''Broken China'' is the second and final solo album by Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright.

Overview

The album is a four-part concept album based on Wright's then-wife Mildred's battle with depression, 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 France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. ''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's Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour agreed to play on "Breakthrough." 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 Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English graphic designer and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other ar ...

, and Peter Curzon.Broken ChinaThe Pink Floyd Hyperbase
Denmark.

Track listing

Remix singles

Instrumental remix tracks from the "Broken China" (UK promo by The Orb)

# "Night of a Thousand Furry Toys" (Inverted Gravy Mix, an Instrumental remix by William Orbit with Matt Ducasse.) – 8:31 # "Runaway" (

Anthony Moore Anthony Moore (also known as Anthony More) (born 13 August 1948) is a British experimental music composer, performer and producer. He was a founding member of the band Slapp Happy, worked with Henry Cow and has made a number of solo albums, inc ...

) (R. Wright's lemonade mix) – 7:04 # "Runaway" (Anthony Moore) (Leggit Dub) – 7:01

"Runaway" (remixes by The Orb)

Extended "Runaway" remixes, almost double in length, exist and can be found on two "The Orb Remix Project" compilations: # "Runaway" (Anthony Moore) (R. Wrights Leggit Mix) — 13:42 on '' Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty Part 2'' — Ultra Records 2001 (USA). # "Runaway" (Anthony Moore) (Leggit Dub) — 13:38 on '' Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty Part 2'' — Deviant Records 2002 (UK). Both remixes are the same, due to copyrights reasons these compilations have different tracks on the UK and USA versions. "Runaway" appears on both.

Personnel

* Richard Wright – keyboards,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, programming *

–

computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as anal ...

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

, 'telephone vocal' (2) * Sinéad O'Connor –

lead vocal The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

s (12, 16) *

Tim Renwick Timothy John Pearson Renwick (born 7 August 1949) is an English guitarist. He is best known for his association with Al Stewart in his early career and for his long-standing role as lead guitarist for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. His single ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

s *

Dominic Miller Dominic James Miller (born 21 March 1960) is an Argentine-born guitarist. With much of his career as a sideman and guitarist for singer Sting, he has also released several solo albums. Career Miller was born in Hurlingham, Argentina to an Iris ...

– guitars * Steven Bolton – guitars *

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

– drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

* Sian Bell –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

Kate St. John Kate St John (born October 2, 1957) is an English composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Classically trained on oboe, she gained a music degree at City University London. Her first band was The Ravishing Beauties with Virginia A ...

–

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

, cor anglais * Maz Palladino – backing vocals

Design

, Peter Curzon - sleeve design * Tony May - photography * Jason Reddy - computer * Julien Mils, Finlay Cowan - artwork

References

External links

*
Broken China Interview, by M. Blake, August 1996
{{Authority control 1996 albums Albums with cover art by Storm Thorgerson Concept albums EMI Records albums Albums produced by Richard Wright (musician) Albums produced by Laurie Latham Richard Wright (musician) albums Albums recorded at RAK Studios Albums recorded in a home studio