Play

Sounds supoer generic now that these songs have been used elsewhere... unfortunate.

Ok

The first half of Play is better.. gospel samples, nostalgia, late night movie montage energy. The second half… I’m bored. It turns into ambient background music and I start skipping. Which is funny because the songs that actually I liked (“Memory Gospel”, “Sunday”) aren’t even on the real album. They’re from the Complete Recordings. So yeah, I love the idea of Play more than Play itself.

OK Dance-party music.. otherwise boring

I bought the original CD based on Natural Blues because The End in Seattle played the song often. I liked the album at the time. But I was sitting here listening to the album thinking about how terrible this album is. The only reason we like it is because we hear it everywhere. It’s bad commercial music.

dont get it

не дослушал, не понравилось

Inoffensive

Whimsical; soundtrack or background music

Typical electronic album. Some hits, but nothing to write home abount.

Yay another album of background noise it had been so long!

Sounds a bit dated now

In 1999 I was raving to house and techno, so wasn't a huge fan of this album back then given that it's pretty chill and honestly pretty commercial sounding. Not much has changed in 27 years. To my ears it sounds like Moby was trying to convince directors that he can do soundtracks lol. A few tracks are a bit different... the one that sounds like Moby doing Underworld, and another that sounds like Moby doing Air. I listened to the extended album on Spotify and actually liked the extra tracks more than the ones on the original album. Some were pretty cool ambient.

it was alright… i liked a few songs but overall not really something i would listen to

For all of these 60+ minutes, Moby sits between chairs. He does not reach the professor-like, sample-mania genius of DJ Shadow; his uptempo songs are light years from being as fun as Fatboy Slim’s Big Beat exuberance; and, finally, his attempts at ambient are ultra-sterile and lack what makes the best ambient recordings sublime. Also, it’s puzzling to read that this album was seen as having brought techno (elements) into the mainstream. (Post-)rave culture? Maaaaybe. But especially the hit singles and the album’s first half are a far cry from techno’s primal, pounding energy, the rawness, and sweaty basements. The closest Play gets to that basement feel is when Moby lets his punk influences take over. That being said, Play is not always terrible. Brief samples, added MIDI instrumentation, and programmed drums: these are the ingredients for Moby’s mega-blockbuster. And occasionally, it turns out, this is enough to produce a handful of gems (or, let’s not exaggerate: some solid ideas). But whenever you have a great song such as South Side, it is instantly followed by missteps such as Bodyrock. If he had only reduced the bloat to an EP - or at least to half the runtime… Most songs on Play feel like a compromise: by throwing so many styles together, Play does not transcend them; the result is sometimes even less than the sum of its parts. However, I’m not surprised that Play was a major success. It’s oftentimes the case that when an artist takes elements of a beloved subculture sound and bloats them with radio-friendly aspects, they become bound for the mainstream. Easy to listen to, yet still offering some “exotic” vibes in small and digestible doses. A problem that I have with a lot of chart-topping recordings from the late 1990s and 2000s. I get why people love the all-over-the-place-ness and the melodic dopamine rushes… but I’m not sold. Though the ad industry couldn’t have asked for more, it seems.

Not my jam but they would go SO HARD as a background music. They sound like somebody should sample them.

I really dug the two-track run of Machete and 7 and a I liked few songs at the beginning okay, but the rest was a bit boring. Sort of simple.

Εκ πρωτης οψης δε ψηθηκα. Ομως η ποικιλομορφια ειναι τοσο εντονη σε σημειο που σε κανει να ανυπομωνεις για το τι θα ακουσεις μετα. Post, blues , ακουστικη κιθαρα , ψυχεδελεια , prodigy vibes (τα οποια εκτίμησα). Δεν ειναι σιγουρα album για να ακούσεις sober. Κραταει 1 ωρα και οσο παει γινεται καλυτερο. Honorable mention στο Porcelain που το ηξερα και δεν είχα ιδέα πώς λεγοταν κι απο που προέρχεται

Listening to this whilst driving and feeling like you’re in an hour long car advert..

This falls victim to the CD era and plays a little too long, lagging near the end. Mostly good background music, with a few pops here and there. Southside is fun. 2.5, Not a keeper.

It reminds me of harry hill's blue cat Stouffer 3.14 on this link https://share.google/CojnCfIOCJXGTtlmX Sorted, respect due

Not very memorable. Maybe it requires a re-listen.

Throw it on the pile of "I understand why this is on the list, but it's aged poorly". Surprised to learn this came out in 1999 considering the crazy overuse of over manufactured synth. I appreciate it for what it is, but it's just not that great looking back

Not so good

This has loads of hits on it that I know well. I didn’t expect to enjoy it much but it was actually a good listen. There’s a few hits that are still great and some Of the more dancey album tracks were cool. Overall though it’s not massively my thing, more that it was nostalgic because this album was so huge when I was growing up. Weirdly I really like the album cover, the album name is terrible though.

Here we are now replaying boring 90s club music.

Coldplay left me well, cold

Must be nice to source 1-2 vocal samples per song, call it a day and move onto the next one. This should be my thing but it's just so samey and boring and god did it ever just carry on

Most of this is good if you hear it in 30 second increments in commercials or in short montages in movies. Luckily, that's how you usually hear them. Much less fortunately, that's now how you hear them listening to a full album.

this album's the musical Shawshank Redemption, alright enough but revered because of how much exposure it had due to how loose the licensing was. it's rarely outright bad, but it's dumbed down and lacks drive or texture. baby's first sample driven electronic music. Porcelain is pretty good. i'm coming at this from the perspective of someone that listens to more electronic than anything else so i have a pass to give it 2 stars. deserves to be one of the 1001? probably yes tbh

This came out too late to be the ground zero or progenitor of the 'put drum loops behind another endless looping vocal sample taken from people singing old slave songs'. In 2025 it just makes me cringe and I hope it makes Moby cringe too from making it. This needs to be buried with the era it came from and come off this list.

Never listened to Moby. Pretty fun, repetitive and helpful as I was doing repetitive work.

A bit repetitive innit? Non mi ha convinto devo essere sincera, bella musica ma è tutto troppo uguale e monotono

Addendum to public enemy apocalypse 91 second lesson revealed a great record feel the anger! Not really inspired by this slick unimaginative Kobain "Radio friendly unit shifter"

This is very overrated ...

Interesting, but it's the type of music I listen to in elevators, not for pleasure.

Remember when Moby claimed he dated Natalie Portman in his book and she was like "I hung out with him as a teenager and realized he was a creepy old man"? And there's like a picture of a shirtless Moby with a worryingly young Natalie Portman? Remember when Jonathan Safran Foer left his wife because Natalie Portman was nice to him once and he thought they were going to date? He ended up dating Michelle Williams, though, which is still pretty good. That's about how interesting I think Play is as an album.

Three songs in, there's something to it, what can I say. But there's a 2000's flavor to it, if you get what I mean. Something CD. It's actually tough to describe it. Mainly other piano style keys and drums. 3, 4 are bangers though. 5 not loving the rock elements. 6 better 7 worse. 8 is not bad but this album is getting long... 9 is embarrassingly 2000's. 11 has a nice sample, but many elements here just blend into each other now. Am I wrong to think that maybe this one wasn't meant to be listen to all in one time. 13 boring. Hope something changes soon. Because I still have like 20 minutes to it. 14 is an highlight. Glad it came. 16 is good. I'm very happy to say the last song is here. It all wasn't too bad, but not to good. Unfortunately it doesn't deserve more that a 2. The consistency of excitement isn't there. Bangers are there, but not enough, and because of it's length it makes the experience listening to it all a bit too much. But I have to appreciate the specific style it has. Not underestimating that. Have a great day.

4 minute songs of the same hook over and over for the entire album was not for me. I understand Moby’s influence, but just couldn’t get into this one.

Tänker på tröjan som snubben som är kär i Kiera Knightley i Love Actually har på sig. Blir sugen på att dra upp dragkedjan hela vägen upp till hakan och gömma mina händer i de för långa armarna. Var tydligen mottaglig för detta idag (igår). Var glad för det Moby, du slipper ettan.

det är definitivt en vibe! men den är alldeles för lång.. och lite tråkig

Ibland får det en att känna sig som Neo. Ibland som ett lökigt intro till ett kulturprogram på SVT. Nån låt I början var riktigt fet. Hur många gånger kan en och samma sample upprepas över en synthmatta?

Background music that sits in the foreground. I tend to like the repetition on projects like this but the variations on a theme here aren't particularly clever. Reminds me of how I'd play with fruityloops as a kid and had no ear so I'd just add loops to make the sound grow. Moby obviously has an ear for it, but goddamn does it overstay its welcome. No reason for this album to be an hour, and yet, why not put it all in there? I don't hate it, but it is too much of a good thing and gets tired pretty quickly, unless you're not really listening to it. I don't have the right language to describe this album, although what comes to mind is "cynical" (not correct) and "it insists upon itself" (also not quite right). It's a bit like artisanal cotton candy, or Banksy art, or Disney World. It's not that it's insubstantial, or artifice, but what is there feels fake even though it's also actually there. Doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth but also makes me wonder what that dissatisfaction is. Also the back third of this album SUCKS.

I liked several songs, but the album was so long…

didn’t love it but wasn’t as bad as i thought it was going to be, overly repetitive tho

Yeah I don’t think this is for me. I’ll finish it but I can’t really keep my attention on it… sorry. I understand the artistry but it’s far from my thing.

Porcelain is a good track but basically everything else did nothing for me. It's inoffensive bland 90s background music

Some songs were hard to get through. Some were ok. One or two were beautiful. A lot of repetitive sounds. Maybe it’s worthy of a 3, but much of what I didn’t like brought it down to a 2 for me.

gets better, but not my thing

Kind of cheeks tbh.

Mellow blah memories

not really my thing

I had to laugh when the 1001 Album Generator threw this one at me. In my head, Moby has always been filed under “not exactly essential.” I remember when the album came out — I was 19 and doing my military service. It was the kind of record that just seemed to be lying around at every party. Total stoner music. Usually next to that red Morcheeba album everyone had back then. Of course, I know almost every song just from hearing them so often. This record must have played hundreds of times in the background. The songs stick in your head, but never enough to make you actually get up and check who’s playing or what the track’s called. And honestly, what is Moby? A band? Is that even his voice? “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” — sure, it’s all listenable, but it leaves me as cold now as it did back then. Which is saying something for music you grew up with. Sorry, Moby — still not my cup of tea.

Another artist I’ve heard of but never got to hear. This is sample based dance music which can be ok but this album makes me wish that it had more adventurous content or that I was at least listening to some real musicians playing. There are some moments here and there of harmonic movement which keep it interesting however presented over an unchanging electronic beat does make it sound a little flat. I am curious though to listen to at least a couple more albums by Moby to see if anything grabs me. In the meantime unless I can muster up any desire to listen to this one again to see if it clicks, I’m afraid that this will be filed under non-essential listening for now.

This is a duplicate selection for me. Original review below, from when I was less verbose. Some interesting production techniques, but felt a bit tiring by the end

WRAS. Album 88. 88.5 in Atlanta. I owe much of my love of music to this station. From age 14 to 18 I just learned so much. Replacements, Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rocket, Husker Du, Black Flag, Dead Milkmen, Siouxsie and the Banshees - all heard for the first time. And Wednesday nights Pure Mania - that was the epicenter. Like sticking my head into a centrifuge for three hours - I would emerge changed. Eventually I taped the shows and especially the weekly album side - they would play a whole album side of a recent release. And that how I came to know Mission of Burma. The album was Versus. It felt important in a way I didn't fully understand. It wasn't as graspable as the other things I was picking up my music dive. But it perked up my ears. There was something. Some months later I heard not one but two MOB songs that still define Mission of Burma for me (and many others). Songs that became bakes into me DNA. First - Academy Fight Song. This track transports you to another world. Even if that world is a boarding school in New England - to quote the song - it has a strange allure. I am still fascinated. And then... That's When I Reach for My Revolver. It defies category. A bass led anthem that defines urgency in music. It kicks ass but still has melody. It hasn't lost an ounce of feeling in the 40 years it's been in my life. As it turns out - I was far from alone because 10+ years later I hear the song on my fave Album 88. But this is not the original. It's a cover. Not a great cover mind you. But bless his heart - he's trying. This trung out to be none other than Moby. At that point my only awareness of Moby was from the Heat soundtrack - God Moving Over the Face of the Waters - an unimpeachable great track that I still carry with me. So why the hell is he destroying a formative song form my youth. But from that moment I just couldn't forgive that man. He had desecrated the sacred scrolls. So this album - I just can't. But do get listen to God Moving Over the Face of the Waters. Or even better - watch Heat.

So much repetition—sampled vocals spin in endless loops like mantras while the techno beats are more for the dance floor rather than for listening depth. Most tracks slip into monotony, and I confess that I had to stop halfway through several. If Things Were Perfect is a rare highlight, with steady bass and reflective lyrics (I don't like the cold, either). By the closing tracks, though, the album’s energy has largely evaporated.

In general I like downtempo electronica, but I found this album quite boring. Maybe it’s over-familiarity with the songs, but I think the fact they were all used in advertising probably says a lot about the bland universality of them. I thought the Pitchfork review was funny - describing this album as fun, functional and disposable - like a condom. I didn’t realise until reading the Wikipedia page that Moby’s name comes from the fact that he’s a descendent of Herman Melville.

kedelig

Not bad but very average like background music nothing crazy

Es música d'anuncis de cotxe,te 3o 4 hits de publicitat i lo altre es musica relax,bona però això. Li dono un 6 perquè le sentit hasta a la sopa a la Tv i això te merit...Tinc ganes de comprar un cotxe...😂

I like electronic music, but this, to me, seems like an odd pick for this project. If someone set out to make an album with the goal of selling as many tracks as possible to people interested in making car commercials, this is probably what it would sound like. I think there's better electonic music out there and Moby strikes me as a one trick pony.

Eh

I didn't get this when it came out and I don't get it now. I have no idea why so many people like this.

Does not hold up. (Wasn't sure on 2 or 3 stars. I'll say 2.5) This certainly did a lot to bring EDM into the mainstream, but is honestly very lackluster. Today, the songs sound like someone who has finally learned how to use Garage Band. They're decent, but kind of bland. Even in it's day, it falls well behind the quality of other contemporary or even preceding music. There is nothing this does that wasn't already being done better by other artists. At same time, other artists were working in the same or adjacent genres and truly pioneering new ground.

Meh

Moby was less terrible than I remember

I honestly don't have a lot to say. It's a solid album but I won't be seeking it out and listen to it probably ever again lol. The runtime is also a tad too long.

Like being locked in a cold room with buzzing factory lights while having a migraine.

Uneven and hard to listen to.

Fedt nok at høre noget chill elektronisk der ikke er britisk! Klassiker, men det er ikke lige min stil

There were some good songs in the beginning that are super TV ad-friendly.... But it's way too long and gets boring quite quick

I just can't get into him...

Gostei. Acho que não conhecia nenhuma das músicas. Tem umas qie parece Legião (na verdade Legião que parece eles). Tiago: não é o melhor do The Cure, mas valeu a experiência.

Pretty good. Nice nostalgia tracks. Nothing amazing, though.

Solid album, but the techno samples were annoyingly repetitive.

I guess I didn’t really know the genre of music that was mint and only heard the name from HIMYM… I think it’s good background music but that’s the only time I would listen.

i can count on one hand how many of these songs i will revisit as background music to study or drive to

Bem vibe anos 2000 (apesar de ser de 1999😳). Lembra muito séries norte americanas como “Suits”. Gostei de ouvir para estudar

boring

There are parts of this that I like very much. They are the parts that Moby samples and fucks with the least.

Some of the most mid music ive ever heard. Half of it sounds like music from a flop 90s action movie, the other half just sounds like the background music for car commercials. Not everyone can do electronic, its not as simple as repeating the same phrase over and over 😭😭😭😭

Moby is interesting, slightly ethereal electronic. The beginning songs very good others not memorable

Couple good songs, overall fairly boring.

It’s wasted on me. But it’s got some neat-o history.

Weird album. Half of these tracks are just sample loops that don't really go anywhere. I actually recognized two on here from later reworks (Porcelain sampled in A$AP Rocky's 'A$AP Forever', and 'South Side' covered by The Knocks & Foster The People). That made me realize Moby does know how to build a solid foundation, and his production really shines once fully fleshed out by these other artists. In the context of this album though, these songs mostly feel like unfinished ideas that I don't want to revisit. I suppose it makes sense that it gained popularity as music for commercials, where it's not the sole listening focus.

Very confused. This is like multiple albums all confusedly trying to make a unit but the parts don't fit. Nothing is really bad, but he only has two tricks - blues with a looped beat over it, or ethereal piano tinkling. That's a lot to stick with on 18 tracks.

Least fav album so far

Not quite my thing

Very repetitive

It’s fine not that interesting

Didn’t jam with this one ngl

The thing that bugged me about dance/electronic music from the '90s was that many songs were one verse of singing taken from another song that was played over & over throughout the "new" song. I can’t even understand the sample in most cases & the song gets annoying or boring. Moby was 2 for 2 in annoying me from the start of the album, then we get Porcelain, which was pretty good. As I continued to listen, it hit me, this is montage music for shows like House, or Bones, or other one-name TV shows, maybe Suits, yeah, Suits would work too. I couldn’t sit around & enjoy this music, but, good on you if you can. Oh crap! South Side, a song I’ve heard. It’s also a song that sounds like a real song, with Mody singing. I can get into this, but most of the songs seem to be made by AI for AI. As I moved further through the album, a lot of it sounded like it was made with GarageBand and used as royalty-free music for podcasts. I’m an old guy who is set in my ways. This stuff isn’t for me; I won’t be giving this a second listening.

Not interesting enough loops to hold attention. Stupid lyrics (especially when Moby isn't sampling old timey record) make it hard to tune out and just relax to. I was around when this came out -- was on the radio constantly. Bored me then, bores me now. Please, if you're looking for electronica from this era with a groove, give me Nightmares on Wax or DJ Shadow every day and twice on Sunday before this dreck.

This kind of music will never do it for me. Beats for the sake of dancing without much substance.

A box of chocolates in terms of music variety. Some classic beats

Didn’t finish, sounded bleh, mushy Johnny cash cover good Bye now

Wallpaper magpie music

This has aged very, very badly.

Expertly used digital tech to produce well crafted blandness

Pretty decent but again just kinda not hitting the spot

Some interesting production techniques, but felt a bit tiring by the end

2.5

This album was not for me. Took me two tries to get through, and I kinda just tuned it out.

Formulaic as hell. 80% of this album is a classic sounding R&B/soul/gospel vocal chop looped with some keys and mid ass dance music in the background: the term "whitewashing" comes to mind. Porcelain and the closer are decent, everything else is just average. No thank you.

No me gustó en general, muy repetitivo. Algunas canciones concretas no están mal

I remember back when Eminems Without Me came out, Moby did an interview with MTV for his own music and someone asked him about the line Em wrote about him that ends with "you dont know me you're too old, let go, its over, nobody listens to techno" and he replied with something like "I dont even make techno so I dont know what he means" in his loser Moby voice. Also the Natalie Portman stuff cements him as a dipshit creep. This album isnt great, it makes me appreciate Fatboy Slim way more. If you like electronica maybe this is your jam, but as it stands he manages to make it low energy and it feels way longer than it is.

I thought it a couple of songs started out ok but they all seemed to quickly devolve into repetitive synth and drum machine crap.

No, it seems more like an album.

Está bien. Me parece álbum de banda sonora de juego de carreras urbanas rollo need for speed o de película como las antiguas de fast. Machete y My Weakness mis fav

i bobbed my head at points, but this album never escapes the feeling of "music made to be used in an advert"

Interesting how many of these songs are from movies. It was ok. Idk if this is what I'm in the mood for

Ei ehkä nii groundbreaking 2025 ku at the time. Erikoista, en ehk kuuntele uudestaa

I listened to the two hour version and by the time it was over, I was also over it. Some I really liked, others I had to skip before the song could finish up.

Moby never really tickles my fancy. Porcelain and South Side are the highlights for me. But the samples over the production is a cheap trick overused as an album. Just my two cents.

This one was a hard rate for me. I'm honestly usually more of a lyrics guy. The music is important but what connects in my brain are the lyrics. I don't do a lot of instrumental stuff because it just doesn't hit the same for me. That said, this album would have been infinitely better overall if it was just instrumental. I loved the beats, the music, but the single phrases repeated over and over were just grating. This one ultimately isn't for me. If it was just the music I'd rate it much higher, but as-is I can't give it a very good score personally. Others more into this genre will likely disagree and that's fine.

Álbum razoável. Moondrop May.

Dated and dull - didn’t grab me at all - then and now!

Electronic music. Somewhat nostalgic sound. Sound can feel redundant as samples and drum machine are heavily repeated. Nothing stands out and doesn’t scratch that creative itch.

It's pretty dull. And does seem exploitative, serving up pre-digested old blues recordings.

Boring Sad Boy Electro.

You can definitely listen to the album. It also has good songs...especially when it grooves. However, for me the songs just ripple along without much variety. I also think that the album hasn't aged well. In my opinion, this is due to the drum beats.

It's fine. Not timeless, not essential listening. Maybe interesting as an example of sampling/cutting techniques in a listen that follows up on listenting to the source material or other old blues/gospel music. Total meh. Not awful or unlistenable, but also not remarkable. I'm neutral on it. I'm happy I finally listened to this but haven't been missing anything. I love the fusion of genres generally but the whole isn't better than the sum of the parts here. There are better blues, gospel and electronic albums, and personally I'd remove this from the 1,001 albums list and replace it with one of them.

dance, lounge, 1999 -> 2-3

Adtroducing

This is not my preferred way of listening to cool old blues and soul songs. It’s a 1.5, but hearing Porcelain kind of brought me back to when I was a kid hearing it on a compilation CD. I remember it being pretty hypnotic to me. Glad I heard better music after that though.

Intensely forgettable. “The Complete Recordings” version of this album has an unreal amount of bloat that sound more like test or incomplete tracks. There are some obviously catchy tracks on here, but having heard them 10,000 times in life, the novelty was a bit busted.

Front-loaded with a bunch of great songs thrown together on an album that's simply way too long and unfocused to be great itself. High points: "Porcelain", "Why does my heart feel so bad", "Natural Blues" Low points: "Body rock", "South side", entire back half, terrible poetry

Fair enough, Moby and Fatboy Slim. You never have to work again because you found out that people in the 90s apparently loved hearing the same 5 second sample over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again

Boring

Forgettable. Repeatable. Dull.

For the first half I wanted different mixes of most of the songs. The second half picked up and was an enjoyable ambient group of songs.

I tried this twice, but didn’t care for it. It’s so repetitive, I’d love a song that just doesn’t repeat the same lyric over and over.

Kind of annoying. Not bad but just…

i just did not vibe with this one and also it did just go on and on

2 hours of Moby is too much for me. I remember liking this when it came out, but I hate it now.

I don’t like electronic music too much

So, Moby found a way to play the system by licensing tracks to movies, ads and tv shows, an approach that made the general audience more aware of who he was. I have heard the singles, some of them are good, the ones with repetitive vocal samples that arent masked by additional instrumentation are annoying. So for me this is a 9 new track experience, lets see if it pays off... No it doesn't, just like the Natalie Portman did not work out for Moby I'd keep Bodyrock and South Side(if it's the one with Gwen Stefani). 3/10

5/10 I have insanely weird feelings about Play by Moby. It’s an album I’ve known all the my whole life passively from all of the songs used in advertisements and soundtracks. If you managed to somehow miss hearing a Moby song in your life, you absolutely didn’t miss the influence this record had on the world of sample-based Electronic music, as it is possibly the most influential Downtempo album in modern history, not in terms of influencing the world of the genre, but influencing mainstream commercial music as a whole. You can vividly imagine these tracks soundtracking $80k trucks driving through mud, a baseball promo, the newest designer perfume, this album paved the way for the overblown soundtrack, with atmospheric beats and sticky samples, it was guaranteed to do so. This record seems to confuse Moby however, as it’s his most successful record by miles, and he remains to be a pretty condescending person because of it. It was a record he succeeded from after a discography’s worth of commercial and critical failures, and Play was a boatload worth of soundtrack music to influence the masses, and he failed to understand that fact from then on. The reality is that when tasked to make a record to save his career, he resorted to the most simple and effective uses of Hip Hop, Ambient, and Dance production. It wasn’t that revolutionary, it wasn’t so untouchable, it was just easy, and the lack of real strength to this record is only made more unappealing by a bald guy who thinks people are stupid for not enjoying his other music. Oh, and also his other music just fucking sucks. Sorry, nobody listens to Techno

Tracks 1-4: The songs at the start of this album are kind of great and kind of terrible - they make me feel like my brain is broken. It’s as if Moby has 75% of the ingredients needed to be an amazing artist but just has something missing. Something is slightly off. Tracks 5-7: There's suddenly a nauseating variety of genres introduced. Like you're eating ice cream and gravy. The closest artist I can think of is The Flight of the Conchords. He's trying out loads of different styles. But with no jokes. And the songs are suddenly just bad, but like, in a skillful way. Track 8: Back on more even ground here. You’re starting to understand the formula of Moby’s better songs. He finds an amazing, niche sample, then puts some pretty impressive production over the top of it that almost matches, but doesn’t actually match. Track 9: Moby as an Acid House hellscape New Order. He wants to show us how talented he is and how many genres he can master. He is a musical genius. A musical tyrant. Tracks 10-13: We’ve reached the filler tracks baby! And you know what? It’s respite from all that damn flavour. Moby sedated and running out of ideas is my favourite kind of Moby. Quick - catch him while he's tired. Don’t let him loose! Track 14: Who gave Moby an acoustic guitar?! Now I’m having to contemplate the sentence “epic downtempo folk rock music.” This is unnatural and wrong. Tracks 15-16: Woah. Ambient Moby is really lovely. I feel like I’m in the hypnotist’s chair. “Your eyes feel heavy. You are feeling sleeeepy. The last hour of music has been the flawless product of a musical mastermind.” Track 17: Okay. We’ve reached the tipping point and I’m finally prepared to say it: these songs are pretentious. Moby needs to stay as far away from that mic as possible. He is talking quietly and has the mic’s gain turned up to max. It’s an ASMR nightmare. I can hear the saliva in his mouth. Horrible wet mouth sounds. Why would he want me to hear that? He has intentionally chosen for me to hear that. Track 18: Nothingness. Empty nothingness. There was life before Moby. There is life after Moby.

Pretty boring but chill downtempo album. i like the touches of old blues and folk samples but apart from that nothing that interesting here. 5/10 Favourite: Porcelain Least Favourite: Guitar Flute & String

Gets old quick

Electronic music is just not for me. This isn't too bad but I still wouldn't want to listen to it.

Not a huge fan of songs where one line is just put on a non stop repeat- even the songs I initially liked ended up getting a bit repetitive or going on a little too long. Favourite: South Side or Run on Least: Machete

Cultural appropriation??

I don’t think this album has aged well however I understand that it could have sounded fresh at the time. Certain tracks really tap into a part of my brain that makes me feel nostalgic or even liminal. Others leave a lot to be desired.

2.5

Super

**An ok album

Je ne connaissais Moby que de nom mais je ne connaissais pas du tout son travail. Dès les premières secondes, cet album m'a donc surpris : ce mélange de vieux samples blues / gospel avec ces arrangements modernes de musique électronique, ça capture tout de suite l'attention ! Malheureusement une fois passée la surprise et la curiosité du début, je me suis vite ennuyé : la plupart des chansons sont très, très répétitives. Et je ressors de cette écoute avec une drôle d'impression : celle d'avoir écouté une musique "sans vie", distante... le côté répétitif et électronique me donne l'impression que tout est robotique, automatique... Content de l'avoir écouté car c'est un album intéressant et surprenant, mais ce n'est pas un style de musique que j'écouterais régulièrement.

It isn’t something I’d ever listen to again. Good for background music. Would be better if the songs were all 1-2 minutes shorter.

Artiste inconnu. Musicalement peu intéressant. Chaque morceau est terriblement ennuyeux car trop répétitif. Et 18 morceaux répétitifs sur plus d'une heure .... trop pour moi. Des instrumentaux vers la fin le sauvent cependant de la note minimale. =>2/5

Just didn't find this interesting....

Is three musical ideas - grab a vocal sample, lay some nineties trip-hop style beats under it, add some ambient synth washes half-way through enough. it would appear so. Has not aged that well and there are half-a-dozen tracks no-one over 40 needs to hear again. 2.5 but rounding down.

Not for me. 2/5. Couldn't get thru it

This album sounds more dated than some much older albums. That said it is representative of a particular sound and style from the time. Interesting to revisit but it won’t make it into rotation.

I feel that music like this, meaning made with synthesizers, keyboards, sampled vocals, and essentially a repetitive track for 2-3 minutes, is what makes people think this type of music isn't real music. I understand that argument, but I feel it is a little unfair as some unique sounds and enjoyable tracks can be created from this type of medium. There are a few tracks that I enjoyed, but the album can get quite repetitive.

Never found Moby to interesting, and I still don't. Most songs are pretty boring and repetitive.

Ok

el reimy en calvo y boomer

2 and a half, leaning towards a two

meh. I don't know about this one. repetitiveness doesn't bother me, simplicity doesn't bother me, but it feels like there's something missing that would make it more compelling. For sure there are good moments here and there. wish there were more of them given the length. Best tunes: honey, porcelain, south side, rushing, bodyrock, machete, 7, down slow, inside, my weakness

If I’m being honest I liked this better than I expected, but it did not keep my attention. I skipped through quite a few of the songs, there is no way I could have sat through almost 2.5 hours of this.

Jesus going from NWA to Moby is like running into a brick wall at 80 mph. Fine background music, a few more interesting tracks but nothing special. I kept on waiting for something, anything to make a change, a bass drop perhaps, a different BPM? anything....

Just didn’t hold up for me. Dated sensibilities and not enough soul.

I remember hearing South Side, but nothing more from him. Perhaps I skipped the necessary influence.

This album is a moment in time... But felt kinda scrungy and repetitive to me.

The bluesy, mid-tempo songs are good. Techno in a personal way

Another good in the 90s artist

No

I just can't stand this. It was ruined by repetition for me at work in the 90s. I thought I would enjoy it after all this time but it gives me a nauseating headache.

The important thing to remember about sampling vocals, is that you don't just loop them constantly for an entire track because then they get annoying. So why would you do that on your opening two tracks?

Man, Moby is white as hell. Southside is good, but I am white.

Heavily front loaded with the big singles. Was surprised by how much this petered out by the end as it shifts completely to downtempo chill. Also feels like every song is twice as long as it needs to be. By the time you've heard half of a track you've pretty much heard everything it has to offer. I can't deny it's impact and influence (both positive and negative) which certainly earns it a spot on this list but returning to Play was kind of eye-opening in how empty it actually is

Not my cup of tea but I listened all the way. “Natural Blues” was an ok song. Still kinda nostalgic hearing some of these tracks that I heard as a young kid.

I really thought I was gonna like this…not only was it not great, I just don’t think this white man sampling all black music with very little credit to original artists was worth it

Saw Moby as the headliner for the Area 1 tour in college ... and he sucked balls. Outkast ... as the warmup actually killed it. That's always how I've felt about this album. 90s kids loved it, but me, I was way more into classic hip-hop.

Das Lied was ich am meisten mag, Lift Me Up, ist nicht auf dem Album

I did have Play on CD so felt very nostalgic, had no idea what trip-hop was at the time. Quite enjoyed it but I think it'll only be a 2 as I can't see myself going back to it again and the second half dragged a bit, bumping it down a star. I didn't know at the time but If Things Were Perfect sounds like a massive rip-off of The Overload by Talking Heads.

⭐️⭐️ i'd only ever heard Porcelain years ago, which was alright to me at the time, so I had high hopes for liking the rest of the album i just didn't like it, i'm afraid. the majority of this is looped blues samples over near-identical and repetitive drums and keyboards. on the few tracks that aren't samples, the vocals aren't great and the lyrics often sound very basic, almost sterile i guess can see how some people could get into this sound when it first came out, but it definitely didn't age well. there's plenty of albums from the 90s or older that feel timeless and innovative in comparison to this i'll give this a (very reluctant) 2/5

Some really great tunes and production on here - Porcelain and Why does my heart - but overall this serves rather as a demonstration of production and technology. Not enough owned music, too many borrowed feelings embedded in flawless production generate something like an advert for a DJ for any tomorrow's night. A testament to a culture of recycling that mistakes recycling for re-use and repetition.

Not a fan sadly. I know even back in the day I didn't like it either

A few good tracks but didn't feel as impactful as I remember

Meh. Not sure how Moby got famous.

I enjoyed the vibe of the music just not my style :)

Didn't like it then, don't like it now either

This album sounds like 1999. I don't love dance music, so I had no problem listening to a minute of a track and then skipping. I do appreciate his use of old blues and gospel samples. Southside was a banger when it was on TRL. It still slaps now. Honey, Natural Blues, Bodyrock, and Run On are still great tracks. I didn't like Porcelain when it came out, and I still don't enjoy it.

The man knows how to bottle up a cool sound, but it’s all just a preview for a song that never materializes. Seems like he would’ve been better suited to producing for a real band. This is my complaint about every hip hop record as well, so paste this review for all of those. Normally I give one star for anything I won’t listen to again, but I’m bumping it up because of some obvious talent and willingness to show some pasty skin on the album cover. He knows what we’re here for.

I’m not really sure how to rate this album. It’s kinda cool music, but it sounds like I’m listening to a movie soundtrack. I wouldn’t choose to sit and listen to it, but I wouldn’t mind it on in the background while I’m doing something else.

Man this album was inescapable when it came out. The funny thing about it is that if you listen (closely) there are actually some pretty interesting things happening here. The not so funny thing about it is that it is that like all of this kind of music from this era (Fat Boy Slim and even Daft Punk I'd lump in with this among others), it is so repetitive it is hard to listen to for any length of time. But most of it is so simple you tune it out and it's sort of just paying in the background. It was a slog getting all the way through this album, I was ready to move on halfway through the second song. Generous 2/5.

There is a few songs on this album, that I can stand listening to

every song is just a repeated theme for 3 minutes dreadfully boring and dull

Advert music

Sampling - bad start. If done well works well but feels a bit GCSE music. Feels like its dragging and frist song is only 3:30. Track 2 - I'm not going to enjoy this! Vibe was actually pretty good. I know this. Feels like Background music for an advert. Better. I know this once too. I don't remember liking it. Realised that my favourite part of each song is the sample itself. And not the drum machine and reverb...

Didn’t mind this and it has some classic highs but it also has a lot of filler.

I found this a pretty dull listen as I have done in the past. Some fun moments like South Side but trip hop Moby just doesn't do it for me.

i dont love really long albums like this, but i really enjoyed the sound generally, and in some specific songs

It was ok, kinda boring.

fine

A weird electric album with a good beat and repetitive lyrics. This reminds me of dry-land sessions when I was a swimmer. Some of the songs felt pretty boring; however, I could use listen to this album as background noise.

I liked it 20 years ago

Just alright

This album was everywhere for a while. It wore thin.

Not as bad as I thought, the singles are pretty good. C

It was fine but really not my type of music. Had trouble paying attention. Solid album but I wouldn't call it one of the greatest. Porcelain isn't bad tho

eh, kinda repetative, i can see why people would like it but it's not for me.

None of this is as good as what was sampled to make it. Much of it is really fucking boring to boot.

I move between "eh, it's fine" and "wow this is annoyingly repetetive, can't wait for it to change" and "ok, this is pretty decent". Leaves me feeling really indifferent about the whole thing. Plus, it's quite long - making it an exhausting listen.

Alright

Blev uttråkad halvvägs genom

The most slap bang average album I might have ever heard

this album is all over the place, but not in a great way. I didn't mind most of the tracks... but there weren't a lot that I was bopping to. I think there was one track that I recognized from maybe a movie or something, but the rest just took me on a weird ass journey. It's gonna be a no from me, dawg

Mostly esoteric music, which is not my style...some of it was creative, some was repetitive.

Boring as fuck, sorry.

Some of the songs were catchy but it just felt very, very repetitive.

I tried, I really tried to like it but it just sounded so repetitive..

Started strong finished weak sadly.

Entiendo la importancia que tuvo Moby para la popularización del House, pero "Play" no es una de las entradas más entretenidas o imaginativas del género. Con una extensión de poco más de 1 hora, el LP se torna aburrido después de las primeras 5 canciones, costándome sinceramente escucharlo sin quedarme dormido. Su lugar en la lista está justificado, pero personalmente, no podría haber disfrutado menos este disco de Moby.

I can see why this album has been used in a lot of films and television because the songs fade easily into the background and are nowhere near interesting enough to draw attention away from a plot or performance.

I recognised a few tunes in this album however the ones I didn't recognise were very repetitive. Overall it was far too long and did not have enough variety to keep me interested I was very relieved when this one was finished

This just isn't for me. It's not bad at all but I finished listening to it and honestly can't remember any of it, even the songs I already knew.

Can't say I've ever heard a Moby song before, I just know him as an annoying guy in like VH1 shows. Pretty solid instrumental electronic stuff, it kinda sounds like background music to me... which I'm sure is an ignorant opinion... but it's all pretty repetitive and one-note, it definitely isn't terrible though.

Das Lied was ich am meisten mag, Lift Me Up, ist nicht auf dem Album

Seriously who is electronic music for?? I’m trying to understand but I don’t get it at all.

Moby’s Play ist ein Album, das zwar in den späten 90ern bahnbrechend war, heute aber nur noch wie uninspirierte Fahrstuhlmusik klingt. Fast jeder Song ist einem durch unzählige Werbespots oder Filmeinsätze bekannt, was zwar einerseits von der kommerziellen Reichweite des Albums zeugt, andererseits jedoch dazu führt, dass die Musik abgenutzt und überstrapaziert wirkt. Was damals vielleicht revolutionär klang, hat seinen Glanz verloren und fühlt sich heute in vielerlei Hinsicht veraltet an. Play hat sich seiner Zeit nicht entwachsen und leidet darunter, dass es durch seine allgegenwärtige Präsenz in der Popkultur seinen musikalischen Wert verloren hat. Trotz seiner früheren Erfolge schafft es das Album nicht, sich auf Dauer relevant zu halten. 2/5

Not really my type of music. I liked Porcelain and Bodyrock was my fav. Just not my style and kept skipping/ignoring.

This is a weird thing to hear. It's not got a ton of cohesion but it's because it feels like a craft project vs an album. Lots of gutting and gluing and glitter. I think Moby is probably pretty lame. Some of this is catchy though.

Natural Blues was definitely one of the better sampled/electronic tracks from the late 90's but overall this album just isn't super high quality. It is fine at times, boring at others, and very memorable.

mid

I have no idea what this is doing on here. It’s “ok”, sure. That’s it

I usually love B Sides! But not this one.

prob grunge

Here’s my thing with Moby. I find him to be a pretentious fuck and really far up his own ass. And his obsession with Natalie Portman is so weird and creepy. Clouds my feelings about his music. Also his voice is terrible. I actually liked a few songs on this album, but it happened they were all ones where he sampled the vocals of black artists. I understand sampling and generally don’t have problems with it, but this felt like appropriation to an extent. I mean, the production was good? And the non-Moby vocal songs were generally enjoyable. But overall I didn’t care for this album (or him).

I admit, I only listened to half the album. Pretty repetitive, so I don't feel I missed anything earth-shattering

Quite literally what others have said: blues sample, drum loop, synth, repeat.

Down the middle for me, nothing too terribly memorable, but also not offensive either. Not one that I will actively. Reminds me of high school.

Honey 3 Find My Baby 2.4 Porcelain 2.2 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? 2 South Side 2.1 Rushing 1.7 Bodyrock 1.9 Natural Blues 2.5 Machete 2.3 7 2.4 Run On 2.2 Down Slow 2.4 If Things Were Perfect 2.3 Everloving 2 Inside 1.8 Guitar Flute & String 2 The Sky Is Broken 2.1 My Weakness 1.7 Score: 2.166666667

Another album that shouldn't be on the "must listen" list.

Honestly I thought this album was incredibly boring and repetitive. It's like rock for people who either think they like rock or are just getting into it. The vocals were abysmal.

I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t think it did anything groundbreaking. Not really my kind of music, super repetitive

I've heard this so much it feels like white noise now. There are some really excellent tracks in the middle, but i'd never choose to listen to the whole album. 2.5

I think the songs that have made it off this album into my general knowledge are the ones with staying power. The rest was just drum and base.

After listening to an entire Moby album for the first time I firmly believe this is all music made to be in the background on movies/TV shows and in commercials. With the exception of South Side, I cannot see myself intentionally listening to any of these songs. Only South Side feels like an actual song. The rest? Cool sounds…..but they are a collection of samples with some piano, drums, and guitars added. I sorta get where Eminem is coming from…….i am just not as angry about it.

Late to the party - Vini Reilly and Colourbox and others had been masterfully mixing in vocal samples in the 80’s. Moby marketed it better and sold it to everyone for commercials, but that doesn’t make it a great album. Too repetitive and way too long.

Why??? Mediocre, repetitive and uninterresting music by a pathetic creep. So why is this on this list???

it was ok but mostly didnt interest me that much. some good songs

I would instantly be suspicious of anyone who got excited about dancing to this aural wallpaper. It is fine for what it is - a load of other peoples work over a beat, but it is greige in the extreme Fat Boy Bald

It was honestly very surprising to me to hear that this album was so big. I truly truly did not see the hype surrounded by it and I found it rather boring. I tried to understand but it just kept going and so could not find any interesting part. Props to them for making such a big album, but not for me.

Pas écouté en entier mais nice en ambiance sonore

Did not like this

The whole album just feels too long and pretty discontinous. However, I did enjoy a few of the tracks, such as 'Bodyrock', 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?' and 'Machete'

This was pretty bland - just repetitive loops of songs that sound like they would be better as a whole piece rather than a 15 second sample. It also massively gives up in the last 5 or so tracks, and meanders off into almost nothing.

2.5 idk there were definitely some tracks on here I really like and would listen to again but the album overall eh not for me

Elegantly constructed - a relentlessly commercial sheen over solid beats and blues/gospel samples – it is all very familiar, having been used on so many adverts and so many tv beds. Sometimes in this listening process there is a very familiar album that, when I listen to it as an album, sounds much better than I remember it (for example - Rumours). Not the case here.

Maybe inventive for its time, but felt mundane and flat listening today. Some cool flow but otherwise just left me wanting.

The soundtrack to too many late 90s bar shifts.

Like one very long ad.

Honey Natural Blues I really wish this was a hip hop album because some of these tracks would absolutely slaughter with someone spitting on them. Just about as repetitive as every other electronic albums. Snooze fest

I like Moby. But this album felt more repetitive than I remembered, and went on way too long. Guess fro me - it didn't age well.

Music you’d hear in an empty bar that you’d want to walk through and not stay in

I knew it was a mistake letting this guy out of prison.

2.5. Nothing about this record sounds revolutionary to me. Sure, the songs are catchy, but a lot of the songs get old after about 2 minutes, especially given how repetitive some of them are.

Strange collection of songs. It was bearable.

Meh. I remember a few of these songs from back when they came out. I was deep into my late teenage punk phase at that point so this wouldn't have done much for me then. Can't say a lot has changed in 24 years tbh. There's a bit of nostalgia here but honestly I don't think that I would choose to listen to any of these songs again. Top tracks: South Side, Bodyrock

Far enough into this list where ratings are becoming less about a given album and more how it compares to the others. Not my thing but it ain’t Kid Rock 🤷

I reeeeeally don’t like constant repetition so this album is quite annoying for me. Every song could be about 30 seconds and I would get the picture. There are some bangers but they ALL go on too long and are one idea again and again. I can imagine someone who thinks they ‘know about music’ absolutely insisting that this is an amazing album at a party but… nah.

It’s funny to me that there are people that actively choose to listen to Moby

There was a bit of good stuff on this, but it really wasn’t worth trudging through everything else to get to

Man, Moby wasn’t kidding when he said he stacked the back half of this album with songs to put you to sleep. I thought the album was fine in the first half, but that kinda ruined the whole experience. I enjoyed the unique synthesis of old recordings with modern digital sequencing in the first few songs, but it just goes so downhill after that.

Wasnt huge on this, made decent reading music though 😎

Some nice individual tracks but overall meh

It was fine, but I got bored and didn't bother finishing the album, and already can't really remember a single song from it

Too repetitive for me. Could have branched out a little. 2 stars

Maybe I just don't get it

not exiting or good

Didn't listen let me see the fucking reviews

Didn’t hate this but never need to listen to it again

Not for me

Most of the album is like secret Lofi girl mix. I never knew that.

I guess it’s whatever.

Holy repetitive batman. Glad the genre evolved beyond this or it would be long gone by now. Lots of catchy beats but the repetition kills me.

Some of it is OK, a lot is boring. Favorite song: Run on

Harmless toe tappers. Nothing remarkable. You will know 1 or 2 songs...

Escutei um pouco e achei legalzinho, mas achei muito genérica, música de elevador

2.5/5 cool album that’s made well. However, not an album I would listen to for anything besides a party. Definitely gets a little repetitive and stale for an everyday listen.

It's a good album, but not to my taste. It's mostly calm, it has songs that I liked, such as "Porcelain", "Inside" and "My Weakness", but I didn't like the others as much because of their repetitive rhythms and lyrics.

If it’s from the late 90s, the music put me to sleep. For an album with 8 singles released, I recognized 1. Must’ve been a deep sleep.

okay so a few of them were too dreary or too 80s but most of this was TIMELESS. the harmonies… what can be said. Women win every time it copied my review of trio into the review for play by moby which i think is great so i’m leaving it. that said i was incredibly bored by this and don’t care. men lose every time

Immediately after pressing play, I have the answer to what that song that mumbling that gets stuck in my head is from. I've been trying to figure that out on and off for a few years, but it's difficult to google a mumble. That might be the most positive thing I have to say about this before it's over. Ok, I suppose I should give Moby some credit for not making each track drag on for 7 minutes like so many other electronic albums on this list have done so far. However, it's still too long as a whole, and that's without the b-sides they've tacked onto the end of any streaming copy of this album I could find outside of youtube.

The singles brought me back to high school and driving aimlessly around smoking cigarettes. The rest of it - meh. Lots of a filler for a record that probably could have been 35 minutes and a good listen.

он не плохой но как он меня достал, не могу это слушать

Sounds like a never ending apple commercial.

Repetitive most of the time, that made me get bored at the middle of it, but i have to say that it's not bad, but there was nothing special for me to love this.

I grew up with this album, but I'm not ignorant of it's many flaws. A ton of the songs are repetitive and rely too heavily on their samples. This makes some songs unlistenable (looking at you "Find My Baby"). Three of the big hits are pretty great: Porcelain, Run On, and Natural Blues. South Side isn't my favorite, the simplistic lyrics, short little verses, and Gwen Stefani feature stinks of generic soulless radio fodder for the time A number of the other songs are pretty good, but now that years have passed, on relisten, this record scores below the 50th percentile for me. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.

Eh, okay

Thoughts before listening: This came out my senior year in high school and was a very big deal. Moby seemed like the future of music, and while EDM is still certainly popular, Moby has completely disappeared from popular culture. This style of music was never really my thing, but I do tend to enjoy it more as an adult than I did 25 years ago. Review: This is just okay. The best songs are the hits: "Porcelain", "Southside", and "Natural Blues". The rest of the album is either background music or blues samples with techno beats. It reminds me of the music playing in a Gap changing room or something. 2-stars.

Zzz

Electronic music, too repetitious for me. Good for dancing or background maybe.

A few good tracks with a lot of filler. The blues vocal samples got repetitive, but then the droning vocals came in and I wanted the blues samples back.

Better than some of the other electronic albums on here so far, but still kind of weird listening to electronic music while just sitting around. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again