482 people have voted, with an average of 3.73.
Meddle. Currently 525 people have voted, with an average of 4.70.
Obscured by Clouds. Currently 463 people have voted, with an average of 3.86.
The Dark Side of the Moon. Currently 644 people have voted, with an average of 4.75.
Wish You Were Here. Currently 785 people have voted, with an average of 4.77.
Animals. Currently 750 people have voted, with an average of 4.62.
The Wall. Currently 861 people have voted, with an average of 4.02.
The Final Cut. Currently 600 people have voted, with an average of 3.09.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Currently 451 people have voted, with an average of 2.97.
Delicate Sound of Thunder. Currently 263 people have voted, with an average of 2.87.
The Division Bell. Currently 508 people have voted, with an average of 3.29.
Pulse. Currently 357 people have voted, with an average of 3.36.
Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81. Currently 257 people have voted, with an average of 3.67.
The Endless River. Currently 483 people have voted, with an average of 2.51.

Syd Barrett:
The Madcap Laughs. Currently 239 people have voted, with an average of 3.81.
Barrett. Currently 165 people have voted, with an average of 3.78.
Opel. Currently 91 people have voted, with an average of 3.38.

Nick Mason:
Fictitious Sports. Currently 65 people have voted, with an average of 2.65.

David Gilmour:
David Gilmour. Currently 243 people have voted, with an average of 3.86.
About Face. Currently 116 people have voted, with an average of 3.31.
On An Island. Currently 138 people have voted, with an average of 3.43.
Rattle That Lock. Currently 111 people have voted, with an average of 3.36.

Richard Wright:
Wet Dream. Currently 63 people have voted, with an average of 3.35.

Spoiler: The albums - ranked by average!

Updated 11/13
1. Wish You Were Here: 4.77
2. The Dark Side of the Moon: 4.75
3. Meddle: 4.70
4. Animals: 4.62
5. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: 4.23
6. The Wall: 4.02
7. Obscured by Clouds: 3.864
8. David Gilmour - David Gilmour: 3.860
9. Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs: 3.81
10. A Saucerful of Secrets: 3.80
11. Syd Barrett - Barrett: 3.78
12. Atom Heart Mother: 3.73
13. Is There Anybody Out There?: 3.67
14. David Gilmour - On An Island: 3.43
15. Syd Barrett - Opel: 3.385
16. More: 3.381
17. David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock: 3.360
18. Pulse: 3.359
19. Richard Wright - Wet Dream: 3.35
20. David Gilmour - About Face: 3.31
21. Ummagumma: 3.091
22. The Final Cut: 3.088
23. A Momentary Lapse of Reason: 2.97
24. Delicate Sound of Thunder: 2.87
25. Nick Mason - Fictitious Sports: 2.65
26. The Endless River: 2.51

 

I gave this a "solid effort". This has what is easily Wright's best solo material--Breakthrough is wonderful, and a number of other pieces here are great as well. That said, there's also some pretty rough parts--long dirges, some cringey lyrics, etc. I also was surprised at how many of his sounds from Pink Floyd material are re-used here--in particular, I remember those from Astronomy Domine, and the one from One of My Turns, which almost seemed intended to prove his involvement during the Wall sessions. Truthfully, I was never quite sure what his involvement truly was, but that part seemed to at least have been him.

I could have hoped for something a bit tighter all around, but this album was a welcome return for Rick, who'd spent nearly 20 years under the radar. It's very much a sort of "what if Rick was in charge for a Pink Floyd album" type of project. One wishes Dave would have played on this, but Dominic Miller sounds good here. It's just too bad he didn't keep going and do more.

Now....are we doing the Zee album?

 

I went with "solid effort," but I note that it's not specified how often one would recommend a given album. This is a great piece of work, but it's dark stuff. I'd call it a lush cousin of Amused to Death. As such, it's not an "everyday listen."

There are some great soundscapes and moods at play here and it almost makes you wish Wright had been more prolific. The guy could conjure some amazing aural environments. Ah well - might have been and all that...

 

At the start of the series I wasn't planning to, but I'm going to do it as a "bonus poll" once the new remix comes out, probably late this year or early next.

 

Bump. We need more votes for this!

The series will take a break over the Thanksgiving holiday and resume with The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking on Monday the 27th.

 

I really should try it again because it's Rick after all. My impression is simply overly ponderous without much meat for lack of a better word. My aytention wanders soin in so it's difficult to listen to all the way through. Wish I had more to say!

 

When it came out, as the first post-Division Bell album from a Floyd, I found it incredibly heavy going and very short on tunes. Wright's voice seemed to have aged greatly since 'Wearing The Inside Out' and it was all a bit ponderous, and missing the lightness of touch that made TBD as good as it was.

Of course, being a teenager used to epic guitar solos and having no experience of depression, I wasn't tuned into the headspace that the album works on. So when I re-listened as an adult, it was more palatable. There're still aspects that irritate me - Sinead O'Connor, the excessive percussion loops (a real pet hate from pretty much anyone) and the new-age synth pads, but the songs have enough legs to work as a thematic piece. The best part is what should be side two (tracks 5-8), and this would've sat nicely on The Endless River.

Great artwork, too.

 

I prefer Wet Dream which is musically more engrossing. This is lyrically much better and has a great concept, but I am not a huge fan of depressing concept albums and this is literally a concept album about depression. It is admittedly so well executed that if it was packaged with a bottle of sleeping pills many would not make it to the last track.

Best parts are when Sinead sings.

 

I put together a CDR with the highlights of Rick's two solo albums and some of his solo Floyd compositions, and mostly hear parts of this when I spin that.

 

Funny, I thought Sinead was a bit wasted on this. She never really gets to belt anything, which is really where her talents lie. Good songs, the parts were fine, but it kind of seemed akin to hiring Gilmour to strum some background guitar or something.

 

This album's a good candidate for a vinyl remaster, I don't think it has ever been released in that format

 

I didn't say it was her brightest singing moment. But she definitely sings better than Rick who is kind of a monotone drone much of the time.

 

Correct. It's even neatly divided into four sections.

 

Great album, more Floyd sounding then The Wall and The Final Cut. Reaching For The Rail is a masterpiece and would have made any PF album made after 1977 better.

 

I have the CD here sealed
I should listen to it.

 

Out of curiosity, what's the track listing for that CD-R?

 

Sorry too disorganized to lay hands on it easily at present

 

No worries. My desk at the moment looks like a receiving desk in a music warehouse with all these holiday releases finally coming home to roost. I know the feeling!

 

Cool record, if not great. Being a very private thing, I'm not surprised it doesn't resonate with many. But the sound design and playing is wonderful, particularly Dominic Miller's guitaring.

I listen to this much more than any post-Waters Floyd.

 

The next poll... but first, please think about the pros and cons of leaving this thread without voting!
Poll: How do you rate Roger Waters's "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" album?

 

I can't get through it

 

This coming from a huge PF fan and an even greater Richard Wright fan, this album is quite the let down. Can't get through one single song without being bored and uninterested. Not a fan of the vocalist, either.

However, I did enjoy the live performance of "Breakthrough" on one of David Gilmour's live DVDs.

 

I just revisited this CD. I really enjoyed it—more so than previous listens over the past...22 years? Seriously?!

I like the O’Connor additions, but what I really liked was the sound quality. The QSound was great—especially on “Satellite.” I chose Pretty Solid Effort.

 

Haven't heard it in a long time but remember it as a stunning piece that flew together quite well. Wright's vocal shortcomings are made up for by brilliant melodies, instrumentation and atmosphere. Summer 68 is my favorite Floyd song. Always thought Wright was criminally underrated.

 

I've made a rather good Compilation of my Fave Tracks from This Album and The Endless River and very Enjoyable Listen it is too.