Play

BANGER 🥵

Banger album, the drums are great, it's not monotonous

Scully's song

2.83 per track. If it wasn't for the second half of this album it would have done significantly better.

Surprisingly good and chill

First listen it just seemed pretty mellow. 2nd time through I enjoyed it more. Pretty good.

Great album. Equal parts relaxing and party ready. There a few tracks on the b side of things that feel a little repetitive but overall a great listen.

A number of these songs sound like hold music. It's listenable, sure, but do I want to listen to it? Not really. Rating 2.

This is decent background music. I'd like to listen to some of his source material over this album, I think.

The goodwill built up by the first three tracks on this album was erased by South Side, a track so cringey I wanted to turn it off. Most of the rest of the album was fine, but any time that Moby was using his own vocals, the track suffered. There's a reason that he succeeded by using samples extensively. I never again need to hear his attempt at sexy pillow talk. "Porcelain" and "Natural Blues" are the standout tracks. Highs are canceled out by lows, it gets a 3.

If you can set aside the cartoon character that is Moby, I believe there is a 4 or 4.5 star album here, but there's so much useless underground electronic DJ set filler squeezed into the cracks that drags it down.

Oh, Porcelain and South Side are the songs I know from this album. Go listen to "The Genealogy Detective" and their 3 part series on whether Moby is actually a relative of Herman Melville like he has claimed to be.

Saving grace of this album a) some on the tracks are unobjectionable background jams and b) just a hint of nostalgia.

It was better than I was expecting. I listened while working on an assignment, and it did help me focus. But god, was that first song annoying.

things i am not impressed with: moby's music things i AM impressed with: moby's high jump could have sworn i had never heard anything if his but some of the songs sounded familiar 1.5

I mean I guess I'd rather listen to this than kings of leon but only barely

I don't love this but I have to admit I don't hate it enough to roast it. I don't think I'm ever like "hmm let me put on an entire Moby LP" but some of these were decent zone-out music and I regrettably enjoy Bodyrock.

I found all these songs super repetitive, wanted every song to be over by about 1/2 way through

Love it. Immediately saved it to my Spotify. Great listen for the autumn weather we're having.

Weird and eclectic.

Knew from trip-hop/electronic - mildly disappointed with album as a whole when compared to the two standout tracks of porcelain and everloving. Decent background music but nothing more, especially when compared to other artists of the same era/genre. 3.

Nostalgie

Not used to/into this music much Ok experience Tough to get through Too long Not gonna listen to this album again

Tää on tylsää

This album is amazing! I can hear it over and over! It is a classic.

It’s a little annoying how good this album is

Interesante. Es una oda al sample, un laburo muy interesante para entender como funciona esta técnica. siento que es un álbum que cualquier productor (amateur o profesional) TIENE que escuchar. Aun asi, el disco es mas aburrido que sacar a pasear a la tortuga [NOTAS POST INVESTIGACION]: Es un disco importante para el techno Primer album de la historia en tener TODOS los temas licenciados para peliculas, comerciales, etc.

A ver… este disco es medio raro Por un lado, cumple con la función de entretener la hora y pico que dura, tiene algunas ideas muy buenas y la calidad de sonido es excelente Por el otro lado se siente como una carpeta de loops que te quedan después de un par de años con Ableton/FL Studio. Es un lindo disco de… ¿Electrónica, creo? Que se queda corto en varios momentos. La falta de estructura en las canciones y la repetición de las mismas convierte a un disco con mucho potencial a, justamente aquello que dije antes, un lindo disco Solido 3

ambient music - nice to study to but can be a little too loud and busy for acads at times some songs felt kinda disconnected - as if i was being abruptly pulled out of water fav track: my weakness

Definitely one of my top 100 albums, so this was a nice first album to see since joining!

Never heard of Moby before. The lyrics didn’t catch my attention but not bad. Of the songs with lyrics, many seem to repeat over and over, but with no real meaning. The ones without lyrics seem to slow the music down to an almost boring level. The tracks seem to get worse as the album goes on, with the first 3 tracks being the best/most interesting. The album should have ended about 12 tracks before it did. This doesn’t make me want to go find more albums by Moby, but I could put this on and not have a bad time. However, by the end, I might have forgotten I was even listening to anything.

honey and south side and run on. i dont know what genre this is or who this man is but i thought it was fun

I can only accurately describe this album in Latin: ad nauseum. I want to find the artistic merit and understand the critical reception of this album, but I just can't. I know it's in there, and I know what this work has done for the EDM scene, but I can't listen to the same two bars of vocals repeated for an entire five minute piece. It grinds at my ears and I just keep craving something interesting, but it never comes.

Ugh. More techno. Endless techno. It just goes on and on.

pog

Similar to Coldplay Parachutes this album was everywhere when I was at Uni. Thanks to MTV Europe in the 90’s I’d been along for the Moby ride before this. From techno guy to a return to his hardcore / punk roots then back to this. His “I like to score” album is still one of my all time favourites. This is interesting as I re listened to it recently after he had been on Steve-O’s podcast talking about his recovery from addiction. There’s a ton of classics on it. Body rock being on there surprised me, I’ve heard it so often over the last 25 years I’d almost forgotten it was a Moby song. 5 stars

It’s a rock album disguised as electronic music and the results are electrifying. Amazing stuff.

Would listen it again.

Tons of variety and very cool sounds. It took me a while to realize it was dance music, some songs I still don't really fit the genre but in a good way. Feels ethereal at times, and very grounded at others. Great instrumentals mixed between songs. B side (starting with Flower) is a bit weaker, but still enjoyable. Favorite tracks: Porcelain, South Side, Run On, Inside

master of the genre

Sometimes repetitive within songs, but pretty varied as a whole. Relaxing, creative, polished, smooth. Not sure I'd do another full listen anytime soon, but pretty fulfilling. Best song: Inside

GOOD fun, not too deep, fun to listen to when you’re vibing/smoking w friends

I liked this. I never thought I'd like Moby but didn't actually know what type of music it was. Now I may look into more of his content.

👍

Started a bit formulaic but morphs and changes throughout. Some timeless songs on here. Highly enjoyable album to just go about your life listening to.

definitely more somber than expected, but a solid hit from the 90s

It was aweful...

Innovative and interesting sounds. Seemed like a random collection of songs

So many hits in this album. Very enjoyable. There are some terrible stuff in the middle tho. Favourite: Everloving/Porcelain Least favourite: Rushing/Bodyrock

Kind of like a downtempo Daft. Not bad, though

3. Some songs on this album slap, but a lot of them drag the album behind for me. It's still a good piece of electronic music even if it isn't my favourite genre

Elektronische Ambientemusik. Im Wohnzimmer oder Fahrstuhl ideal. Ansonsten wenig innovativ.

Excellent. Very nostalgic for me. I used to listen to this album 20 years ago when it was all the rage.

I can't even count the number of times I've listened to this album over the last 20+ years. An absolute staple for me, there's something for every mood.

One drum loop?

Really liked album, listening straight through from start to finish made sense, will listen to again

It was very peaceful. Not my favorite, but had some songs I liked with good beats

I was really into it for the first couple songs, but as the album progressed, I started losing interest. The varied voices is kind of a weird thing to do. It just makes me worried about inconsistency with the vocal quality of the songs. To me, there's three distinct sections to the album, a beginning, middle, and end. The middle section is the different by being the most upbeat, and to me, it's the worst section. If you just got rid of it, I think there would be a complete album with a full feeling, and there wouldn't be any necessarily bad songs.

Not really a fan of electronica.

Good blues sampling, liked it

The 90s/2000s influence is so strong, this album feels like a relic of the time. I wonder what Moby is trying to say with this album. Machete is a standout right now, it doesn't feel time-stamped like the rest of the album does. The tension of tempo drives this story and adds some real angst I haven't felt the whole album. That speedy 2000s action movie drum sample keeps getting used, I wonder if this is where it's popularity originated? What else came out in 1998? Blade? The middle of the album is more interesting to me, it's less generic and has tactile sonic emotion I can feel. Weird that i'm just noticing there's a lot of Christian undertones in the lyrics, I'm going to assume he converted from being an addict? Machete into 7 feels like a breakdown into understanding and enlightening. Followed by Run On where there's a lot of happy chord progressions and lyrics about God cutting sinners and hypocrites down. Just read the wikipedia page about this album and apparently it's based off of vicious sampling of blues and soul songs. Someone called it millennial-core and they're correct. I think this album isn't my cup of tea. First off, I can't place myself into the context of underground techno/electronic music of the late 90s. Second, I grew up watching movies that this music may have been background music for, for all I know—it certainly sounds like it. Everloving could be placed into an emotional Cher running to meet her lover before it's too late montage in a romantic drama about missing out on life standing in front of you. It's not bad music, but I personally think it's overhyped for what it is. It's kind of stuffy and dirty, something to play in the background of a gallery opening for an NFT I don't like. My beef is that this doesn't say anything or move my world forward in any way other than sonically. I can hate it for being uninspired and drab, but it did revolutionize the 2000s motion picture soundtrack genre, that's for sure.

Really boring and not my style. Had one or two fun beats but majority was very repetitive and ambling. It doesn’t really evoke the energy depicted on the album cover.

Great Slow tempo Jazz

Such a fun and vibrant record. Great use of samples while also incorporating original instrumentation. Good vibes record.

Great listen.

Surprised how many I recognised. Lit

Prima, porcelain is natuulk wel vet

A few good songs but a lot of boring songs.

So much of this album is a pastiche of African spirituals that a white man repackaged with gloss and techno, dance vibes. The ideas are thin, the loops are too long to back a simple dance number, but too short and repetitive to carry a full-length pop song. A good sample in a song is usually a fun nod, an Easter egg, an elevation of an idea or a rhythm that the artist then builds something new from. But here on many of the tracks, the spirituals feel like the entire idea, and Moby works around them. This leaves the subtext of it all -- the African spirituals are generally about struggle. Is Moby comparing his own personal struggles to those of enslaved people? Probably. Weirdly, despite Moby not having a strong voice, the tracks with his vocals are the best. Porcelain and South Side remain great songs.

An iconic album for me filled with overly nostalgic fare. A bit front loaded but the back end has some nice ambient tracks.

Love the sampling of older blues and soul tracks. Overall great album to throw on in the background, especially while working.

Solid album, some classics.

Great album, but I think the awesome selection of samples does a lot of the heavy lifting

I like its ecclectic mix of sounds. Liked the song South Side a lot

Really different kind of music from what I listen to. Probably a common theme. Actually kinda fun music. Probably won’t listen to it a ton but it had some good songs.

Got weird in the second half

Honey Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad Natural Blues Run On are all bangers

I liked like one or two songs

Was a good listen. For a relatively recent release, felt comfortable as background.

Lisäsin toisen tähden Fifa 2001:n tunnarista

Jesse vois hommaa samat tatuoinnit kun Mobylla on nykyään

pakko antaa 5/5 koska ollaan Mobyn kanssa molemmat sekä vegaaneita että kusipäitä. 'Moby identifies himself as heterosexual and cisgender and had felt "disappointed" to be straight. He claimed in a book to have had a brief relationship with actress Natalie Portman, though she has denied this, calling Moby's account "disturbing" (as she was 18 at the time), with Portman further describing their interactions as "a much older man being creepy with me"'

Ei pysty

A couple bangers don't make up for the otherwise uninspired downtempo tracks. I only like electronica when it goes hard

There are def a lot of songs in this album that come off very smooth, but also a lot of raw content that doesn't sit quite as well. The smooth ones are sooooo good though

First listen ever. It's not bad, it has some good (even great) moments too. But I found it repetitive and not that interesting or unique. Sounds like some quintessential 90s/2000s to me though, really captures the zeitgeist of the time. Not all bad, just not my thing, I can respect it though.

Experimental and eclectic. More thoughtful and exploratory than hard-hitting energy. B sides give a more contemplative feel that are worth examining separate from the rest of the album.

Much better than I remembered him. I liked it

Funky and different. Overall I liked it

One of the greatest albums of all time. Love moby!

No.

Way too repetitive, even for techno.

knew it before

This one is a classic, though I'm not sure how well it holds up.

Seems like so long ago, but this was very very popular. Fun to remember the first time hearing the songs and also fun to seem them pop up in commercials and what not later.

More of a 4.5, so many interesting sounds and done in a very concesive way. Want to give it a 5 but need to listen more before I give it that rating.

Was alright, not my cup of tea but glad that I listened

Love it. Classic

As someone who is not a fan or electronica/electronic music, this album was a pleasant surprise. While it still had too much of one sample running over and over for 3 minutes on some of the tracks, a lot of the album was more musical. Tracks I liked: Porcelain South Side Rushing Bodyrock Run On Everloving Guitar Flute & String The Sun Never Stops Setting

Любовь

В какой-то момент я этим альбомом уже проникся настолько, что Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? теперь всплывает в моей голове, вместе с тем рисованным челиксом из клипов. Да вообще как оказалось, Моби перевернул игру промоушна. Не факт, что он был первым, кто сделал так, но он стал тем самым чуваком, про которого с уверенностью можно говорить "его трек в рекламе был". И не в одной...

rlaxing and nice

Fuck you Marshall

Remains interesting, but bears more than a little resemblance to background music.. It's a good sound. lyrics are simple and basic, not to relatable--phrases on equal footing with the beat. Whoops was Paul McC borrowing a bit of Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad for his latest album? Best: Natural Blues

Love. Moody.

Liked it, nice laid back techno. This was the sound of 2000s TV! I feel like this sound was everywhere. Can definitely see how it was extremely influental.

Very nice

So repetitive. Not a huge fan

I’m 5 songs in and tapping out, it’s already too repetitive, I can’t handle 2 hours of this…

i guess its ok but too long and not that much going on

Atheletic music... well.

Didn't like at first, but kinda grew on me. Solid album, chill vibes.

Couple of good songs but most songs have some repetitive beat the whole time and banal to listen to.

dope

This was a pretty good album that I had up to now never listened to.

This is a really good album. I like the lo-fi beats across it, the strings, the piano, the melancholy / bittersweet feeling to a lot of the tracks. There's some good variation in there too, with some good upbeat tracks. It's really consistent across the board here, just very well done and great to listen to.

intressant

Good fun album, hard to escape some of these tunes which makes it hard to be objective but I enjoyed it all the same. Fave tracks: If Things Were Perfect and The Sky Is Broken

Oof, bunch of feelings about this one - it’s grossly appropriative and Moby is a bit (a lot) of a knob, but it’s also intertwined with my first year of uni so the nostalgia levels are off the charts! Even with him licensing damn near every track for adverts and making them inescapable, the underlying samples are so strong, and really acted as a gateway to exploring a lot of early blues and spiritual stuff, so all glory to the original musicians, I guess. Fave track - "My Weakness" has always been my fave - pretty transcendental stuff...

re-marking this as had given it a 3 previously, but it played on my mind so much I listened straight several more times. close to sneaking a 5 as it has so many hooks.

+ honey find my baby porcelain why my heart does feel so bad? natural blues

3 i mean yeah it's listenable but the novelty of it ended after song two faves: honey, my weakness

Much like Moby's memoir, Play has not aged well. In the early aughts, you were practically guaranteed to hear songs from this LP in hotel lobbies that were desperately trying to appear fashionable.

Starts off ok, couple catchy songs. Second half of album is dreadful. Too boring even for background elevator music

Too much techno

The only "skippable" tracks for me on this one are ones that I've played so much I need to take my monthly break.

A variety of different beats and samples, but ultimately pretty forgettable.

Played it a lot when I was younger. Still like it.

I'm left conflicted by this album, after the passage of time (over 20yrs - yikes!) I listened to it A LOT in period. But I think the overplaying and over commercialisation of nearly every album track to either a film or advert (or both) has harmed it. Too many associations are brought up when you hear certain tracks, which disconnects you from the music itself. In many ways it was ahead of its time and I appreciate the arrangement and production. But not enough that I finished the album feeling it had been left tarnished by the passage of time. 3, rather than 4*

Not my thing. Found it boring and repetitive

Fav Songs: Honey, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Everloving, My Weakness Least Fav Songs: South Side, Bodyrock, 7, Run On, The Sky Is Broken

Bangers

It was alright I guess

A classic, not a bad song on it

Enjoyed it

3.5 Kind of dreading this one. I actually listened to Blue Lines by Massive Attack before this one, so should be interesting as they kind of come out of similar ideas. Ok, I'm actually shocked at how much I enjoyed this, as I always found Moby to be annoying as a person. But, man, this album sounds really good on headphones. I'm sure there's some issues with the use of samples from POC spirituals and songs in general, but who care? They are used to really good effect and sound much better than whoever, i assume it's Moby, is singing. I don't know if I'll be saving this one to my library, but I gotta hand it to the little bald creep--this sounds pretty damn good. It does have a fully realized, effective vision, not overly intellectualized. Of course there are the of-its-time ubiquitous record scratching effects that I could do without or much less of, but whatchoo gonna do. The repetitions and loops do create hypnotic effects. The tossed off and improvised become solid and composed through repetition. The breakbeats aren't groundbreaking, but within the chill, reverbed piano lines and rootsy samples, serve the songs well. I'm shocked.

I've heard a couple of these. Not bad.

Really liked it, didn't think I would!

Album 157 of 1001 Moby - Play Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : South Side Not really for me, though I do like this more than the other "electronica" I've heard. It serves its purpose, I guess.

I actually enjoyed this album more than I did on first listen, a few years back. But it's still pretty meh! Samples and a few notes on a keyboard over droning synths and a drum loop. Ad infinitum. Occasionally, maybe a little guitar is thrown in for flavour. Some of it is pleasant enough, but it still sounds like background music, outside of a few notable tunes. It's just all too repetitive and goes on far too long.

Very difficult to listen to. Takes me back to a weird headspace that I'm happy to no longer be in.

Objectively good but doesn't sit well with me, less found sound and more cultural appropriation

Rather pleasant

4 stars - classic.

Moby is wild, unlike what I was expecting. All I knew about Moby was that he's a bit of a dork, a bit of a creep, and that song "South Side" which seems like it's a big outlier. He is very much his own thing. This was fine.

This absolutely takes me back to a particular place and time. It's a bit repetitive, but it's also fantastic to listen to with a buzz.

Porcelain, Bodyrock and Everloving goood! i do like the style but hmmm would i listen to it more??

A few records can last more than 1 hour and still feel fresh at the end. This was not one of them. Could've been great if like 1/3 of generic stuff was cut.

I like it. It's a strange mix of ambient, soul, blues, and funk, but good. Music to chill to.

shrug

3/5 Best: Porcelain Worst: Find My Baby

take away the blues singers and it's the blandest type of starbucks music

Good instrumentation but long

More familiar than I expected. So many Tracks of that time

Achei o álbum com pouca harmonia, mas com algumas músicas escutáveis.

Some great songs on here... but I've heard it sooooo much

While it’s a little hit and miss, there are some truly great electronic songs to be found here.

Some bangers but the all quite similar

Porcelain stands out but there's other good ones. Liked the chilled out beats: Rushing, Everloving, Inside, The Sky is Broken.

I remember going to buy this album on CD when I was about 12 and listening it to death. The songs were absolutely everywhere at the time, so you get mental imagery of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach and a million glossy car ads. I haven't listened to it for many years but I think it stands the test of time, so many great tracks.

Impressive body of work. Nice to have on in background or to zone to, but does not really draw me in. Would rather have more expressiveness and less looping and sampling.

Standout songs: Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

Some foot tapping grooves, and you can't help but know the hooks from 90s TV ads. But it's background music, not something you listen to.

Couldn’t follow. Was in and out, but there’s cool stuff here

Je pensais pas aimé autant. Mais l'électronique et le sampling est vraiment bien fait. Beaucoup de chanson que j'avais déjà entendu mais c'est à cause de la surutilisation dans le mainstream de cet album. Tout de même j ai aimé mais ça a un peu baissé à la 2e écoute. 4

Really cool album. Love the use of samples across the tracks. Moby creates a coherent atmosphere, with a mix of electronic sounds, symphonic instrumentals, and samples of roots music.

Knew very little about Moby going in, was pleasantly surprised.

What essentially amounts to a sample-based beat tape. And a solid one at that. Nothing spectacular but a few really great jams

This album was everywhere in the late 90s early 00s. Moby is a bit of an unsavoury character but I can't deny it. This remains a solid album and an enjoyable listen.

20+ years later, I am still suffering from Play fatigue.

8/10 good but... ohh I like it

Could have been the same 3 songs on repeat. Some overstayed their welcome first time through. Dull and uninspiring. Natural Blues one of the few highlights but it's reliant on an interesting sample.

Got some great tunes (porcelain, why does my heart) and some annoying ones. Probably the best electronica album I’ve heard.

Hyvin elokuvallinen. Instrumentaalinen. Monipuolinen. Pidän niistä asioista. Ansaitsee paikkansa listalla selkeästi.

Artistin tavoitteena on tuoda bluesin virtuaalinen melodisuus kaikkien kuultavaksi, ja arvostan tätä pyrkimystä siinä määrin, että olen melkein valmis ohittamaan levyn täytebiisien junnaavuuden. 3,5.

Big hit album at the time and still a nice album but nowhere near Everything is Wrong, the only Moby classic (and some tracks of Play are just a repeat of EIW). score: 7/10

Very good album, but could have done without a couple of the weaker songs to make it more palatable.

What a miracle: all these different styles and samples becoming a slow-paced unit here. Love it.

Very strange, but in an endearing way

Undeniably catchy but the gramophone roaring twenties vibe that underlines it is really wack

Bailed after three tracks. Bland as fuck

Some noises for sure

🤪

Очень хорошо

This album is good background music and that's about it.

I remember we got this when it came out, probably my first introduction to electronic music. Not heard it in years but listening back it's stood the test of time amazingly well. The tracks suffer from a bit of repetitiveness, the motif introduced in the first 10-20s of each song rarely develops into anything new over the course of each 3-4 minute track, which stops it from being an all time classic. Still, thanks to Moby for teaching me that music doesn't have to be rock or pop. Great album to have my eyes opened to.

The word that has to lead this review is "ubiquity". In the early 2000s, the tracks from this album were everywhere. Every track has its place and purpose. But is that purpose being in an album you would sit down and listen to? The rating for this has to take into account the meta. Yes, it's got some great tracks on it. Is it extraordinary? Not really. But as a story, as a context, yes, it is hugely influential. As an album, without the context, it's be a straight 3. The surrounding to it - pushes it to 5. That's a tough call, and feels wrong given what we know about the artist. So maybe I'll split the difference.

First half of the album is perfect, I had to remember that I know Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad? Memories unlocked right away.

It was nice to hear this album again after some time has passed. It was just everywhere for a while there and I got a bit tired of it. It's artfully made, incredibly catchy and surprisingly melancholic in places. When I was first playing it, Buena Vista Social Club was also a big thing and I was on holiday in Scotland, so Play also makes me think of Cuba and the Isle of Skye. Which is nice.

few good songs otherwise meh

Pleasant cleaning music.

Some bops but they go on very repetitively for a while. There is 100% a use case for this but not sure what it is

Underwhelmed: it was just boring an I wasn't a massive fan of it. I know this may come as controversial as this album is rated relatively high but it just isn't all of that. I get the similar aspects to a Daft Punk record which I would love but I found this lacklustre in it's approach to the seen. Wasn't the worst thing I have ever listened to but I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

Dick?

I bought this album on the strength of the seemingly many ads featuring Moby tracks, and grew to like this enormously. The way that he weaves samples, dance, ambient music, and blues to make memorable and distinct tunes is so impressive. There are so many great tracks threaded throughout the album. one or two tracks aren't that special but overall a major, seminal album

3.25/5 pleasant

Nice

Another album I've not heard or desired to hear in probably 20 years. I liked it at the time, along with lots of people. His creeping over Natalie Portman didn't improve that. Some of its aged ok, some of it's aged terribly (Bodyrock). Absolutely a time capsule for 1999/2000. Fine in small doses but it's repetitive and I can't really see me ever digging the album out in its entirety again. I also remember there being quite a lot of nothing at the end of the record even back in the day (Everloving, Inside, Guitar flute strings, the first 2 minutes of Sky is Broken). The Sky is Broken and My Weakness are probably the best aging ones still, and a good example of his talent for soundtracking, his best work is still the theme from Heat, God Moving over the Face of the Waters. More useful these days as a reference point to jump off from into some blues belters.

In general my exposure to Moby has made me find him moderately pretentious but I still enjoyed the album. 3.5 stars!

If Fatboy Slim cared a little more about the music he made, and made slightly better music, he would be Moby.

jomen banger

Listened to this one all weekend! Super cool introduction to dance/electronica. Felt like Jason Bourne at some moments 😎🔫

It’s a banger. Although I’d forgotten who much it slows down in the last seven or so tracks.

Highlights: Porcelain, Run On Leave Em's: Machete, The Sky Is Broken, Inside Overall Thoughts: While this two hour project did not feel like a waste of time I was fortunate to listen to it as background music at work. As such, the album was relatively enjoyable, however I couldn't imagine sitting down and trying to deeply listen to this thing. Big shoutout to the A$AP sample, it's always fun to find the original sample for some of my favorite rap songs. I personally don't see a whole lot of replay value in these songs but I'd welcome many of the tracks as background music in the future. I preferred the songs that had lyrics the most but I did not enjoy the spoken word songs and would prefer an instrumental to a poem spoken over a beat. Score Breakdown: 2.704 & 3 -> 2.852

Very solid background music. I like his style, very groovy dance-y beats. It was fine and maybe I’ll choose to listen to it at the gym or something in the future!

PREFS : Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feels So Bad?, South Side, Rushing, Bodyrock, Machete, Inside, Guitar String & Flute MOINS PREF : Honey

This had some pretty good moments. I knew "South Side" from before, but most of the rest I had not. For the most part I liked it, but again it just didn't wow me. Maybe I need to listen to it again, but there wasn't a song I would say this is the s**t right here. Saying that, it was very well-done and produced well. It's probably the best of the techno albums I've heard. But that's not really saying a huge amount, you know? Definite one I need to come back to.

What did Eminem say about Moby? "You're too old, let go; it's over, nobody listens to techno." I like Eminem's stuff more than I like Moby's but I think credit needs to be given where it's due. Moby made people listen to techno with this album. It's solid. And what he often did was take classic blues singers and make it sound like they were modern rappers. As in, you heard Gwen Stefani do guest vocals on South Side (a solid tune) and then wondered who provided guest vocals on Honey or Natural Blues? Nobody, he just mixed the hell out of Bessie Jones' Sometimes and Vera Hall's Trouble So Hard and made them sound even more classic. Kudos for bringing a bunch of great old songs (see also Find My Baby, Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad, Run On) to a new generation, including me. I don't love everything about the album. I never liked Porcelain (probably his biggest hit), not the instrumentals and certainly not his vocals - he does better when sampling like in Bodyrock (another big hit) or mixing heavier beats like in Machete (cool sound). The album also drags in the last third, though If Things Were Perfect has a wicked bass line and beat and the acoustic guitar (I think by Moby) on Everloving is admirable. Maybe it's because there's less sample vocals and the subdued sounds start to blend together. At any rate, for a guy who doesn't care much for electronica, this was a good effort. Not just monotonous or annoying beats.

I have such a soft spot for this album. There's something both vulnerable and bold about it. Thinking that this would be his last album and that few people would hear it, gave him a lot of freedom to make a very different album of the music he loved. The fact that it exploded in popularity was a shock to everyone, including me. I bought this album the day it came out and loved it but always assumed that it was going to be this secret album that I listened to in my bedroom but no one else had ever heard of. 12 million copies later and that secret was out. Maybe 5 stars is too generous but this one brings back good memories for me.

This was surprisingly good. I knew I liked Porcelain but I wasn’t expecting much from the rest, pleasantly surprised.

I loved this when it was first released, and it holds up after more than two decades. My only criticism is that so much of the original material wasn't Moby's - but he does such a great job curating and arranging these songs, and it's still just great fun to listen to - powerful because of the bluesy tracks he chose and vibing because of his clever arrangements. This album along with a few others around the same time (late 90s, early oughts) nudged me towards electronic music, for which I am forever grateful. This was so fun to listen to again. 4/5 - solid, good, but I've always struggled with how much it's "original" work.

Not the album that got me hooked on Moby, but it definitely cemented my enjoyment.

It's fine.. The songs he's sampling often sound more interesting than his own songs. One of these was a set work for our music gcse which kinda ruins it a bit

Interesting pop/ambient/blues mash-up

4* thoroughly enjoyed the album

Yeah it’s pretty good electronic music.Fun.Bit full towards the end with all the instrumentals.

Good album. Alternative and not something that I would have listened to before but Porcelain is a great, well known song. Machete gave me early Prodigy vibes but I would definitely listen again

Great album with very distinctive sounds

Kinda disappointed!

This is just never going to be my style. With that being said, I like Play a little more than the usual fare in this genre because of how heavily Moby leans on blues, gospel, and soul. I'd still rather listen to the original recordings, but that's just a matter of personal preference than a judgment on the album.

Rant: I really hate when Spotify doesn't host the original album or doesn't distinguish between original and extra tracks. Long original listing (63 min) ends at My Weakness. Album opens with Honey which is centered around a blues/roots inspired vocal sample. Mixing lacks any sort of depth and doesn't have much in the way of progression. Find My Baby goes back to a similar well and honestly is nearly indistinguishable. Porcelain is the most immediately recognizable song here, and it steers away from the sonic profile of the first two. This song is rooted around some sterile drum and bass with twinkling keys and an indie-inspired vocal overlay. Not something to get super pumped about, but its a fine enough song. Bodyrock stands out as another track that grabs more attention than the rest. Weird to me that the album goes from Run On (a hokey upbeat roots inspired song) to a pre-trap downbeat instrumental with Down Slow. The latter is one of the better songs on the album but it ill fits against the rest. Moby is clearly a talented dude and that shines through in glimpses throughout this album. The problem is that the runtime is bloated which distracts from what he does well. He pulls on a lot of inspiration, but on many songs it feels like something is missing. I found this most compelling on his more somber and sparse arrangements: Down Slow, If Things Were Perfect, Porcelain. I doubt I'll come back, but am glad I listened for some of the high points. This is a 2 leaning 3 for me. I'll err on the low side because I had a strong urge to switch albums early.

I don’t like Moby, sorry

Simply hated it

I love Moby His performance in 2022 in Katowice (Fest Festival) was one of the best concerts I've ever been to I love his songs But damn, this album is more like a medley or a compilation. The songs haven't got any connection between them whatsoever. I'm here to rate albums, not individual songs

Interesting album. Somehow it manages to be diverse and kind of homogenous at the same time. Songs definetly feel like creation of the same artist/group. It is enjoable but I am not able to say what genre this album represents.

Are you kidding me? I’m listening this album on a everyday basis! Is I could score 10 I’ll score 20!

- I so desperately wanna give this a 5 cuz it's so freaking good - Love all the songs on this, super easy to listen to both deeply and in the background - Bodyrock, Honey - Would be a solid 4.5

- I know it included B-sides but that was tooooo longggg - Really enjoyed some of the songs - Kinda like a better version of Gorillaz -3.5

Mehby

Nicht schlecht, aber irgendwie auch belanglos.

very good album, especially the first half. second half was kinda meh, kinda just waiting for the album to end. Still solid 4 stars

Way better than I anticipated. I think I avoided this for so many years due to the hype it had at the time, plus every advert of the early 2000s had a Moby song. Sort of cheapened it for me. The big songs are obviously bangers, but I think If Things Were Perfect was my highlight. Surprised at how decent the other tracks were on a whole

It's weird that the fact Moby is most well known for being a Buddhist vegan that I assumed his music would reflect this. Turns out he makes Fatboy slim-esque dance music. I think this album is well known for having a large number of songs used in car adverts which explains why I recognise most of it. First half much better than the second, lost its way a bit. Overall I liked it but it felt a bit sanitised, like something an AI would make.

Great stuff, thanks Moby. Naturally recognised loads of the songs.

I've never particularly liked Moby when I was younger but I recognised many more songs than I would have thought. The songs where he mixes Electronic and Blues work really well and I enjoyed a lot of the album. The songs can get quite repetitive and I think some should have been cut down. Overall, really liked it and will definitely listen to it again, so close to 5 stars Highlights: Honey Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad Bodyrock Natural Blues

I forgot Moby existed.... He has gotten a lot of shit over the years, but I think this album is pretty great. Some tracks were surprisingly nostalgic for me. I remember the video for why does my heart feel so bad pretty vividly. Must've struck a chord with my angsty teenage self I would say this generally isn't my thing, but really enjoyed most of it. Didn't enjoy southside, body rock or machete with the higher bpms.... Prefer the more chilled tracks, but there is a good mix here and none of it is overbearing. Highlights: Porcelain Why does my heart feel so bad Natural blues Guitar flute and string Inside Everloving 4.5 if I could, there's a few too many I didn't like to give a 5.

I was expecting a bit of a snooze fest and an album stuck in the 90s/00s. But unlike the man himself, Moby's Play still holds up. Once 'Porcelain' kicks in, the entire sound of the record opens up, and it's easy to just roll with it.

There’s absolutely no cohesion on this schizophrenic Moby album. Starting with the glorious “Porcelain” the album reveals its qualities for a while and I start to think that we just got off on the wrong foot after the horrible opening tracks. But after “Bodyrock” and “Machete” I’m forever lost and just kinda waits for the album to be over. There are glimpses on light shining through the cracks of the tunnel along the way. But Play ends up being quite a long walk.

some great tunes but fuck he's one note aye jesus

As far as electronica goes this is not bad at all. It certainly is not my favorite thing, but this is groovy and chill. The DoppleDeaner really hit it out of the park on this one, or the Fake Moby from HIMYM take your pick, it's the same dude.

Garbage. Those first two songs were unlistenable Picks up a small bit after that. I feel like it’s a mix between 90s/00s UK indie scene and techno. Really not for me . Had to skip through some songs they were that repetitive Favourite song - South Side

Pretty poor offering, starts strong with Honey and Body rock is alright but most of the album is shite

Not bad, but feels like I would enjoy it more if I were high when I listened to it

Who wants a Volvo estate? A Renault Scenic? Maybe a Volkswagen Passat diesel? Shit cars. Shit adverts. Shit music. Shit man. 0/5

There's enough hooks and earworms on this that keep my attention. It does get same-y as it moves along. I don't know that I've ever listened to another Moby album. 4/5.

Ubiquitous and catchy. A little long.

i didn't love this album. i liked it--but most importantly, i found it riveting. the evolution throughout the album progressed from electronica and techno to rather ambient music, including some acoustic songs. the electronica songs could be extremely catchy ("honey"!), and the acoustic tender. the samples that moby used were well and sparingly chosen; they suited his songs and purpose nicely.

As far as electronic ambient albums go, this was better than most I've encountered on this project. It was well-produced and very easy to listen to. Sonically, there was a lot of diversity and variation. This was all just very tight and enjoyable. It goes to show why Moby has stood the test of time in this field unlike some of the other ambient electronic acts that have been featured on this project.

Not bad, but not quite a 4, so let's say 3.5.

Reminded me of the time I had a brief Moby phase.

I've never been much of a fan of Moby, though I've never really given him much of a chance. Now I have, and now I know that I'm still not much of a fan of Moby.

I find it hard to give a true rating for this style of music - while I know it takes skill and talent to make music around samples and create electronic music, the parts that stood out and had depth were the vocals clips he used of other people's music. The rest was very repetitive and fine for background music but didn't make an impact. Also, I think if it had been a shorter album, it would have rated higher for me.

The parts I enjoyed were because they were other songs. There were some good beats but the album was way too long and didn't do it for me.

Parts of this album are cool but the repetition that comes out of this genre just bores me.

when i saw that i was going to listen to a Moby album i assumed it was all going to be techno. it ended up being basically everything but straight up techno. some very very good songs

I can see why it’s the best selling electronic album ever. Really strong first half but the back half was a lot slower and tougher to get thru. Rating: 4.0

favs - natural blues - run on - why does my heart feel so bad?

I enjoyed this album. An excellent mix of energetic, slow, happy and melancholic songs. Definitely more my style.

I'm not sure why, but this album felt like a punishment. 63 minutes is far too long. Mostly watered down and plodding overuse of samples. Porcelain is a fine song, but that's about the only bright spot for me. Whenever I could hear the actual lyrics, I hated them. I'm sure there's an audience for this, but I'm not in it. Eminem tried to warn me, but I set out on this journey with the mission to keep an open mind and to not skip any album no matter how much I thought I would hate it going in, and this is one of those days that I regret making that promise to myself. South Side fucking sucked ass. That was a single? Jesus christ. Also, for the one or two people that may read this review and take umbrage with it: I have no problem with his methods (sampling) or supposed "sell out" status, it's just that I think this is an inoffensive, anodyne piece of crap that is at it's worst facile and at it's best just fuckin' boring. Standouts: Porcelain

Classic. The hits are still great, though some of the more moody tracks go on longer than necessary to get the point across. Nice piece of nostalgia.

I've heard quite a few of these songs over the years. Always very chill music. Some songs can get a bit repetitive but I still enjoy it for the most part.

meh

We have similar situation to RHCP's "Californication" from couple days ago. An album which has few songs that are so great, they've been overplayed into oblivion, and many more tracks that are average at best. I think that the difference between previously mentioned record and "Play" by Moby is that the hits are not as universally loved, or are slowly fading into obscurity, whereas RHCP is still going strong. Maybe that has something to do with Moby's alleged behavior in his personal life? Who's to tell. The fact is that four songs from "Play" are easily on my party playlists: "Natural Blues", "Honey", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" and "Porcelain". This quartet alone deserves highest praises. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is a snoozefest. Few slower songs, couple of bits with mediocre beat, just a whole half of a record full of fillers. I really think in this case 4 is a generous rating.

Enjoyed the familiarity of the first song, not the right vibe for the rest. Let it grow on me.

There's definitely more for me to enjoy on this as an adult. Moby was trying to get away from the more trance dancefloor sound, and had been working with ambient. He's now bringing in blues and guitar sounds to the mix, and there are some great tracks on here. Still not sure if it works great as an overall experience, but ill pay the songs quality. Also, I do love this late 90s electronic sounds. Genres weren't set in stone, and there was so much experimentation.

It's impressive how many different styles Moby can cover on the record, though it is a little long. The variation really helps. Feels kind of like a full DJ set put to record. Favorite tracks: "Bodyrock", "Machete"

There are some magical moments on this album. Moby has an incredible talent for framing his beautiful melodies with tasteful and gorgeous arrangements that gives the melodies and by extension the songs emotional ebbs and flows that draws the audience in. Porcelain, Soutside and Everlasting are the hilights for me. Well done. 4 stars

An almost perfect album but it's too long and there's a few duds near the end, plus unnecessary talking samples

Dette traff meg

Angrer på at jeg ikke har hørt gjennom albumet før, da jeg har hørt (og litkt) noen av sangene enkeltvis. Starter med en del bangers, før det roer litt ned mot slutten. Jeg vet ikke helt nøyaktig hva jeg liker med albumet, men jeg liker det veldig godt! Mange gode samples, enkle men catchy melodier.

It was ok but it never made a real connection for me. And it definitely didn't need to be over an hour long. Next.

Definitely very 2000

Yes. Only yes.

Sooooo great and unique! Good memories and still in vogue

Great album. Feels like it's gospel like in parts. It's an album to close your eyes too and just float about. I would say if I had the ability to fly I would probably listen to this album first. So much nostalgia and I think it's a cracker. Can't help but think of Eminem though when listening to Moby

Great album. Mix of blues, rock and pop. I can't believe I never listened to this album before. The album opened my eyes on his talent.

Blij verrast

6/10. Yeah, this was fine I guess, I don't think I'd want to sit around just listening to it because it's kinda long and boring, but it was nice in the background.

People on this site must have some sort of nostalgic attachment to this album because it’s not very good. 4/10

Surprisingly solid album! Never really listened to Moby but I did know some songs off this already! Honey is a very good song that I have heard before! South Side was a solid one I have not heard before! Great sounds throughout the whole album. Sounds like it should have come out later than ‘99. A timeless album for sure!

When I was a kid there was a commercial that played constantly for one of those CD compilations where they play clips from the songs included - remember those? Well, Porcelain was on there and the little clip they played scared me so much as a kid; I was a weenie, but it was just so haunting and ghostly. That's a memory that's burned into my brain. I really like South Side, though.

Very surprising and entrancing melodies, I liked how different from my typical preferences it is!

I'm ANNOYED I really loved the sound of the music, and the guy's voice, but EVERY SONG WAS JUST THE SAME LINE REPEATED 100 TIMES For several of the songs, I listened to half and then skipped to the next song. I did like Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad, tho. South side gets an honorable mention as well as Natural Blues. I just feel like the beginning of every song had so much potential and then just let me down. 😭 But some songs were too good for me to give this 3 stars so it gets 4

Favorite Song(s): Bodyrock (the guitar!) Super vibe-y album. It would be good to put on at the end of a party, as it gets slower/sadder as the album continues. Def. wouldn't listen to this everyday, but it's cool!

I already knew Flower from the Bring Sally Up/Down push up challenge. I'm happy the other songs weren't as annoying as that one, but dang what a long album (was I supposed to also listen to the B sides?)

A lot of catchy songs that all feel familiar since they sold out so much with this album. It made me feel like I was in one of those classic late 90s/early 2000s movies with Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, etc. Definitely more enjoyable than some of the other techno/electronic we've listened to so far, but also not a fan of how they exploited and didn't credit the vocalists from Alan Lomax's tapes.

I have definitely heard Porcelain sampled in another song (or vice versa), can't wait to forgot completely about this and then hear the song 4 years later, bringing back memories of the first time I listened to Moby. Starts off kinda emo. It has an enjoyable sound to it that reminds me of The Matrix that I can't quite describe. Songs are pretty repetitive The hard switch into Bodyrock was a bit jarring, but it made me pay attention again. Interestingly; the second half of Bodyrock samples a song from Planet Rock: The Album. I did not listen to all of the B-sides, but I enjoyed this album enough. I can hear the influences it had on techno and other electronic music. Probably not going out of my way to listen to this album again, though.

Started off a little slow but definitely picked up nicely a few songs in Has some really nice beats that I recognize from more recent DJs doing remixes Very solid electronic album. I really enjoyed the different types of songs from heavier bass with lyrics to lower songs with just instrumentals

I've only heart Porcelain from the album before but I fucking love that song. Excited to dive in. 8 songs in and I am VIBING. Fell off a bit towards the end but still very solid. Great album I am going to seek out some more Moby. Flowers is also a great B-side that should've been part of the original tracklist.

Not bad album to be honest. Takes me back to listening to it when it released.

Ahead of its time! Very replayable

I had completely forgotten about this album, so good and so many recognisable songs and love the blues samples. Added back to my rotation.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Honey, Find my baby, Porcelain, Why does my heart feel so bad, Bodyrock, Natural blues, If things were perfect

moby, you can get stomped by obie

7/10. weno pero pense q me iba a gustar mas. supongo q no me gto tanto pq era muy monotono. enbola es un 8 pero por ahora no me mata.

4.5

Listened to this before and it got some great songs like Porcelain and Natural Blues. Good electronic music to have on in headphones when out for a walk.

Best

I never really gave Moby a chance. This album is so damn good.

A really good album.