Play

Enjoyed it. Good background music, nothing extremely mind blowing but production quality was definitely there.

liked a lot on it, but still not mind blowing

You know what? I always kind of liked this. Not as much as my sibling, who owned it. But it's fun!

Boring. I didn't like it in the 90s and don't like it now.

Don't care about Moby the way I once did, but I remember this being a huge deal when it came out. Almost the entire first half of this hour-plus album is songs that were absolutely unavoidable for several years. Adventurous and creative and so evocative of a formative time in my life and of the period when electronica got more song-oriented. But also overlong and gets much less remarkable in its back half.

Really good album, music can be kinda "boring" but overall great vibes.

Perfect balance of catchy and atmospheric! South Side was probably the first trip hop song I really liked years ago and the rest of the album 100% holds up.

I can’t believe this wasn’t already on my rotation I loved this! I need a CD immediately (it’s probably three disks lol this is a long ass album)

Everything terrible about electronica in one album

I didn’t know a single song, but they all were bangers. No regrets

Better than expected

You know, this album surprisingly holds up. I remember owning it as a kid, and I was thinking it wasn't going to be the same, but turns out making techno songs using blues samples does work. Favorite Track: Honey

Pretty cool that Moby did all the music by himself. Kind of a long album but nice to hear the different sounds and songs.

I wasn’t expecting much from this album. Boy was I surprised- pleasantly. Looks like he was at the forefront with G.Live, Citizen Cope, Cake. Really enjoyed the album & got a copy of the complete album version!!

7.5/10

An album that defines the phrase "I swear I heard this one in an advert somewhere..." And honestly 25 years or so later, the singles have especially held up. Unfortunately, the deep cuts are not as strong.

Good. 4/5

Rocker ulet!!

I was surprised at how many of the songs I recognized - I suspect mainly from TV soundtracks! I enjoyed the musical arrangements for the most part, but the vocals/lyrics were too repetitive for my taste. Didn't finish the album.

Loved this album when it first came out. Catchy and very danceable. Not as endearing when listening to it 27 years later. So 5 or 3 stars - averaging out at 4. Top track - porcelain

Sweet, let's sample some blues music and loop that with a dance beat.

An album that has been ground into our consciousness by licensing all the tracks to all manner of films, TV shows, adverts. I don't mind it, certainly takes me back to a certain point in time.

Le doy 4 leones 🦁 buenísimo para trabajar

es muy instrumental lo cual puede ser aburrido pero hay buenos temas

well. hey, did you guys know Moby is vegan?

Always a fan of this album. Probably the only thing I've heard from Moby. I think I remember a youtube compilation of the X files episodes where Mulder talks about her sister, with "My Weakness" playing in the background, it was so perfect. Lots of different sounds, funky stuff like in Honey, rock in Bodyrock, it feels like there's a song for each person and each moment.

Nothing is bad but after a minutes each song drags on

This was not my favorite listen. Techo and electric just aren’t my thing, sorry. There were some songs I enjoyed though.

I get it, but sounded like a lot of background music

No tiene nada relevante realmente

Un álbum que me llamó la atención escuchar. Sonidos electrónicos, ambient y pop. Muchos samples. Porcelain es el tema más escuchado del álbum, lo conocía de escucharlo en la radio pero no sabia que era de Moby. Grata sorpresa. Otro tema conocido para mi es Natural Blues. Disfrute bastante de la escucha de estos dos temas. Es un álbum bastante ambient. Para ponerlo de fondo y no prestarle demasiada atención, cumple.

I think this album is okay background noise.

Unforgettable tunes on this album. I love the echoey reverbed samples, combined with slow broken-beats. Reminiscent of sensuality and hedonism in the dance.

Wow - I am so surprised this album is on this list. I had the Porcelain single when I was a teenager, but has always felt a bit embarrassed about it. It was fun to actually give the album a fair chance, and I will say it was overall pretty pleasant. Songs like Porcelain, Natural Blues and Down Slow where actually pretty good and bring up the overall rating. Unfortunately there were a few clunkers and Machete was especially awful. A strong 2.

I remember Moby from random songs, so will be curious what an entire album sounds like. This is a vibe in a good way. Electronic dance pop music with soulful elements. Really interesting. Some of it has more of a positive sound and some of it is slower. Definitely like songs like Natural Blues. That’s really good. Some of it is also slower and ambient and doesn’t work as well for me. This is really interesting. A little long I’ll say it’s a 3. At times it feels transcendent and brilliant then it sometimes drags on and something comes on that doesn’t work as well. This deserves a spot on this list. Not sure it’s all for me, but some of it is really good and it’s certainly original.

Interesting

liked the vibe would dig similar albums

it's actually better than I thought it would be, but that's not saying much... It's passable background music, but doubtful I'll relisten. Nothing to really say, just not for me.

I'm usually not a big fan of this genre of music, but I actually found this one okay. There were a few that kind of just slipped to the back of my mind and I lost concentration, but I actually think that is a good thing with some music, it shows you can just sit with it and not have to pay attention to anything. Some of these would be really good background music to listen to. Saying this, I did actually have two or three tracks that I found really enjoyable. I love the versatility of the tracks, and the vocals used in some of the songs were perfect. It's just one of those genres I won't really catch myself wanting to listen to. I also have to admit, 'My Weakness' as the album closer is the perfect choice; it is beautifully written and works well to close everything off. It shows such a high contrast from the way the album begins. Favourites: Honey Natural Blues Find My Baby My Weakness

It's bland and repetitive and listening to it felt like being locked in an unfurnished room for an hour with only junk mail to read

It's alright I guess

A solid album - a good listen throughout

The front half of the album contains the hits, but overall this is a very chill hour. Scores higher for listening by the pool in the sun

Sorry I hate it

I didn't expect this album to be that good.

There were some really good tracks in the beginning, Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? to name a few. Towards tehe mid-end part of the album I felt the album slowed down a bit and I ended up liking it a lot less. Was about to drop the rating to 3 because of that after the strong start, but the last song was a beautiful movie like track and it bumped it back to 4 for me.

Had heard a lot of this before, obviously a lot of it has been used for adverts and whatnot over the years. Never been the type of music I'd choose to listen to though. 2 tracks in I thought I was going to absolutely hate it, mostly because the first 2 tracks were both extremely short samples played on a loop for the duration. However, there were definitely some highlights that redeemed it. "Porcelain" in particular is genuinely just a really nice listen, it's extremely atmospheric, and it's not overly repetitive. I've seen some reviews claiming that only the Blues style tracks are any good, but I think there's plenty of others that hold up too, though I'm definitely just a sucker for piano so pretty much any of the tracks with piano won me over (e.g. "Rushing" and "Everloving", as well as obviously "Porcelain"). The weaker tracks for me were the ones like "If Things Were Perfect" and "The Sky Is Broken". They're just dull. Decent background, definitely got me into a bit of a zone, and most of the bits I actually focused on held up. Definitely a bit repetitive in places, but nowhere near to the extent I thought it was going to be after the first couple of tracks. Low 4.

There's a good amount of variety in here. Ultimately I don't think any song is all that impressive but I would say I enjoyed more songs than I got bored by. I recognised some songs here and there but they must have been massively stripped back to the best bits or something when I heard them initially because they feel so unremarkable here. Low 3

Muy bueno

sf with leo and max chinatown

Pretty good electronic album. A few great songs and many that you recognise from this album’s huge commercial footprint. Perhaps bit long as many songs go on too long due to their repetitiveness.

Очень интересно и необычно

4.5

I used to like it, but now it feels like an idea that’s dragged past its acceptance.

Een paar innovatieve stukjes, maar voor de rest gewoon 5 seconden die telkens op loop zitten. Vergeetachtig

I have tried very hard in this 1001 conquest to remain open-minded and rate albums for their musicality and quality - even if the genre is not my favorite. But this no-talent ass clown repeats the same annoying lyrics sample over and over and over for every one of his tracks and it absolutely drove me mad. This is my first album to be rated a 1/5. To be fair, about half of the beats were acceptable and even catchy at times, but even the beats never really grew or transitioned or blossomed throughout the songs. If there were a 0/5 I would still rate this a 1/5 for the ability to at least form a simple beat. I will most certainly skip any and all future Moby albums that come up from this website. It is cyclical, repetitive, and masturbatory.

No chance, I lived through the time when this was EVERYWHERE. I'm not listening to it.

A little long and repetitive, but good

The tracks are well composed but it’s hard not to cringe at another white dude making a fortune of unheralded Black musicians.

I love electronic music and this album is a very important landmark in the genre. The diversity is amazing; whatever genre Moby does it turns out great. There is bangers but also slower, more entrancing tracks, the record has so much to offer for different moods. It's a bit long but never really boring snd flows together surprisingly well.

Feels retro and dreamy

Me dio poco, no me disgustó. Buenos hits

machete

Temazo tras temazo

This is about where I became aware of Moby. I had heard the name before but this was about when Moby broke in the US for those not plugged into new dance\EDM circles. Still a fun listen for the first half of the album. If Things Were Perfect set off my alarms, I had issues listening to it all the way through. Inside is overly repetitive and sleep inducing, which might be just what someone else is looking for.

Bald people piss me of

I was unaware that I am a big Moby fan. Also this is the platonic ideal of early 2000s skater music. 5 / 5

Despite how loony Moby has become over the past few years, his music has always been some of my favorite. This is probably my favorite album of his. So many great tunes, especially in the first 11 tracks. After that, it's still good, but the album loses a lot of steam... opting for more slow and ambient tracks. Still good, but after the propulsive first half of the album, it's a bit of a letdown.

*1999. *I only knew a few songs (South Side, Natural Blues, and Porcelain) even though these were my formative music years. *I like this a lot. All the songs are chill, but it's a great variety of tunes. There are only a few misses. *I prefer the ones where Moby isn't singing though. RATING - 7.5/10

I don't think I've ever even heard of this artist before? Let alone heard one of their songs? I mean, maybe in a movie or commercial or something, and I just never realized, but we'll see. I have no expectations for this album. 1. Honey - I'm annoyed after the 3rd repetition of this refrain, holy fuck. This feels awful to my brain, like sandpaper to my skull the way NOTHING is really changing. It's just the same thing over and over again. AHHHH. I have to skip this halfway through, I don't have the patience for this. And i have the patience for my 2yr old niece singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on repeat for 20 minutes. 2. Find My Baby - WHY IS IT JUST SAYING THE SAME THIGN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I"M GOING TO JUMP. Also, what an uninteresting beat. Skipping halfway through again 3. Porcelain - Okay, this one is more okay/interesting. I don't love or even like, but it's fine. The repetition in the background between different verses is a good mix instead of just repetitiveness 4. Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad? - So, I'm vibing with the production of this one, but once again the repetition of the lyrics is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Like, it genuinely physically hurts me. This one is more tolerable than the first two tho. It actually changes it up a little. I didn't have to skip this one cause it's actually okay. 5. South Side - I'm really not vibing with his voice like this lol. I like the guitars coming in on the chorus. Okie dokie besties, I think I have to quit this album here. I'm REALLY not vibing with this I've not had a 1 star in a while. This might be one? Maybe there's gems hidden just a little further down the tracklist? I just...I don't have the mental energy to put up with this album for now. I'm sorry. Bodyrock just *okay*, I got to there, but honestly...yeah this isn't for me. It's funny cause I've been vibing heavy with electronic music lately, Porter Robinson, Ninajirachi (I LOVE HER STUFF SO MUCH), Madeon, Underscores, etc. and I grew up in the Dubstep/Avicii Era. This kind tho, idk what it is or whatever, this style does not vibe with my brain at all. God, that felt like a chore

This album holds a special place in my heart Fave track: Porcelain

There are no words that can describe the mix of feelings I had when tracks like Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad played. This is an album that was an absolute staple of the car trip rotation and so it will always be an album that stays with me. 4/5

Brilliant

This is the first album since the David Gray album that I was excited for it to be finished. This is just so extraordinarily boring. Moving on.

it got me moving i can say that much. a mixture of electronica, dj and indie. not very thoughtful lyricism but it was well composed, didnt feel awkward at all. can round it to 3

Com a descrição do álbum fiquei muito interessada mas ouvindo me decepcionei um pouco, não é ruim mas tbm não é extraordinário.

Like the blues aspect of some of the songs.

Pretty cool! Fatboy Slim meets Portishead? Moby is in the news right now for saying some shit, probably to stir up interest for a tour or smth.

Ok I could definitely go to a 90s club like this

some incredible highpoints and no real low points but outside of the standout tracks I wouldn't be coming back to it. Would give 3.5 if I could

I didn't know Moby was that much EDM. Good album.

I mean it’s good but I can’t do two and a half hours of this shit, this gets one to two songs on a playlist

Interesting album with some awesome arrangements and vocalizations.

The blues/roots mixed with Electronica is unique, multiple songs are 10 second segments repeated with different backgrounds and feels to me repetitive

Mobis

Solid album. Enjoyed the beats throughout and liked the uniqueness. Slightly long but overall enjoyed it.

I didn’t hate it, but most of the tracks outstayed their welcome. He introduces a sample, does some pretty cool layering and atmosphere around it for a *little bit* too long, then moves on. A little concision would have boosted the score.

Eclectic and and easy listen, lots of good hooks

Enjoyed the first half far more than the last. Wish the production value/quality were better. Most of the latter-half songs sounds like pre-recorded cheap keyboard settings.

para mi este disco es como mi ruido blanco. no se si eso lo haga un buen o mal disco, pero por lo menos, yo lo seguiré repitiendo una y otra vez

Loved this since i was a kid. Porcelain is one of my favorite songs and imo one of the BEST songs. The soul samples and string arrangements still go really hard. GIVE THAT GUY HIS CDS.

Not quite my style, Porcelain is really nice though.

9/10 Lo tengo.

Just kinda alright I wanted to love this album but it kinda went in one ear and out the other Some cool songs though

Lidt udmattende at komme igennem de fleste af sangene, da det er meget gentagende. "Porcelain" - kæmpe bangerz! Det klæder albummet at få en faktisk vokal på (der ikke bare er den samme sætning/ord, der gentages). God energi på "Machete"! "Everloving" - nærmest serenadisk instrumental!

Very Mid

this is so okay. this is the most neutral music of all time

enjoyed, added to my playlist.

Im not gonna shit on the album, it's good music. But is it a must listen before you die? I'm not sure. I'm not too experienced in electronic music and I can see how this did well commercially- it's a relatively easier listen for people not versed in the genre. That being said, I've listened to electro that had me far more engaged than I was at any point in this listen... and I listened in the studio. Find my Baby and Sunspot were the only tracks that made me look for the name. Everything else felt overly sync. For that reason I probably wouldn't go back to any individual track, but I'm not ruling out a second, maybe third listen to see if I can warm up to it. only 5/5 is the album cover, shits hard as fuck #baldpride

Some excellent tunes others average. Mixed

This was one of my favourite albums as a young kid. Opened me up to a whole new genre

Overall enjoyable listen, super unique sonically, reminds me a lot of The Avalanches on some songs. Definitely want to revisit and dive deeper into this album.

Seminal, bit fan

Vet ikke helt, forventet kanskje litt mer. Ikke noe som skilte seg veldig ut. Porcelain er en fin låt da. Svak 3.

et album jeg har likt veldig godt tidligere, og som jeg fortsatt synes er godt.

姫神を聞いてるみたいだった

10/10 - has so many bangers and hits, I'm seeing some complaints that the songs were overused on ads and the like but why is that a bad thing? Weird thing to complain about... Beats another generic 70s rock album on this list for sure

Would have been a five if the album went a bit shorter.

Moby. Nein, keine Fahrstuhlmusik.

Disjointed and not enjoyable 1 star

Less good than I remembered it being. A few highlight tracks but probably not an all-timer for me at this point.

The only songs I’d want to listen to again were the songs I already knew.

I LOVE this album. Let out an audible gasp when it came up

This was the first album I ripped from a CD myself. Got it from the library and made some atrociously low quality mp3 files. Many years later and it still sounds great. Even more so with a decent quality copy.

Lo mismo que Fatboy Slim. Creo que lo bueno de este tipo de álbumes, no son las canciones dentro. El valor cae en los samples que otros artistas hacen usando de base estas canciones. Es la única forma en la que le puedo encontrar valor a algo así.

Great album.

Very eclectic "vocals". Beautiful piano. Seems almost like church choir vocals at times. A lot of seemingly Christian lyrics about sinners. Lovely ethereal vocals. Sweeping synths and reverb. Feels like an album meant to make you cry, then point at you crying and laugh at how you're emotionally distraught. Machete jacks up the pace and almost seems like an 80s/90s German technology track, or some more modern EDM

Det var ikke helt ringe. Kunne sagtens sætte den anlægget engang fra tid til anden.

Moby Dick isch scho en wegwiisende künstler. Einigi Lieder grandios, im durchschnitt aber denn doch einigi tracks woni nöd wird vermisse ih mim lebe

Scho es krasses album. Aber bin leider oft nöd in stimmig für das, darum nur 3 puntitos

Couple iconic tunes on here. Definitely dated but groundbreaking at the time.

3.0 - Ok

At its best, very moody and textured. At its worst, completely inoffensive. Blues-inspired electronica that refuses to be ambient, though wouldn't be out of place in the background. Of anywhere. Especially car ads.

Probably would've ate this stuff up closer to when it came out but feels a bit dated to me now

edm scares me but this was surprisingly pleasant

love Everloving!! interesting variety of songs

Not my thing

Copy of previous non group review: "Not sure how I missed this during my university days. Decent music, but I guess I am missing the nostalgia factors others have."

It's fine. Memory Gospel, a B-side, clears everything that did make it on the album by a country mile, except for maybe My Weakness.

This is an excellent album. Some all time classic tracks

Tf bro 😭

muy buena electronica

Favourite Songs: South Side Bodyrock

How boring do you want your music to be? Moby: yes! Although the 18 tracks on “Play” all sound the same, he manages to make each one sound even more boring than the others. From a music history perspective, I understand that this minimalism was somehow necessary in the late 90s. In the right club, a looped beat with a few chords and sparse melodies might work after midnight. But why press it onto vinyl? Admittedly, “Natural Blues” and “Porcelain” do contain a few catchy ideas. Overall, however, there is simply too little substance for a music album. I didn't like it when it came out, and I still don't like it now.

Great and the beginning through the middle, but significant falloff.

The original lo-fi beats

Was ready to give this a five as each song just really hit, then there was like 9 of the snooziest, uninteresting chill songs I’ve heard…then another like 10 all-time chills songs. I listened to the whole 2+hr thing & out of 20+ songs only not vibing with 9 is really good!) Plus I listened to the songs I liked twice so that’s like three hours of Moby. Glad to have these in my life now, didn’t know what I was missing.

Not every song was great but there’s nothing wrong with a little bald boy techno. There is something wrong with the only version available being the 2 hour version with b-sides. Streaming has really killed albums.

I wanted to slag this off but then I realised I might need to give the Pet Shop Boys a decent review at some point so I relented.

A lot of this was kinda boring, but moby is weird and I dig weird. Also, porcelain is a banger.

I really enjoyed this: Standout tracks: - Bodyrock (4/5) - Machete (wow - 5/5) - Inside (4/5)

*68 Velproduceret og vellydende dog til tider repetitivt, kedeligt, Zzzzz og lidt for letfordøjeligt. Højdepunkter: Bodyrock, Machete.

Rigtig gode numre indimellem, men jeg kedede mig også lidt

En klassiker, men det er som om, at det trækker ned for mig, at stort set alle sangene er blevet licenseret ud til så mange film og reklamer, at når de høres i én sammenhængende plade, så føles det som at sidde foran sit gamle billedrørs-TV 2.6.

My biggest criticism of this album is that the a lot of the tracks are extremely repetitive as he uses a lot of loops in his music. Some of them are better than others, but it gets boring and repetitive. I have always liked the track South Side, though, and it still holds up for me today.

A fun ride surfing the tidal energy's ebb and flow from track to track

Ну типа навеяло воспоминания из детства, но что-то какое-то меее

Рай миллениала. Культово, знаково, эпохально. Реклама бон аквы форева. Да, у Моби во всех альбомах достаточно много филлеров (да, я все проверил), но зато с каждого плейлист может пополниться отборной годнотой. Ну а в этом альбоме эти отборные треки поистине легендарны. Если выбирать между альбомом с несколькими великими хитами и филлерами и альбомом с ровным качественным наполнением без просадок и выдающихся треков, то я выбираю первый вариант, все еще ловя мурашки от ангельского сэмпла в Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, улетая под Porcelain быстрее чем А-студио, Савичева и Ленни Кравиц, сочувствуя проблемам чернокожих работников плантации в Natural Blues и безуспешно пытаясь не танцевать под Honey и Bodyrock. Это великий музыкант на своем пике, и невозможно это не отметить. Переслушивая альбом, я тоже было подумал, не снизить ли оценку из-за всех этих средних треков, но в итоге в еще парочке композиций расслушал что-то новое и интересное и добавил себе, поэтому все же

Тест на раннего миллениала пройден. Идеальная музыка для генеральной уборки. Бенгер за бенгером.

Одно из мест силы ранних миллениалов. Убрать несколько основных хитов и получится действенное снотворное.

Лучшая: Bodyrock Худшая: Run On Пара филлеров утомила, а так - топ

еще до прослушивания думал 5 поставить, но после прослушивания оказалось, что там много проходных лично для меня композиций, и все равно ниже 4.5 рука не поднимется поставить

Так и вижу, как треки из этого альбома записывают на диск под названием «Relax mix” в тачку. Возможно, сформировали вкус целого поколения, так как появлялись не только и не столько в музыкальных чартах, а на условных Зайцев.нет как «музыка из рекламы такой-то». Ну и даже Шамиль Малкандуев не прошел мимо и спер музыкальную линию

Ахуенно захуярил клюквенный морс под этот альбомчик. Всем не болеть ✌️

Ok, not good or bad. Fast moving music

Interesting discovery. It works well as background music or for sampling in other songs. On its own, though, I find it lacks a certain “something” to make it truly memorable.

This is the kind of album that reminds us why djs probably shouldn’t have full albums. There are a couple of great songs here, but the majority are repetitive and uninteresting.

Está bueno? Sí. Fue hit e importante para la época? Sí. Es muy largo y al final te termina embolando? También. 6/10

Pas mal de beat répétitifs simplistes, j’me suis senti dans un club des années 90. Ça s’écoute quand même bien en faisant la route, ça amène un beau vibe. J’ai pas écouté toutes les chansons au complet par contre, je me suis tannée. Mes prefs: natural blues, my weakness, porcelain

J'avais peur de l'album parce qu'on me l'avait présenté comme électro. Finalement c'était vraiment pas si pire, j'ai même pas mal apprécié jusqu'à Machete. Je pense réécouter prochainement, donc quand même une découverte au final. Je vibais solidement en étudiant au début, après ça j'ai plus ou moins détesté et c'est redevenu plus à mon goût vers pa fin. What a rollercoaster 🎢 Chanson préférée : Porcelain Mentions honorables : The Sky is Broken. Very ASMR-like. Je sais pas si je suis dégoûté ou turned on, we'll leave it at that. ET Flower (techniquement hors album) qui m'a legit jumpscared et mis en mode fight or flight parce que je l'associe au défi de push-ups "Bring Sally up". Maintenant je sais d'où ça vient, merci Moby.

je me demandais pourquoi le nom Moby me disait de quoi pis en écoutant j’ai réalisé que j’ai shazam ‘Natural Blues’ l’autre fois en regardant le chef-d’œuvre Freddy Got Fingered (2001) chanson préférée : Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

Starts dragging towards the end.

Even if this is Moby selling out, we’re all better for it

Mostly inoffensive. South Side save from being a 2

I was quietly pleased to see this pop up until I remembered a podcast I listened to a few years ago (can’t for the life of me remember the name of it!!) with some guy basically saying he lent Moby this tape of old songs and he then used that tape to sample for this album which ofc blew up and made him huge. No thanks to this guy. And worse yet no thanks to the countless black artists whose samples he took. To add insult to injury I expected the album would be no skips but frankly it was 80% filler. White men continue to disappoint.

The mixing is superb! ‘Porcelian, ‘7’, ‘Run On’ ‘Everloving’ and ‘If things were perfect’ are great electronica tracks. The use of sampling and beats (?) were quite good. The ‘give me summer’ refrain in ‘If things were perfect’, juxtaposed to the looping backing track and spoken word, is very interesting and hypnotic to listen to. This album encapsulates what I think of when I image one the late 90’s minimalism and early 2000s futurism/ soft club aesthetic. And how those colour, design and sound signifiers morphed at the turn of the century. The sage greens, rust oranges and neutral tones like beige, tawny brown, cream, navy and black. Rating: 4.2 /5 GEMV (05.03.2026)

Stomped by Obie.

A lot of it just kinda sounds like impressions or almost soundscapes. Obviously the 10s tracks do, but even the longer ones. I don't feel like they really take me anywhere or change at all the way a normal song would. Generally boring and dated, but I do see the influence of it, and I guess it isn't bad. Obviously South Side is a banger.

Pretty much all bangers. There's a reason this dude's music was everywhere in the early 00s.

Trip-hop/electronica for people who don't really listen to it. I enjoyed a lot of the songs, particularly in thefirst half of the album, but as it drags on you start to notice a lack of complexity with a lot of the songs - Moby will find one interesting riff of sample and then just play it out for the rest of the song, resulting in the album losing a lot of its dynamicism that songs like Honey and Porcelain gave. I'll still listen, but probably to individual tracks rather than a full project.

this project just makes u realize that everyone else is just copying these guys' homework

This was amazing. A few less than amazing songs on there, but wow, I can't believe I hadn't listened to this one fully before. Love Moby

Not bad, really brought me in at the end

It's ok

I like two songs of the eighteen which is too low of a percentage for a decent album rating. 2 stars or D+.

i don’t remember some of the songs but i do remember enjoying it

It's a bit dated now, and very formulaic, but it still makes a great listen. Porcelain is a long-time favourite of mine, and a little bit different to most on the album. This is still a really good record and would definitely be an option for a long car journey.

It's not bad, but it's just soulless and bland

I like the instrumental songs like rushing pretty fire 2.5/5

Not horrible not great

absolutely not for me

Very nostalgic, chock full of hits. An enjoyable listen.

I could definitely see this being a soundtrack to a film. Really cool songs. I would definitely throw this on in the background on vinyl or something while I clean my house or do whatever. Very cool though not my usual for daily drive listening.

Album Review 081 Play by Moby (1999) Rating 2.5/5 Coffee table music. It is formulaic but the formula does work in it’s own sterile way: take a sample of an old vocal to give the feeling that the track will have some soul, lay it over some ProTools loops and repeat - eighteen times! - then licence the lot for use in adverts. Everyone had a copy of play when it came out but it’s an album that feels so artificial and doesn’t have any warmth or give anything that I feel the need to re-listen to.

I went into this thinking it'd be something like the albums from Fatboy Slim or The Chemical Brothers - I was happy that was not the case. This wasn't Matrix-y sounding music throughout (only popped up a couple times). It seems like he tried giving depth to his music, which I appreciated.

Electronica isn't really my thing, but this was better than some other electronica stuff I've listened to.

Good then. Great now

it was good, i don't have anything else to say

Really enjoyed this Bowie album I’ve never heard! Time is great… an overall excellent vibe.

Some true classics of house on this album, mixed in with some really boring songs. Bit of a rollercoaster but it was mostly enjoyable.

Wow

Great album, every other track was a

It was great to revisit this album with a fresh perspective and listening experience. Love the singles that blend old blues singing with electronic beats and sounds, mixed in so well, then the second half of the record in an introspective manner. You feel full and contemplative with ambient sounds that bring the record to a soft end. So so good.

i think i listened to half and while it was enjoyable i think i got the gist. it was fun.

2.5hrs is crazy work. 2-3 acceptable songs but some were downright annoying. Hard to rate, 3.5?/10

Definitely a cool track or two on here, but it's not something I would ever listen to again. Just not for me.

Very solid album electro pop and blues upbeat with introspective lyrics. Very enjoyable.

This is fine. It’s super bland and the sort of thing I would not hate if forced to listen to it in a waiting room for a doctors office or something, but never would I choose this to entertain me.

Is it talent? Absolutely Is it musicianship? Yep Is it enjoyable to listen to. Sure Then why does it at times feel fraudulent? I don’t know- plus I think Moby may be a POS- possibly.

I enjoyed each song for maybe a minute, but it then repeats the same thing for 2-3 more minutes. It got so repetitive by the end. It wasn’t terrible by any means but I really wanted it to end for most of it. South side was a good song though.

Not bad just not my thing.

Solid

Did not like this

The album has a couple of well known bangers, but all in all it felt a bit subdued? Monotonous maybe. It didn’t live up to its reputation

I played it in the car, obviously I know all the tracks as it was played to death back in the day, so I give 3 stars. My family love it though so I’ll give it 4 as it really made them happy. I’d not be bothered if I never hear it again honestly.

Tous ses tubes

Great but not even my second favorite Moby album…

Too long, kinda okay.

Could have been a four but the first half was cool then it kind of went on for too long. 6/10

Really repetitive and kinda forgettable. Has a few good songs tho.

The album is peak late 90s and early 2000s pop music, the first half of the album has a more sample-based 90s boombap, and the second half of the album has a more contemporary vibe to it

Esta muy bien.

Favorite Track: Machete

Feel like this was the predecessor for so much shit music in the 2010's... and maybe some good as well

I think I'm going to give this one 4 stars. I like it.

Futurista para la época. Me gustó bastante.

No es para mí.

One of the better electronic/dance albums I've heard as of late but on the whole, still just a three for me.

I really liked the album. It redefined a whole era.

kind of a classic for the era. Not my favorite but it's definitely something I don't mind having on in the background.

No es un disco que encaje con lo que suelo escuchar; de hecho, algunos ritmos me resultan repetitivos y el estilo de ambient que propone no llega a atraparme. Muchas canciones serían un skip directo para mí. Sin embargo, debo admitir que la segunda mitad del álbum sube bastante el nivel. Natural Blues y 7 son, sin duda, las canciones que más me han convencido dentro de un repertorio que me genera sensaciones encontradas

Pretty dope

Llevaba mucho tiempo queriendo escuchar ‘Play’ de Moby y por fin le he dado la escucha. Quizá se me hizo un pelín largo, pero definitivamente tiene canciones que, sin saberlo, formaron parte de la banda sonora de nuestra vida

Su mente ❤️‍🔥💞💘💖

groovy

It was good. Not my taste but I did enjoy listening to it.

wow had not heard this album before, just some of its songs. way better than i was expecting.

One of my favorite albums to listen to while skiing the pow🎿

An old standard. Very good.

Torn on this one. I think I loved it back in the 90s, but am so tired of the songs now. Talking with Brian K about it gave it another star for me.

Some of this I liked, some of this just felt stuck on a loop

Very well produced but just not my jam

Best album of the 1999 and best album in moby's discography

Blues meets electronic

Took me the whole weekend to listen to its entirety. Meaning I had a really great weekend.

I enjoyed it and know it is one of the best-selling electronic albums.

Abso fucking lutely genius!

Loved this album before listening to it because of the hits. Went in with a mentality of 4/5 but felt the last half of the album really slowed down a bit. High 3!

Dance crossover album in Fatboy Slim vein, very popular in early 2000’s

Better than Coldplay

I have two different reasons why I find this album to be nostalgic: On one hand, my father was the person who introduced me to this record when I was a kid. As many other people, he witnessed the boom this album made when it was released and he even bought it on iTunes. Remembering playing the first fourth songs repeatedly in his red iPod is a warm sensation. On the other hand, a more darker memory. Back when I was a child I had a dark period when I lived afraid of everything, as a result of the exposure to the Internet. I can clearly recall watching a particular Youtuber talking about obscure films like "Salo" or "A Serbian Movie" with some other terrible incidents or any type of shocking media. Fortunately, I can say that I've never being in direct contact with these traumatic experiences, but with the combination of the guy being a great narrator and me being a very impressionable kid, it was a recipe for disaster. What has to do anything of this with Moby? In one occasion, I remember hearing the song "Natural Blues", and somehow I associated this very uncomfortable feeling to this song. Luckily, I am now relieved from this burden and I can appreciate finally appreciate it. Either way, I should talk about the album, which is a great Downtempo record with some very beautiful and atmospheric moments that is mainly based on sampling US roots music. The record starts incredibly strong, with the two very fun and lively "Honey" and "Find My Baby". Then comes "Porcelain", the biggest track of the album, an incredibly beautiful and ethereal cut thanks to the wonderful samples and piano. Coming afterwards is also on of the biggest moments, "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?", a very very sad, melancholic and emotional tune with its very mellow voice performance. However, the sadness doesn't last long as "South Side" is a silly and happy sounding song. Maybe not the most memorable one, but it is fun to listen to. Following is "Rushing", which brings the mood down again thanks to its slow pace accompanied with beautiful and atmospheric beats and piano. But once again, "Bodyrock" returns the energy with its upbeat vocals and rock guitars. Then there is "Natural Blues, another pretty moment with a very upbeat sounding piano. I also find funny that a particular sample used in here sounds to me like SpongeBob's laughing. Next is "Machete" the most Big Beat influenced moment of the album that also incorporates some smooth vocals to bring its own personality, even though they get progressively more energetic and end up with some shouts. After the weird interlude "7" comes "Run On" a very cute and happy song. From this point and moving forwards, the album consists only on very minimalist and more ambient directed songs. It may not have the strongest or most memorable material, but there is undoubtedly some very beautiful moments, like the very beautiful "Everloving", the incredibly immersive "Inside" and the melancholic "My Weakness". In general, this is an incredibly pleasant experience with a great range of emotions. I'm also glad that this list made me do a review of this album.

This was better than I thought it would be. Perhaps just more tolerable? So while I still agree with Eminem, I see the draw of this album if you like the genre.

Good

I thought this album was awesome. So many beautiful songs. Catchy, pretty, danceable. It really ran the gamut. Highly recommend.

Haunting, evocative album. Classic.

Who says techno's dead?

I guess ok. Some good ones then it somehow turned to one song. Like a DJ set. 3.3

Godt elektronisk

Very inconsistent. Didn't hate every song.

Positives: What a unique album this was! Play contains an ambitious variety of real/electronic instruments that help to keep the genre-spanning list of songs interesting, despite the length of the album. There are a lot of enjoyable moments throughout, and overall this record was an impressive listening experience, with songs ranging from ambient electronic to dance to hip-hop beats. The percussion tracks are mixed very nicely, and lend themselves to nodding/dancing along. When listening with good headphones to appreciate the top-notch production quality and layered intricacies, it becomes clear that Moby wanted the audience to FEEL this album as more of an auditory experience, instead of simply being played through a cheap speaker. Negatives: I did feel that some samples were occasionally overused to the point of becoming either stale or annoying, and some tracks such as "The Sky is Broken" and "Whispering Wind" were cringeworthy for me to listen to. There were also a fair share of songs that were simply "mid" to me. Weird fact: This guy is clearly a talented musical mind, but apparently he also lied about dating Natalie Portman, even though there was a big age gap between them? He also lied about her age when they were supposedly dating. They had only ever hung out platonically, and she was 18, not 20 like he claimed, so that's weird. Overall: I definitely appreciate what this album had to offer, and it's inclusion in this list is certainly justified. However, I don't see myself ever listening to it again. 3.5/5

Dnf this pissed me off too much Why tf is a dj on here and in what world is this a cohesive album

Look, I’ll be honest. I didn’t finish this album. I’m not the Universe’s strongest soldier. I promise I’ll listen to the rest of them in their entirety. This is background noise. That’s all it is. Sorry if anyone else feels a different way.

boring and repetitive.

The loops are a bit repetitive at times but I don’t mind this.

Loved this album when it came out, as did most people - a real genre cross over which seemed to hit the mark commercially. Quite surprising now playing it back.

literally entertained through two flights, suprisingly pretty fucking sick w it

Definitely has some classics on here, but not an album I would revisit again in its entirety. Solid background music for sure. No disrespect. 3.5/5

Love this one. A 4 or 5.

Yep, still slaps.

favs: down slow everloving flower arp rating 1/5

Superb. A go-to for bad-times recovery and re-alignment. Play is near perfection for getting me back to earth/sky. 5 aligned stars.

I never really got in to Moby. I was more a Chemical Brothers / Leftfield fan, and while it's true they were all contemporaries of each other, Moby just didn't register on my radar at the time. So this album was something new for me. If I'm being entirely honest, it's not catching me all that much. It's very listenable, but more something I'd have on in the background while doing other stuff than something I'd stop and listen to. If you're out clubbing then it's definitely got the right feel for the late 90's club scene, but for me it's not all that special. Three and half stars is the best I can scrape up for this one.

Did not expect to like this one as much as I did. Very clever sampling and I loved the use of classic instruments. Lots of hits and very few stinkers. I am impressed Mr Moby. 7/10

Back-to-back trip hop/downtempo-album. Elektroniske låter med en masse retro samples. Noen spor minner om en tidlig variant av EDM-musikken, mens andre er skikkelig “nedpå-bakken” instrumentaler. Sangene med tekst er i grunn bare loops av samples, uten at det nødvendigvis trenger å være så negativt. Instrumentalene er på sin side perfekte å lese til, da de er rolige og svevende. Totalt sett en helt ålreit opplevelse. Verken banebrytende eller helt ræva, men totalt sett ikke veldig interessant. Top 3: Natural Blues, South Side, Run On

The thing about The Moby Song Formula (beats, repeating strings melody, sample of a blues hook sung by an old Black man) is that you don't notice it if you're hearing a song here, a song there. But back to back for over an hour? You start to wonder if you're going crazy because didn't I JUST hear this one? Your mom: We have Fatboy Slim at home. The Fatboy Slim at home:

HOLES?! Lol This album is so 1999. The nostalgia is real. It sounds like how I imagined my adult life to be. Great soundtrack music. If Sinners was made in the early 2000s this guy woulda done the score. I also wonder if Beyoncé has heard this. Probably lol. I can see some commonalities between this and Renaissance and Cowboy Carter. Fave tracks: Honey, If things were perfect, Princess.

I must say I am not looking forward to this, the man infamously dragged by Eminem. Wait. Is he just... sampling people and putting it over electronic music? Stop. Oh. Not just people. Black blues artists. Cool cool cool cool cool. Porcelain: thats his singing and he wrote it. More acceptable. Apparently ASAP Rocky sampled it in "Forever." Ah. We are back to sampling. Idk if I can continue this lol. This isn't for me. Especially not 2 hours of this.

Another album that, listening today, is just... fine. I remember when it came out and appreciate that it was a seminal step in bringing electronic music into the mainstream. And I spent a decent amount of time in dance clubs in the late 90s enjoying Moby's techno and still love to trance out on occasion. But listening now, this album is repetitive and overlong, and not in a great way. It just hasn't aged well.

One of Moby's albatrosses is that he was one of the first big successes in EDM. His early stuff is repetitive and sounds dated in context, but at the time it was pretty new. He'd always had a knack for creating infectious hooks and riffs, but he usually looped them over and over until you were bored to madness. That tendency is diluted here mostly, partially because most of the songs are under 4 minutes, but also because the use of more traditional instrumentation and sounds make it more appealing to a bigger chunk of music lovers. This helped Play become his biggest success. Unfortunately, part of the result is that some of it turns into a slightly watered-down adult-contemporary-flavored Moby. After his previous albums, this record seems like more of an effort to be accessible to pop fans - it's a collection of electronic, dance, pop or blues-techno mashup tunes and it mostly works. It's a pretty good set, very listenable and consistent although the tempo and quality wane toward the end. The big singles are Porcelain and South Side, but there were six more tracks released out of 18 from this album, and many were used in multiple movies and ads, so it was pretty huge at the time.

Vilka minnen! Jag hade nästan glömt av denna och hur stor den blev när den kom. Jag tycker inte den är lika bra som jag minns den från då, men absolut bra! Kul att bli påmind och det är svårt att inte bli nostalgisk!

Eh

Wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Pretty good, fairly listenable all the way through, just not my cup of tea tbh.

Es un buen álbum. Creo que el único de Moby que pude escuchar completo.

Solid electronica. Enjoyed but can't say it changed my life

This isn't typically my genre, but I had fun with this one. Some tracks were a bit bland and repetitive for me, but I can see the appeal if Electronic is your thing!

Kind of nostalgic for this sound and this moment in time. Reminds me of watching the movie Holes as a kid. There's a reliance on the strength of the samples. Moby deep dives into each one, juxtaposing them with late 90s electronica to create a trance-like atmosphere. But it's just...so...repetitive. I don't think this music rises above the sum of its parts. One song was enough.

Reminds me of TV when my kids were babies. I am not crazy about it but if someone in the 23rd century wants to feel what it was like right before we started down the Trumphole after 9/11, this is a good place. The end of the 90's. Now I'm sad. And old.

Not a fan

Good atmospheric background music. I can see driving or studying to this. As for critical listening, it's a slog fest. I can appreciate it for what it is. The instrumentation over samples is creative albeit repetitive. Not bad, though not for me.

There are tracks that aren’t super repetitive, and those are pretty good. The album itself is nicely varied, but a lot of it fades into the background.

I didn’t need this album in my life and I sure as hell didn’t need more than two hours of it

Very inventive sound throughout, but it doesn't feel like there's much on the bone in each song

The first track relied heavily on repetition rather than lyrical depth. As someone who values lyricism, it didn’t connect with me, although I thought the production was fine. I picked up on it in the first track, and by the second, it became clear that this repetition was likely going to define the whole album. Most songs seemed to centre around one repeated sentence instead of fully developed verses. I really do not like this and do not see a point. Each song sounds like something that would be in the background of a commercial.... Porcelain is the first track that introduces more than one repeated line, which gives it a bit more depth. However, I can’t tell whether I actually liked it on its own or if it just stood out because the first two songs set the bar so low for me. South Side and Run On were other songs i somewhat liked, but i doubt I would go out of my way to put on. I think to make this appeal better to the new generation, someone should sample this and add more lyrics to these songs......

A great album to do work on. Just the right balance between upbeat and relaxing to keep you on your flow.

like whatever

I actually really did like it. I have never listened to Moby before so I think I was immune to a lot of the criticism that this album was too commercial. I think if I played this in the background at a party it would be cool. Favorites were natural blues and why does my heart feel so bad

I really enjoyed this! A few songs I would definitely listen to again, and the rest made for really nice background while I was working.

This was pleasant to listen to as I worked.

MOBY YOU CAN STOMPT BY OBIE

Chill. Good for background and getting things done. Didn’t know he made “South Side” or “Natural Blues.” Classic tracks. Pleasantly surprised.

When did Moby become so irritating and lame?? Was it before or after this groundbreaking amazing album? The sound of this record is so extremely reminiscent of its time. It’s cool, it feels somehow optimistic even on the slower - or perhaps “sadder” - tracks. And it is cool. The opening track features on the Holes soundtrack, I was contemplating how good that films soundtrack is on my way to work yesterday. Porcelain features on numerous adverts for cars, life insurance, it’s on films - it’s everywhere. This album is without doubt influential and, although reminiscent of a very specific time in history, timeless. 4.5/5.0 Best Song: Run On

A genre defining album, with some huge tracks on it. Very easy listening and chilled out music, you could put this album on anywhere and 9/10 times people love it. Sometimes it is a bit too chill and gets a bit slow and boring but that is the nature of this kind of music somtimes. Best Track: Porcelain

Listened to this back-to-back before as a classique but it ws fun to revisit to see what I thought of each one. Honey is always gold. Find My Baby - again: gold. Porcelain - always a nice relaxing interlude after the first two. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad - a real epic feel to this one, especially with the key change in the 'bridge' (hard to categorise song sections in this case). South Side - love that the beginning sounds like The Wire intro, but other than that this is a pretty cheesy one. Rushing - pretty dull. But pretty AND dull! Bodyrock - very fun and nostalgic; WHAT an early 2000s sound! Natural Blues - real epic feel to this one too. Machete - YES BACK TO THE CLUBBBBBBBB! 7 - love the dark drums in this. Down Slow - pretty dull (but NOT pretty). Run On - don't remember this one. It's pretty good. Backing sounds similar to Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad. If Things Were Perfect - cool surreal feeling to this one. Everloving, Inside, and Guitar Flute & String - pretty! But pretty dull TOO. The Sky Is Broken - sexy. My Weakness - a nice dreamy closer.

I mean this is flow state that has been put on record. Gorgeous, unbelievable production. I mean this is absolutely grotesque. It feels like if cocaine wasn't exspensive. Good for focus, experimental of course but its focused.

1: Honey 2: Natural Blues 3: The Sun Never Stops Setting

transcendant and joyful

good, the original electro swing

Partly heard before Saved 6/18 Top track: Natural Blues

Its just really not for me. Its probably baning for that right audience though

Pretty groovy. Maybe a bit too much