Play

(listening to the blues) pretty good. but i wish 5 seconds of this got looped and put over a shitty drum track and stock keyboards for 2 hours

I listened to this multiple times to just to make sure I hadn't lost my sense of smell and still enjoyed it as much as I initially thought I did. It seems that those who have any issues with this album are simply bent out of shape due to the fact that Moby licensed EVERY song from this album for commercials or television shows or any other medium that would turn a profit for him. The story goes Moby did so because this album was met with such a thud upon initial release, and he needed some way to promote the album and you know, make a living. There are at least six songs here that are absolute bangers. But Moby's naysayers nitpick and suggest he was nothing but a curator, collecting samples from his favorite sources. If I'm interested in hearing how the sausage was made, it's usually because it tastes so good and I can't get enough of it. Go ahead and enjoy the shit out of this gem. My most pleasantly surprising 5 so far.

Do.... do I like Moby?

Moby, Moby, Moby. You sexy little cunt. This record soundtracked the greatest period of my life. I wasn't used to having periods, being male, but one day Play by Moby came on thr wireless and my minge just would not stop gushing with blood. Since then, I've had 7 different incidents, each involving the music of Moby and a lot of vaginal bleeding. Buckets of the stuff.

How to Be a Hitmaker in 5 Easy Steps, by Moby: 1: Sample black vocalist. The older, the better. 2: Add rave piano. Guitars if feeling adventurous. 3: Add sweeping synths. 4: Repeat. 5: Patent technique before Fatboy Slim can. Don't get me wrong, the process produces some good music on occasion, but Moby spends practically half the album doing so, to the point that it ends up sounding like a cynical, AI-synthesized version of Endtroducing... that was created by a car company's ad department. And the less said about the album's other half, the better. Key Tracks: Bodyrock, Natural Blues

just elevator music - it's the sort of thing people who "don't really do music" would have playing at a party. 2/10

3.5 + To me Moby comes across less as a musician, and more as a reupholsterer. He chooses old African-American spirituals, as one might find a beautiful old sofa. He hammers the old melodies into shape, puttying over any small imperfections. He then applies some new material, slick beats crisp and bright (like new fabric on an old sofa), to make the original content marketable to a contemporary consumer. It's a professional and precise product but it feels cold and inauthentic.

Nobody obsessed over this album the way Moby obsessed over Natalie Portman.

i mean i don't feel as negatively toward Moby as Eminem, but yeah... not a fan

While Moby is not as bad as Fatboy Slim or others like that, this just isn't my kind of music. Just feels repetitious and stale.

So many songs, so many car commercials! Moby certainly wasn’t the first (or last) to sample old blues & gospel artists but he did it better than anyone else. Probably due to the fact that in addition to being a "sampler” he was (and still is) a composer and multi-instrumentalist. The non-blues numbers aren’t as strong but still have a nice texture and are easy to listen to. With all the mileage I got out of some of these tracks in my spin classes I have no choice but to give it a 5.

This album was like readymade songs for ads.

I love everything about the story of this record, from Moby thinking it was going to be his last work before he had to get a real job to the fact that it took months to catch on. It's just bangers front to back. Best track: Porcelain.

Absolute banger. SO many good tracks.

Here's a test of your pre-millennial tolerance, Mark! I played the whole thing through on a plane ride, B-sides included, and conclude that a) Moby understands his quality control pretty well and b) the Lomax/archive samples are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Packed with catchy bangers, of course, some of which I love to this day (Natural Blues and Run On, especially). Bit of an unsavory character in this period, by all accounts, and the album itself goes on longer than it should, but gotta give credit where it's due. Now excuse me, I've got the sudden urge to purchase an ugly French van..

“Play” by Moby (1999) Desperately disparate, this commercialized collection of tracks is like spike proteins racing through the cultural bloodstream, looking for a capillary to clot. As it was peddled to movie makers and product marketing teams, the listener hears something oddly familiar and asks, “Didn’t I hear that on a TV ad?” And the answer is probably “Yes”. “Play” is not so much an album, but a project. The only unifying theme here is the serendipitous whim of the artist. His general method is to take sampled snippets of old recordings, repeat them over and over, and then add electronic beats and textures. It suffers from the same malady as most techno productions. Once the innovations have been picked up by others, it is no longer interesting as music. Compositionally, it is too repetitive. The only movement in each track is in the adding of layers of electronic mood sounds. And without lyrical or melodic support, these progressions are merely random. What he does on “Natural Blues” is a sacrilege. He takes a classic sample of blues and renders it in a perfectly unnatural way. The vocal sample (the a capella spiritual “Trouble So Hard” by Vera Hall) is not in perfect pitch, which is fine if it doesn’t clash with other tones. But then Moby adds perfectly tuned chords and fills that only serve to accentuate the flaws of the original sample. This should be illegal. Anyway, fall in love with this ‘music’ at your aesthetic peril. 1/5

Incredibly repetitive, though clearly purposely so. Also it's like 2 hours long, I didn't listen to most of it. It wasn't particularly interesting to me, but wasn't particularly bad either.

The songs sound one-paced and samey.

This is my first time listening to a Moby album. It's interesting, I usually prefer my electronic music to be a little more ambient. It's difficult to make a record that is as equally interesting to pay attention to or have on as background sound. I think this album walks that line pretty well. I enjoyed the blues music samples. The blues is where it's at.

I love this album (at the risk of my husband’s sneering and judging). First intro to electronic music. South Side still makes me wanna jump in Jen’s car for a roadtrip.

Well THIS is an album I'm happy I heard before dying. It is so influential and holds to this day as a good album. It looses a bit in the second half but is able to catch the goodbye-feeling in the last song.

01) Honey - 10,0 02) Find My Baby - 9,5 03) Porcelain - 10,0 04) Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - 10,0 05) South Side - 10,0 06) Rushing - 9,5 07) Bodyrock - 10,0 08) Natural Blues - 10,0 09) Machete - 10,0 10) 7 - 9,0 11) Run On - 10,0 12) Down Slow - 9,0 13) If Things Were Perfect - 9,5 14) Everloving - 10,0 15) Inside - 9,5 16) Guitar Flute & String - 9,5 17) The Sky Is Broken - 9,5 18) My Weakness - 9,5 TOTAL: 9,69 (97/100) Current ranking: 11/364 This album takes me back to my college days, God how much I used to play "Play". Now, 25 years later, with the first bars of "Honey", nostalgia hits me hard. I will listen to it in its entirety again after such a long time, but I can already promise it a perfect five. For the good old days!

my walking companion throughout uni.

God this has not aged well at all. I remember loving it at the time, but it’s actually just aural wallpaper and not in a good way

Starts with a bang. Aside from one or two more bangs, this is ass.

Gross creepy weirdo whose music sucks.

Super chill album that anyone can dig with an open mind. Solid 5 in my book.

CLASSIC

Love Porcelain, almost made me cry Very moody and atmospheric Felt like being transported to another world in the last couple songs Didn't think this genre would affect me as much as it did

One of the best EDM albums of all the time

Beautiful, interesting, vibrant. Good creative work music, can be ambient or the main event. Techno and soul influences side by side. A new favorite.

Gran Disco

Quintessential Moby

Robocop is a zombie hero movie disguised as a cyborg Jesus parable, and so on Play the dead rescue Moby and help him master giant wow crescendoes. Could do with a quarter hour amputated, but still bangs. I don't think anyone has ever done this trick quite as well as Moby.

mad how something that was so inescapable and the biggest thing in existence when it came out can end up so forgotten when its no longer the zeitgeist.

One of the first electronic records I ever listened to, so there is some nostalgia here, but it really is just easy listening music for 1999

Somewhat enjoyed but disjointed and there's so much better elsewhere.

Ehh I remember when this guy was huge for a minute. I liked Southside back then and I still do. Gwen's vocals really make that song. Porcelain is okay I guess. The rest is mostly annoying. A lot of lackluster blues samples on repeat. Moby can't sing. The music is generally forgettable. I always kinda wanted to like Moby. Apparently he has some punk roots. I know he covered Mission of Burma and that wasn't terrible. Anyway this is pretty much a dud. Could and will listen to Southside many more times in my life though.

I remember liking this when it came out. I think maybe this album introduced "electronic" music to a lot of people at the time. Just doesn't hold up.

The soundtrack to a thousand tedious dinner parties. "More flan Miriam?"

Rubbish

When a weird guy makes a great music

Most tracks are familiar of course, but never actually listened to it before. To my surprise, I like it. I mean, I already knew Moby was capable of producing some good stuff - The Lonely Night is an amazing song (largely due to Mark Lanegan’s contribution, but still) - but I never paid attention to Play. I’m giving this five stars and feel like hunting down that Lomax collection he gathered so many of the samples from. 5/5

5/5. Back to back bangers, all danceable and great use of R&B and Rock mixed with clean and steady electronic beats. Even his vocals are good enough to keep the song enjoyable on some of them. The highlights are very much the ones with excellent sample choice. I feel like this very much inspired a lot of electronic artists today as well as Rap artists, especially Kanye. Hard pressed to find a bad song on here and even a great album to listen to front to back, which also having great singles. Best Song: Find My Baby, Bodyrock, Honey

Toda una sorpresa. Pedazo de disco. Ritmos elegantes y muy bien construídos

I liked it. I didn't expect to...but it was fun.

Incredibly nostalgic album. I remember Dad playing this as a kid. It’s dynamic and varied, with tunes for every emotion. Not a lot of thematic through-lines here, as far as I can tell.

This album rocks

Go on, Moby lad.

Moby was good. So many of these songs were in our subconscious and we didn't even know it. I guess that's what happens when you're good at writing music with long cultural teeth and licensing it

Music made to sell cars and soundtrack exhibits at the Science Museum.

Didn’t expect to like this but strangely enjoyed it

In 1999, you were never more than 50 metres from someone listening to a track off this album via a film, TV show or advert. I don't think it's aged very well though and it's still definitely 6 tracks and 20 minutes too long. It's almost like he tried to make something to cater to every commercial opportunity that might come up... and forgot it was also supposed to be a coherent album. At it's best, it's really good though.

I recognized more than I thought.

Nearly 600 albums in, this might be the least surprising inclusion on this list, based on the author’s other choices. That said, the last few tracks on this record, where it gets more ambient, are pretty good and completely out of character with the rest of the record.

Moby a connu une ascension assez singulière dans l'industrie musicale. Il a pendant très longtemps fait de l'électro dans sa chambre sans jamais réussir à percer jusqu'au jour où, dégustant une planche mixte charcuterie-fromage en terrasse d'un café, il vit débouler Eminem qui lui passa une soufflante d'une violence inouïe et totalement imméritée puisque les deux hommes ne se connaissaient pas. Très marqué par cet épisode, Moby s'en servit cependant pour lancer sa carrière avec l'album Play. La pochette de ce dernier témoigne d'ailleurs du phénomène pavlovien suivant : lorsque Moby entend le nom d'Eminem (ici diffusé par le talkie-walkie sur la gauche), il sursaute de manière ultra-spectaculaire, ce qui a tendance à amuser ses amis.

As I was traveling, I didn't have much time to listen to Play. Of course, I was sentient in 1999, so I've heard every track thousands of times. I did hope that it would prove to be more than the sum of its hacked off and traded parts, but being altogether does the tracks a disservice. Similarly, looping and mechanising the samples does them a disservice too, neutering the humanity that would be apparent in variation. It doesn't help that Moby composes such bog-standard progressions underneath - far too reliant on swelling pads, awful slides, rumdimentary drumming, and, on Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, a terrible, dead piano sound. 18 years after My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, there is nothing innovative in this approach. Even the cynicism is uninventive: Paul Simon had already done it beautifully with Graceland. Moby's real genius was in going all in on selling out - marking the end of the 90s. I can't be too harsh on the record though. It worked in every placement, because there are hooks, perhaps only hooks and few of them Moby's own. There is a dark rush of nostalgia that carries the record through to South Side, the chorus of which illustrates why Moby had to harvest hooks from elsewhere. I don't mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with sampling. There's not, even when it may be culturally exploitative. But when it highlights the musical paucity of the supposed headline artist, it doesn't do them any favours. Apart from raking in millions of dollars. 2.5 This was a miserable listen. An hour of dull drum loops, one-bar-two-finger piano loops that would annoy if a child was playing them at a school concert, and worst of all Moby himself occasionally popping up to mutter some excruciating lyric. I can’t believe I bought 17 copies of this album in 1999. 1/5

I think we used to have this cd but I have no idea why. It's dreadful. Really boring. And ambient music was around before Moby so I'm not sure why it would be considered influential.

This shit was mid

Such a strong start that made a quick descent into utter self indulgence

Each song is a microcosm for my feelings on the entire album. I start out thinking, wow that's a cool musical idea, I wonder where he is going to take this? The answer every time - nowhere - he's just going to play it on loop and run it into the ground. This one was tedious to get through.

Music for adverts. There's something really uncanny-valley and inauthentic about Moby. Can't quite put my finger on why I feel like that. In fairness he did stumble on a popular formula but it is exactly that: formulaic.

can't make music? sample those who can

Transformative sampling essentially started here and in this time. But it's difficult to go back and listen to, even through rose colored glasses.

This really brought back the beginning of the lights for me. But I would like to leave it there, if only for what I know about Moby today. My guess is that it sounded new when it came out, but how seems like tidied up elevator music.

A disappointing start to my 1001 albums daily listening. Nostalgic middle of the road easy listening.

This is already a whole experience. I don't think I'm going to be able to listen to this whole thing...

Uninspiring. Sounds like a bad Bourne Movie soundtrack.

Every song is a loop of the first seconds

Repetive

Not really something I'm going to listen to on purpose ever. There are some snippets of soul/blues with decent beats/samples, but all and all there isn't a lot of substance. I'll never understand people's fascination with Moby.

Honestly, right up my alley. This is such a vibe! Fun and a bit wonky and seductive at times? But overall enjoyable!

Super

Really liked the album and the story behind it

I had this one when it was first released. Massive then (eventually) and still holds up now. Virtually every song on this was a successful single.

One hit after another. Loved hearing this album again.

Koste meg overraskende mye med det

Meine Jugend

This collection is really stellar. Despite fair criticism of building tracks off of peerless blues samples (ie, Black music;) a kinda weak voice; and a couple middling tracks that close out the album, the first 80% is a joyride. Soaring gospel heights; undeniable dance beats; and rich textures that still sound good. It’s a classic.

this album made my bus ride and my day

Awesome

I love this album. I'd say I wore it out when it was first released, if it were possible to do that with digital media. My CD definitely got a lot of plays, is what I'm saying. Although when I hear this again I can't help but remember that Heavyweight episode where Jonathan Goldstein's friend went to confront Moby about stealing his Smithsonian Collection CDs and using them as samples for the songs on this album. Puts a bit of a different spin on it.

I once became a vegan because of this album (for a week - my willpower didn't survive a spring break barbecue). I've been listening to it for more than two decades and it feels like I only just realized what Moby is trying to do here, which is call back to and synthesize pre-rock blues ("Honey," "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad") with Seventies ambient music (the Eno-ism is especially poignant on "Inside") with modern sounds in disco and hip-hop music (complete with Gwen Stefani playing the Debbie Harry role on "South Side"). He's not just listening to Eno and Byrne and Pink Floyd and Scott-Heron - he's listening to the stuff they listened to. Which is why what he's made here contains multitudes - among them Wish You Were Here-esque lonesomeness ("Guitar Flute & String"), a "Dancing in the Street" for a new era ("Bodyrock"), and a spiritual call-out that, like all good spiritual call-outs, is really directed at the one doing the calling out ("Run On"). Also: if you were born to White parents between mid-2000 and early 2002, this album may be somewhat responsible for your existence.

I wore this album out back in the day

Amazing album but a hard listen due to circumstances when it came out

Very good album. Lots of iconic tracks used in films and pop culture.

I like it. very good for chillin

finally listened to this one! i think it’s a classic and now i’m not surprised why. the songs are so well mixed and flow into each other, but at the same time every track feels fresh. i feel like it mixes bits of electronic, ambient, trip-hop, even blues and gospel samples, and it all actually works together. plus, there are some huge hits here like porcelain, why does my heart feel so bad? and natural blues! - songs you’ve probably heard even if you never listened to the whole album

Lots of repetition, mixed bag, already knew Porcelain and South Side

I was surprised on how good this album is.

very good, 10/10, one of the best albums so far

One of the best!

Ahead of its times, slow and fast, many tracks brought me back. Will listen again!

Love it

Ik heb het hier elke keer als er Zuid-Amerikaanse muziek voorbij komt over 3 op Reis en zeg je 3 op Reis dan zeg je Moby - Natural Blues. Dit is een ontzettend lekker album om aan te zetten en te vergeten. 'Porcelain', 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad', 'Bodyrock', 'Natural Blues' zijn stuk voor stuk dijken van nummers wat mij betreft. En dan blijken er toch nog meer nummers op te staan die ergens, Joost mag weten hoe of waarom, een belletje doen rinkelen. Het heeft iets ongrijpbaars qua geluid wat voor mij typisch Moby is. Ik ken geen succesvolle artiesten met zo'n soort geluid. Het is niet jankerig, het is niet geforceerd diepzinnig, het is gewoon aangenaam. En naast de bekende liedjes die goed matchen bij droneshots van tropische eilandjes en uitgestrekte regenwouden laat Moby op dit album ook nog even horen dat hij ook gewoon vieze bunkertechno kan maken. Ik ken verder denk ik echt helemaal niks van Moby z'n werk, maar dit album is wat mij betreft zeker een klassieker. Ik durf wel te stellen dat Moby m'n favoriete kale veganist is. Ik geef hier graag de volle mep voor.

Loved it from start to finish. 4.5/5 rounded up to 5/5

Un de mes classiques

Loved every song

I listened to this album a lot when it came out. The mixing of blues samples and electronic music worked perfectly for me. I haven’t heard the record in many years, and I was concerned I’d not enjoy it anymore. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, and I totally dug it just as I had back in 1999/2000. I forgot how many songs I really loved on this album (which makes sense given how often I played it back then). It’s a 4.5 that I’m boosting to a 5.

Its moby