Play

I feel there’s a lot of great individual songs on here. Like you could throw them on any decent playlist and it’ll work. That said as an album it’s too long and other than great production the songs don’t hold together well. Nostalgia factor probably high on this one but I think the parts are better than the whole.

Yeah I like it

Love this album. Porcelain is my favorite track. It's one of those unusual songs that makes me nostalgic for a time that never existed.

The nap inducing, global sensation.

you probably have already heard every song on this album really interesting approach to sample based electronic music, capable of transforming voices and sounds from the past into something contemporary, through hypnotic and contemplative grooves and warm textures of modern synthesizers really "simple" tunes, build around repetitive loops and accesible progressions, but with a powerful emotional charge, something very valuable to achieve with so few elements i wish i could rationalize what its missing to be a 5

I was so pleasantly surprised by this album I'm writing a review. This exceeded all my expectations and preconceived notions about Moby.

Wait I didn't know Moby was cool. This is an incredible reappropriation of recorded folk blues and gospel singers into downtempo electronica. Idk how much I would replay this but it's undeniably interesting and cool.

Very good. Moby never fails to deliver.

No puede sonar a más de esa electrónica de finales de los noventa/inicio de los dos miles.

7.5/10 Best songs: Honey, Find My Baby, Porcelain, Bodyrock, Natural Blues It's kind of impressive how iconic and of the time this album is. In a lot of ways the songs on this album define an era - the late 90s in terms of electronica, and the early 2000s for the sheer ubiquity of these songs on advertisements. The album starts quite strong - at its best the songs are undoubtedly 5 stars - but it definitely outstays its welcome by the end. The last few tracks actually feel like they come from a completely different project: one that is pared-down, the electronica version of acoustic. I don't think this is particularly successful (the dance tracks with 57 billion samples are more my jam).

There were a couple tracks of blah, but overall, I thought this was pretty decent.

I haven't spent too much time with Moby before, but this mostly worked for me. Enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. 3.8

not bad

What a great coincidence! I love this album and I'm going to see Moby in a couple of weeks! Its been a while since I played this. There's a lot of really good songs on here. It does tail off at the end though.

Late 90s electronica. Blends blues samples with electronica. Loads of hits, featured in film and tv.

Good album for a 38 yo bald headed fag...blow me.

Ok, so it's repetitive for sure, and the album is 1 hour long, so fairly long. People today will listen to techno a lot, but I prefer this type of dance music. It's the kind of dance music I can dance to but also listen to on the bus, for example. Can't say the same for modern dance music. That being said, the combination of blues and electronic was just waiting to be capitalized on, and Moby did it correctly. Sort of like the actually good parts of some rap music (the sampled chorus with revived instrumentals), but it's the whole song. He explores the breadth of his style with enough variety for me to not get bored, which says a lot considering the style.

honey: LOVE IT! so catchy and bessie jones voice works perfectly, i love that it is no longer an innuendo, because it is made obvious and the tune is wonderful. makes me want to move. the "sometimes" is one refrain i will keep coming back to. find my baby: i love ethnomusicology and alan lomax, wow! blending gospel with electronica and folk is so cool, this is why we need creatives in music. this is why we need to study music and what it means to people and how it keeps us going in a society. v interesting music video, there is something about moby and his insistence on showing the finger to the music industry that reminds me of damon albarn. porcelain: to think this came out of a breakup, guess pain does lead to great art! easily and predictably one of my favourite moby tunes, i think it's wonderfully heartbreaking, the "le le le ngoba..." with the piano adds so much to this song. it almost feels like coming to terms with a breakup when the anger has subsided and you are left reminsicing. why does my heart feel so bad?: firstly, what a name! and exactly the kind of song i would listen to after porcelain, makes me feel so many things. i particularly love the post-chorus, "he'll open doors..." south side: tenderness will always be the new punk, do not become desensitised to violence and conflict! beautiful lyrics, and i think it makes for the quintessential millennial teen song and the guitar solo is crazy. "here we are now, going to the south side, i pick up my friends and we hope we won't die." listen to the version with gwen stefani! rushing: the intro reminds me of massive attack/enigma and the likes and as i am growing older, i think that is my jam. noice instrumental. i think moby is crazy talented and blows my mind with each song, even though this is not my favourite instrumental of his, it still slaps. bodyrock: oooh? i wasn't expecting that intro, but i dig it. it is reminding me of westerns and a very run dmc/beastie boys sound (east coast hip hop) along with some sexy guitar work. LOVE IT. orchestra to a predominantly hip-hop sound is so cool, man. i love the synth and electric guitars. lovely looping, will listen to it while gymming. natural blues: it's equally hard to like/dislike any song from this record, but i love the percussion set to vera hall's folksy sound and i think it has a mournful sound which is so refreshing. makes me want to close my eyes and move along in a dark room, even after the shittiest day possible. machete: now we are talking! i am sure this was a pleasure to listen to live. spooky sad lyrics also. i liked it, but i need to be in the mood for this. not something i would enjoy at any time of the day. 7: i love the industrial ruggedness and what sounds like manipulated tribal sounds. run on: oooooooh, very cool intro. i love the keys, and it's interesting to listen to this version, because i have heard odetta and presley's version of this. the thik thik thik towards the end is so cool also as is the distortion on the disc. down slow: as somebody who rarely likes instrumentals, the ones on this album are so so good. they have completely changed how i view and will view instrumentals, calming and riveting somehow? if things were perfect: spoken word over a tune, interesting. i like the general spookiness. trip-hop vibe that i seem to enjoy. i can daydream to this, as in think about nyc or such cities right before daybreak. everloving: the humming is so comforting. makes me feel like i can fly and it tugs at all the right strings in my brain. i love the crescendo towards the end. inside: like the keys in the last minute and the general ambient sound, but not necessarily something i will keep listening to. guitar flute and string: definitely one of my favourite instrumentals from the album, reminds me of a morning in the mountains seeing the sun rise from inside the tent and feeling like anything is possible, but in a slightly melancholic way. maybe you're leaving? the end of the trip? the sky is broken: moby and his spoken word and i can spot a ccr sample from miles ago. i like this also, i can imagine this being played in films and shows over certain characters. i like the minimalism that he leads with even though there is so much that he can do, the "speak to me baby in the middle of the night" took me by suprise and i love how i almost hear the turning of a page. if the world ends today, you will come over and speak to me, won't you? my weakness: more ethnomusicologists, aah! jean michel beaudet, wow. overall: 4.25/5. lovely album and i think it's one of those albums that will never age, because it is so innovative and so genuine. it is grounded in actual music and shows the potential of electronica and also human experience and singing, through the usage of samples etc from the great depression. i see why fred again is compared to moby at times. there are more songs in the album, i heard 18 out of 34. will find the time to listen to the rest soon. this album is a reminder to hold onto yout crazy, because you will invariably find your people! they will do wacky things with you.

enjoyable. too techno heavy

Good

3.5

hell yea

I wonder what’s up with me liking more electronic music as I’ve gotten older. Never listened to this when it was made.

This album might be the only album worthy of defeating the reigning champ Bjork's Post album as 'Eclectic: The Album.' The styles on this album are crazy, there's quirky trip hop ("Honey"), straight blues ("Find My Baby"), barbershop pop ("Run On"), folk music ("Everloving") and also general downtempo feel to most songs, truly eclectic. My mind about melted when the first song "Honey" transitioned into the second track "Find My Baby." Like holy hell Jesus Christ on a bike, what a left turn. From hip-hop-adjacent music in the first song then the next one takes you back 50-60 years (at the time of the album release) right into raw blues. Still not completely sure where I stand this album, but I believe I will grow to like it. It's very interesting. I can tell lots of care and thought was put into this album. Highlight Song/s: "Honey", "Rushing", "Run On" and "Everloving"

I’m DEEPLY nostalgic for this album. My mom played it a lot. I used to sing “why does my fart smell so bad, please open the door.” It also features my favorite version of Run On, which is like saying my favorite juice is Mountain Dew. There sure is a lot of crap filler I DON’T remember on this album. So that’s why it’s not getting 5 stars

music for walking in slow motion down a cool street

Lo repetí en mí memoria aunque después lo escuché de nuevo

Discazo, me encantó. Ya había escuchado bastantes temas, pero nunca hasta el final. Es cierto que podría ser más corto, porque los últimos temas los sentí medio relleno. Pero es un gran disco, Moby es un capo.

Surprisingly smashy

Surprised how much of this I had already heard before in other media. It’s pretty fun, even if sometimes the repetitive sampling kind of makes it feel like a series of sketches as opposed to fully realized songs. But whatever it slaps

Incredible front half but starts to fall off on the backside. South Side is an all time banger if you can get it with the Gwen Stefani backing vocals. For some reason the version of that song on Spotify does not have the Gwen vocals and the track suffers without them.

This album was like a soundtrack of the end of high school. It was in every tv show, movie, and ad campaign. Pretty sure I only knew one or two songs from radio. A little Moby goes a long way. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of tracks. A few were tedious but most just made my wretched morning commute feel like a cinematic moment. Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad South Side Bodyrock Natural Blues

Har aldri virkelig satt meg ned med Moby før, så dette var mye mer consistent enn jeg hadde forventet! Åpenbart front loaded med Honey, Procelain (må være en av 90-tallets kjennelåter eller?), og Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? ila. de første fire sporene, men mister meg ikke selv om det fint kunne vært 20 min kortere.

If you were around in 1999, this album was inescapable, mainly because Moby licensed it everywhere. If you weren't you probably know these songs from car commercials. Regardless of how this got to be a part of the turn of the century culture, there is no denying the music here. The first half of the album is banger after banger, and while the second half is more mellow in comparison, it doesn't slow down enough to hinder the whole experience. Techno may not have lasted long as a mainstream force, but this is one of its quintisential records.

i liked this

Kinda neat dance music. The mood board for Apple ads in the iPod era was heavy with Moby, I suspect. I dig it, definitely sounds like 1999 but great music for productivity or focus!

computer show me badass music for sony ericsson’s ringtone

It’s hard to explain to people who grew up in a later era but this album was unavoidable for a couple of years around the millennium. Turn on the TV and an ad. comes on, a song from Moby Play. Go to the cinema, a song from Moby Play. Walk through a shop, the radio is playing a song from Moby Play. Not all the time obviously but enough that everyone heard the songs. Some drag a bit but the good stuff is still good.

3,5

hard to get into at the start but much better later on. the longest album i've ever seen. very cinematic and i can see how influential this is for electronic music today. favourite song is machete

A lot is going on in just one album It's insane.

Chill & fun.

Enjoyed this album for its chill vibe. I’ve heard a couple of these songs before but it was fun to hear them in album form.

Weirdly I happened to hear Mobys music in Europe last year. I like this repeating almost Canon style of music, though this album was long and not every song is a winner. However, there are some great songs too. All in all I think this is a worthwhile sound to hear, and was pleasantly surprised to see a Moby album rather that mediocre dad rock album #102 or crappy British 80s punk album #87.

Okay actually this is pretty fun…

About a third of the way in, I was thinking: probably a 3; feels kind of dated (and possibly cultural/artistic appropriation issues?), but I have to admit it grew on me, as it went along and, while I'm not entirely willing to discard the negative thoughts, I think I'm still willing to give this one 4 stars.

Very good.

El original

This is good. Easy to listen to while working. Good backgroun music.

Honestly if I still was a kid I would give this 5 stars, it's nostalgic, a great record, however side one is much much stronger than 2nd one even though it still has nice songs, but even though I might rated it for 4.5 on RYM, it will go for 4 here.

Memory gospel on bängeri mut se on extended Levys varmaan vaan

My score might be influenced by sentimental value but for me this album is a delight to listen to. My only tiny issue is that it tapers off a little bit at the end and could maybe do with a tiny haircut.

Not five stars I don't think

Honestly ended up liking this way more than I expected, despite my personal distaste of Moby as a person

293/1001 Moby - Play Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this on first listen. I guess I knew and enjoyed the singles from this and should have told me to pick it up sooner. It maybe a touch overlong, but great listen.

Moby Dick

A throwback but enjoyable. I recognize so many songs.

Some really great tracks on this and the whole thing feels familiar even though I feel like I never purposefully listened to this album before. The best tracks are basically pillaged from the Alan Lomax catalogue and updated with the sound of the time. It’s a success in many aspects. However the later 3rd of the album is pretty rubbish in comparison and some of the tracks sprinkled between the standout are really skips.

This is a really cool album packed with legendary tracks. While listening I felt happy, energized, and strangely comforted at the same time. It’s full of catchy tunes that stick in your head for days. What makes Play so special is how Moby took old blues, gospel, and folk samples and turned them into modern electronic songs that actually feel soulful. The production is clean but warm, and the way he builds the tracks around those vocal samples is brilliant. Almost every song feels like a hit. One of my favorite moments is how he sampled Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long As I Can See the Light” on “ The Sky Is Broken.” That haunting vocal combined with the simple piano and beats creates something really emotional and beautiful. Tracks like “Porcelain,” “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?,” “Honey,” “Bodyrock,” and “South Side” are all absolute bangers that defined the late 90s and early 2000s. It’s one of those rare albums where nearly every song is strong. Catchy, emotional, well-made, and still sounds fresh even today. Definitely a modern classic.

Lot of really good stuff here, felt like watching an ad break in the 90s

Talk about a tale of two halves The first 8 or 9 songs of this album are phenomenal, just banger after banger. Love how high energy and varied each song is, from super electronic but still musically sound tracks to ones that almost feel like live performances, just truly amazing stuff for someone I honestly don’t think I’ve heard of before That second half really slows down though, it’s not awful and there’s definitely some cool songs in there but all the fun and variety is gone. I think on its own it’d be more palatable but it’s just really disappointing when I was looking forward to another 30 mins of the 1st half and that’s just not what we got Variety is really excellent on this one though, hard to complain too much. I think this would be a 5 if the aforementioned 2nd section got cut, but it’s a pretty damn solid album nonetheless

So the interesting thing about this exercise is that we get albums that are in the same genres, but I have wildly different ratings for them. It then makes you wonder, "Why is this album a banger while the other one sucked?" And from that, I can figure out exactly what works for me in this album. I love the use of layered samples. Each song is fully unique and the samples and mixing are used to create a diverse soundscape. It's easy listening too, so the sampling can shine. And then it's broken up by songs that are original and they stand out and feel special, even if it's just a simple instrumental track. The effects and editing are done tastefully here; no obnoxious distortion or dubstep wah-wah.

You can feel emotion, each song is its story but it all comes together as a singular entity that has clearly inspired a lot of electronic music that came after that project. Not the most exciting project but definitely a great experience I give it a 3.5/4

Some pretty unreal songs on this album... also some filler. Probably could have cut it off at about 13 songs. But still, great album!

Loved it badly. Sabroso, sabroso. Divertido. Fan.

Great album. A lot of songs already on playlists I listen to often. Not much more to say other than I will enjoy listening through it once more today!

Didn't love it when it first came out but it's grown on me. closer to 4 than 5 for me today.

Listening session: april 21st, while commuting to internship Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: this was a quite refreshing album to listen to compared to some other things I’ve heard on here and I’m not even a big fan of electronic music. The second half of this album is weak compared to the first tracks though in my opinion, but still a nice listen Favourite tracks: Honey, Porcelain & Natural Blues

Listened Before? N You know... I went in expecting to be put off by this cascade of samples and re-treads - and I have to say- it was much better and more tolerable to listen to than I thought it would be. It helps when you put aside how overplayed some of the tracks are and try to just take them for what they are. I'm not here to get into social commentary about "theft" of black artists' music (he paid for all of these samples where not public domain) so I'll just say it was a surprisingly good listen and move on. The famous "Porcelain" really did it for me vibe-wise. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Porcelain

nostalgic, good

I liked it!

banger

One of those albums I have always been aware of but had only listened to 1 song. I think this is a 4.

Album inteiro com músicas de comerciais da MTV nos anos 00's, vim a óbito pela nostalgia.

It is built from tension between the ancient and the modern, the human and the synthetic, the lonely and the euphoric. Moby takes blues, gospel, and field-recording-derived vocal fragments and places them inside sleek electronic production

Went in expecting to roll my eyes at this one—Moby’s an easy target and Play got rinsed to death in ads and films. But honestly? I kind of liked it. Those old blues and gospel samples still hit a weirdly emotional sweet spot, and the whole thing just flows in this warm, hypnotic way. I recognised loads of tracks without realising I knew them. It is too long—an hour is a stretch, and the last chunk drifts into wallpaper territory. But before that, it’s genuinely lovely and strangely comforting. Not cool, maybe, but really enjoyable.

Listening to the complete recordings. 1. Honey - this is very 'Around the World' where you can listen to it and not be annoyed by the repetition. 2. Find My Baby - hmm same thing with the repetition but the listen is easy enough it flows nicely. 3. Porcelain - playing with space is fun. The imbalance left and right ear is fun. 4. WDMHFSB? - it's starting to feel like this inspired some of the Matrix soundtrack tbh. 5. South Side - honestly, pretty catchy and stands out so far as a non-remixed song. A nice change of pace. 6. Rushing - this was so pleasant I forgor I was listening for a sec. 7. Bodyrock - nonstop y'all. 8. Natural Blues - #relaytable my troubles with god yass queen. 9. Machete - i like the harsh vibe. 10. 7 - it was just a minute long 11. Run On - fun quartet in there. We like that blues/a cappella 12. Down Slow - another short one :/ 13. If Things Were Perfect - give me summer. I'm also playing wow and honestly, everything so far is vibing. 14. Everloving - starting to slow down and go low. 15. Inside - i am loving this water-level-esque vibe that has started. 16. Guitar Flute & String - a short-ish one. still chill 17. The Sky Is Broken - i am not a big fan of spoken word songs. this does not hit 18. My Weakness - orchestral feel, we're in the sad sounding songs part that kinda give church. not awful 19. Flower - back to blues repetition. classic 20. Sunday - 5 minutes of a chill electronic song. Nothing too crazy or too stand-out. 21. Memory Gospel - we're getting to the longer songs >:) my favorite. This is why the album is 2 hours. This song tho feels like a slow build, so far is just a background track. 22. Whispering Wind - these are just long chill songs. nothing too exciting really. 23. Summer - an uplifting chill song. i don't wanna say it's kinda boring, but it's a little boring. Just repetitive. 24. Spirit - a swell but still chill. nothing too crazy. 25. Flying Foxes - i'm just gonna repeat myself. it's all just chill electronic 26. Sunspot - bumping beat, still in long song chill mode. (good WOW music) 27. Flying Over the Dateline - very warpled. not awful, still chill repetition. Gonna keep repeating myself I think. 28. Running - okay a pick-me-up. Getting a typical electronic beat. Another long one :] 29. The Sun Never Stops Setting - i can see a sunset to this. very blooming but chill enough it's like a drive at dusk. 30. Micronesia - 180 okay >:O loving the drum sound. it's giving Bomberman 64. Hell yeah. 31. Arp - a pick up at the end. loving it. More on the Tron vibe now. 32. Ain't Never Learned - a good pace, following the previous song. Still has some slow spots, starting to fall into a Gorillaz sound. 33. Sick in the System - it's giving the part of NeverEnding Story where the castle is shown for the first time. 34. Princess - i love me some long songs but if this is just gonna be repetitive again (I swear it doesn't even look like a real word anymore) it's just gonna be samey as the other ones. To be completely honest, this is just an electronic album. Pretty straightforward - there's nothing too exciting but everything on here is pretty mid or chill. It's really at a 3-4/5. Not bad, but not outstanding.

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

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

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

Good. 4/5

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

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.

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

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.

Muy bueno

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

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.

machete

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

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

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

Interesting album with some awesome arrangements and vocalizations.

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

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.

Not quite my style, Porcelain is really nice though.

9/10 Lo tengo.

enjoyed, added to my playlist.

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

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

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

Moby. Nein, keine Fahrstuhlmusik.

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.

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.

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."

This is an excellent album. Some all time classic tracks

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.

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

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.

Starts dragging towards the end.

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

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)

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Good then. Great now

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.

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

Solid

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…

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

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

Futurista para la época. Me gustó bastante.

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

Pretty dope

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.

Abso fucking lutely genius!

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.

Good

Haunting, evocative album. Classic.

Who says techno's dead?

Godt elektronisk

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

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

Yep, still slaps.

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

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.

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.

transcendant and joyful

Surprised by a couple of these tracks I’d never heard and really liked them. Overall a good listen.

7/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐ En nittiotals klassiker! Det är svängigt och jämnt, ett atmosfärisk album man kan sätta på och lyssna på sin helhet utan att uppleva att det är spår som stör helheten. Man kan ha åsikter att Moby lever på vad andras insatser med alla samplingar men att hitta rätt och göra det på detta sättet kräver en viss form av talang. Bäst är Find My Baby, Why does my feel so bad, Natural blues. Gillar också Machete som avviker som ett lite tyngre. spår. Velar om jag ska sätta en femma eller fyra. Jämnheten gör att jag vill sätta en 5a men samtidigt kanske det inte riktigt finns de där spåren som jag verkligen älskar. Så det blir en 4a.

If the album had ended with Natural Blues, it would have been a 10/10 album. If it had been 20 minutes shorter, it would still be a 5 star album. Instead, Moby let it drag on for too long, so when the soothing, final track, which should have been a nice and relaxing end to an impeccable album, rang its final tones, I was relieved rather than pleased. Still, the opening half is so strong that 4 stars are warranted

Blues meets electronica. Great album.

• This is such a different style to music than I typically listen to, but this opening track makes a surprisingly good first impression • The blues were really prominent in Honey, but Find My Baby ramps it up • I really like the chord progression in Porcelain • South Side is a really nice song, very different to the rest of the album so far • I definitely enjoy the songs with full lyrics over the ones built around one sampled line more. Run On is another cool song, it reminds me a bit of Cat Empire. • Everloving is a very good instrumental, I really like the synth that comes in around the 2:05 mark • Everloving -> Inside -> Guitar Flute & String was a great stretch of instrumental songs, all three were good I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected. The samples were all used well, the instrumentals somehow avoided becoming repetitive and the original vocals for some of the tracks were great. The songs that had complete lyrics definitely connected with me more than the ones that primarily used sampled vocals, but those sampled songs were still really good Favourite song: South Side

This might be hard for some to hear but this album was kind of a disappointment for me. See going into this album I knew porcelain, and that song by it self is an all time great song. It’s beautiful while also kinda being silly and lighthearted but also nostalgic even if you have never heard it before and it sound safe and clean. Honestly porcelain might be one of my favorite songs of all time. But that’s where the disappointment comes in cause nothing and I mean nothing on this album comes close to the greatness that is porcelain. I really enjoyed most of the tracks and I even listened to and loved the deluxe version with tons of extra songs. But there were songs that didn’t do anything for me and there were songs that grew on me and I ended up liking more over time. Some of the stand out tracks in the shadow of porcelain are “South side”, “honey”, “natural blues”, and “run on”. But as a whole it wasn’t the absolute perfect work of art I thought it was going to be, it was an imperfect work of art that I know I’ll enjoy more and more over the years but as of right now, it’s got some skips and nothing can touch the perfection of porcelain.

Already listened to this album it’s epic

I remember this album taking a while to gain traction, which I noticed with surprise as a Moby fan. Thanks to brilliant post-release marketing via usage of tracks in commericals it exploded and became the massive crossover electronic smash we all know and love. Its blend of downtempo beats and traditional roots style samples make this one of the most accessible albums in electronic music for the uninitiated.

Play is an interesting album. The first half builds you up and gets you hooked while the second half is more downbeat and slower paced. Not necessarily bad, but I feel like it’s an album you have to be in the mood for. Album sleeve 10/10z if I could I’d give it 3.5 stars

Taking electronica into the mainstream

I'd forgotten how good this album is. Love the combination of electronic and soul/gospel. Starts to feel a bit samey by the end though.

It starts really good, could have trimmed the ending Will I listen to again: 90%

Solid flow! ★★★★

Very nostalgic, overplayed at the time but on re listen it’s a very good album. Actually more breadth than I remembered some tracks to me sounded a little “Massive Attacky” and the singles are good when you haven’t been bombarded by then on ever advert. 3.9

This is a classic

An awful person by all accounts and some of the sounds could be made on a school keyboard (piano with strings)… But the dude knows his way round a sample and crafts some really good songs out of them. There is also good variety, change of pace and mood that keeps it from getting boring.

Play seems to get a lot of flak for the ubiquity of the songs. It’s well documented about the use of the tracks in adverts and other media but I do quite like it as a journey. There are some weak tracks on here (‘south side’, ‘machete’) where the energy levels don’t seem to match the rest of the vibe - it seems to work better when more of a ‘chillout’ album. Been a long time since I last listened to it and I don’t think it has aged badly.

This album surprises in the best possible way!

Talk about a library of killer electronic tracks. Something for everyone in here, definitely recognized a few. A great thing to put on when you're getting stuff done, chores and outdoor work. Thoroughly enjoyed, Porcelin probably my favorite. 4/5!

Lots of variety, great album.

Still stands up after all this time. A great album full of tunes that you know.

Huge reminder of a simpler time in my life, some absolute hits I still really enjoyed, while still chilling and grooving to the rest, even went into the B side and kept on enjoying

3.8

I really like the fusion of Blues and Electronica. Very Enjoyable album. It does lose a little steam a bit more than halfway through though.

Thank you! Love this album!!!

solid 3.5

endlich mal musik zum hören! dann via bio in spotify auf „Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep.“ gestossen .. soundscapes!

Fun journey through electronic inspirations

I was surprised by the publishing date for this album (1999), as I feel like he was known to me in the mid-90s, maybe for his production work and remixes. I was never really a fan because I’m not into “electronic” music, but there’s no question that Moby (and others) brought it mainstream without corrupting the genre … at least to me. I think if you’re compiling a top 25 list of albums from the 90s, this has to be there.

Again A Banger Album! Didn't even get bored out of it . Will be on my " on loop " playlist for real

One of the albums I listened to when I was first getting into music, so has a nostalgic bent to it.

started off a bit weak for my liking but i found myself getting increasingly more moved by the production, choice of samples, atmosphere, and genuine authenticity woven throughout! electronic music truly is such a gift im so glad ive grown to appreciate it as a genre both sonically and historically

Very chill, very nice. Really starting to appreciate these calmer albums that are successful in owning their desire to do what is needed, but nothing more.

Electronic, viele bekannte Lieder auch aus the Beach und Werbung, Jahrtausendwende

A classic post-college album for me. Read Moby's biography later and that colors how I see the guy now, but this record is quite a time capsule.

I remember all the hit singles from this, but didn't listen to the whole album when this was released. Listening to it now, it sounds really fresh, and timeless even.

After too many terrible albums on this list, this one was a very welcome change. Once again, I realized I had never listened to this album as a whole before. Still, all the songs were familiar and instantly recognizable. I really liked it.

👍 not really my vibe but full of great vocal samples and some very pleasing piano work

4.0 stars this album, in my world, was HUGE, when it was released. probably a byproduct of where I was in my life but I remember this album differently that what I experienced this time around. still enjoyed it nonetheless. but I think I enjoyed the more ambient tunes than the hits. Favorite song: Natural Blues

I enjoyed listening to this following a hiatus of around two decades. It was the singles that were most imprinted in my mind, but I also found myself more enamoured with the slower sometimes acoustic driven tracks, though these did somewhat drag towards the end of the album and left me questioning whether I wanted to give it a three or a four. I’m feeling generous as I’m reviewing this on a Friday.

Play: the complete recordings Artist: Moby Album: Play First spin mood: ughhhhh (a good ugh) felt that funky beat. I instantly reacted with the famous stank face because that is not at all what I expected. I enjoy the mixing but would have liked a bit more diversity in that first couple songs. Nonetheless, I can see why this would be included in this. Side note, I see this album as having great potential to be sampled as well. I actually don’t know if this is related whatsoever but I was reminded of how I met your mother New Year’s Eve episode and funny enough it’s New Year’s Eve today as I write this. Anyways there is a moby that they find and he’s a musician so I wonder if this is who it’s suppose to be lol will confirm later. The album goes through many phases starts off really high energy pumped up vibes then gradually decreases into a chill slow atmosphere. I enjoyed it very much!! What it stirred in me: DANCE, movement, want to get jiggy One lyric or sound that stayed with me: some people go to church just to set up a date with the neighbors wife Where I was What I felt

Hard to describe some of these tracks as 'songs' - they're more like soundscapes to me. Really good at that, though. Faves: Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, Bodyrock, Natural Blues

I remember listening to Porcelain a lot as a kid. This is a good album. It's quite long, but diverse.

The first half of the album has some of the highlight tracks of Moby. In sum this album is a mixed bag, but it containes at least three blues-y ones i'm giving most of the vote for. I simply like them. It is an acquired taste, and that taste can be very repetitive, but in some ways still enjoyable.

Ngl I like this so much I wish I discovered this earlier

I loved everything. Nothing to add; it was a nice discovery.

Long album, and many of the songs were one idea repeated with little variation. I like the ideas and style though, so there were a lot of song I saved. Don’t know if I would put on the album just to listen to, with my artificial short attention span and all, but would enjoy as movie soundtrack or supermarket music. Sounds like modern video game music, from more than a quarter century ago which is crazy.

In 1999, I was just 25 years old, and this album accompanied me as one of the soundtracks of my party life in those days, along with Underworld and Leftfield. I haven't played this record for years, and I'm surprised it still sounds refreshing after all those years. On top of that, it was a pleasant nostalgic revisit, bringing back all those sweet memories of the rave scene in the '90s. 4/5

I already knew and loved this. I think it holds up, but I'm less comfortable these days with a white artist making millions off samples of Black artists...

best song: why does my heart feel so bad? worst song: 7 surprise song: the sky is broken

#215/1001. This is kind of 2 albums in one. Gospel- and blues-sample based triphop/breakbeat/groove party album and ambient electronica. On their own they both are great, and I've sure made people dance with Honey, but what does 5+4 make? I think listening now with some years in between since I've listened to this as a whole, it does sound a bit more like a product of its time than an ageless classic.

Such a good album. Really holds up. It was revolutionary then.

Good music to work with

Some of the beginning tracks were a little repetitive but otherwise good album. Solid 3.5 if I could.

Sampled music like that of this album can get annoyingly repetitive, but Moby does it with enough tact as to make it quite enjoyable. 8/10

Classic album for me. Downtempo electronic at its best. Not a bad song on the album and several standouts.

Pretty amazing. Slightly appropriative.

Notable tracks include Honey, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, South Side, Bodyrock, Natural Blues, Run On, Everloving, Flower, Memory Gospel. Kind of electronic pop/rock album. Lot of ambient sounds, lot of refrain based lyrical presentation. Solid album.

Sounds very 2000s. Porcelain was my favorite song on the album. In high school I thought my dentist was an A$AP Rocky fan because he used to play Porcelain in the office. The songs after Run On were kind of boring. Low 4.

I listened to this on the plane while reading, it was fun. There’s an episode of how I met ur mother w moby and I think it was pretty funny so bonus points for moby for that.

This was entertaining. A little long though

Did I actually like this? It must have caught my on the right day!

Excellent album, not listened to it for a wee while

Such a groove!

Les 1ere track en particulier j'ai trouvé ça groovait beaucoup, très plaisant. Beaucoup de clins d'oeil blues.

This was the album I didn’t know I needed yesterday morning at work. Just a smooth, easy listen that set the vibe right away. Run On was a fun surprise. I didn’t expect a remix of God’s Gonna Cut You Down, but it totally worked. And I immediately recognized Flower from Gone in Sixty Seconds, which gave me a nice little nostalgia hit. Some of the slower instrumentals cracked me up because tracks like Rushing sound exactly like the background music for a soft core scene on the Playboy Channel in the 90s. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Overall, super mellow, super listenable, and way better than I expected. Favorite song: Flower

Bristol really is an interesting city. It made probably the best electronic genre out there. That's also the only thing Bristol is known for. Anyways, somehow the Bristol sound made its way to the US and gave Moby inspiration to make this album. Good thing it did, this was great. Really made an hour go by pretty quickly. Don't ask Moby fans about his memoir about Natalie Portman, though.

Loved the mix of folk/blues throughout the album

I agree with Moby’s own assessment of the album: “It starts off energetic and by the end dissolves into a opiated haze.” [Of course that was intentional on his part.] The music is unique in that it takes gospel, southern, and folk music and overlays it with electronica. Almost all the tracks are enjoyable. This CD is in our collection.

i reeeeaaally felt the vibe here

I note a lot of reviews calling this generic or otherwise bland, and I'm just not sure I heard the same album as you did to come to this conclusion? I'd daresay this album is bland and isn't insanely adventurous... if not for songs like Porcelain which absolutely have that certain (FRENCH WARNING) "je ne ce quoi", that vibe that just feels right and unique and scratch that certain musical itch. I might be blessed to have been born in 2000 so I didn't hear any of these songs over a hundred thousand commercials, but you know what I heard these days in every third commercial? The Beatles, and I certainly don't plan on saying they're bad because I've heard them too much. Ultimately the decision to license the whole album is pretty genius considering the description of this album's popularity was "a critical success and a commercial phenomenon", I'd certainly do the same thing and I know you would too. If I were to have one criticism it'd be that the album is a touch long, it does enough that's different that I can distinctly select between songs and I appreciate that at times this "electronica" album would just throw out a totally piano focused song or focus around loops of guitar and bass. But I think maybe three songs less would make the album far more digestible for single session listens, absolutely no criticism on the quality of the songs themselves. So, here's the strange take that might throw you. I don't think every album has to be trying to "raise the bar", I think an album can do something and do it well and that something doesn't have to be new or revolutionary but that doesn't make this album any less of an enjoyable listen despite some of my favourite albums and some of my most recent admirations of albums on this list being about new styles and sounds. It won't compare to some of the more sprawling or intense sounding albums but it's absolutely an album worth listening to. Best songs: Porcelain & Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad Worst song: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 8/14 (above Ellington at Newport below Heavy Weather) I had to actually MAKE the list for this one so my actual rankings are being written down. If every curious just hit me up.

Great

I love the vibes! A couple got added to my regular playlists

Älskar den här skivan, stämningsfullt mys rakt igenom. Mtv-nostalgi för en 90-talist, man minns varenda video i detalj. ”Natural blues” var en av de läskigaste låtarna från min barndom på grund av videon, där Moby sitter på ett smutsigt ålderdomshem och drömmer sig tillbaka framför en tv som visar en ung, men redan skallig, Moby hoppa studsmatta o ha det gött, för att i slutet bli buren mot himlen av en ängel spelad av Christina ricci. ”Bodyrock” är lika mycket FIFA som song 2 med blur. Gåshud. Tappar lite andra halvan. Känns fräckt att kalla det här albumet ”lite för långt” en dag efter white album, men det är så jag känner.

Genere: Musica Elettronica, Blues Anno: 1999

I really liked it - first time listening to this artist.

repetitive but such a unique sound I sometimes can't get enough of

Thought I'd be a bit annoyed by this one as I'm a bit annoyed in general by Moby. Full album had much more than just the well trodden songs

quite a mix of stuff, he's seemingly just a great creative person with a lot of influences, there's some more 'rock' oriented songs but the majority is sample-based stuff, which I suppose can get quite boring as its usually just a looped bit, but I think that its done really well in most places. In the same way as artists like Air its kind of hard to pin this down into a certain genre box, its kind of just music. The bits of his vocals are quite good, I'm surprised he doesn't sing more. There's quite a few spoken word bits on here as well, which are interesting. I also sort of wish it was a bit shorter, as over an hour feels like it drags on a bit. Not too much else to say, some of the samples are great, and the blues thing is quite an interesting influence. Favourite songs: honey, porcelain, south side, bodyrock, machete, everloving, inside, guitar flute & string, my weakness. Overall around 7/10

Guess I'm a Moby fan now

3.8-4.0

A beautiful dance / electronic album. Has a little rocky start but as soon as Porcelain hits. Wow. Spectacular stuff. Sampling is nice and very tastefully used with great synths and strings. What isn’t there to like?

This review might make some people feel old, but my dad used to play this album in the car when I was a kid, and man, it still holds up great to this day. Apart from the first two tracks, which are a great disappointment, each track is special and is produced very well. Great stuff.

First album in a while that I already know and like. Haven't listened to in its entirety in a long time though - here we go. I love these roots and blues samples. The piano in Porcelain.. ugh so beautiful. I always forget South Side is on this album. Bummer the studio version doesn't include the Gwen Stefani feature, she is probably why I loved that song growing up. Natural Blues another classic Album gets a little sleepy toward the end. Great album that I'll continue to return to for years to come. The piano is what really makes it special I think. 4.1/5

My youth

LOVE this album. It's a great late 90's release, and that's saying something cause the 90's kinda blew. This is a mix of old meets new, creativity abound, grooves you can chill to or dance to, it's unique, catchy and was the perfect release at that time. "Honey" (73M listens), "Find My Baby" (20M), "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" (153M) & " Natural Blues" (185M), & "Run On" (31M) all use older recordings while Moby adds beats, guitars, percussion & energy to create entirely new songs. Throw in radio songs, "Porcelain" (361M) and "Southside (30M, #14 on Billboard), "Bodyrock" (30M), all more in the Moby electronica vibe, and you have a really solid album that captures the vibe of the time. The weakest song on the album has over 6M listens, this one stands up and still gets listened to on Spotify and the radio. The numbers don't lie. Hit album for has-been, huge payday on low expectations. Holds up well, IMO, today, doesn't sound dated for the most part 25 yrs later. The first 8 tracks (plus "Run On") make the album, the rest ("Machete", "7", "Slow Down") is average stuff but "Everloving" is a gorgeous song. The B-Side, "Flower" should have been included, but was added to the updated release with other cutting room tracks. I'd give this a solid 4.2 out of 5.

I still like this, but I don't (and probably never did) find it hugely exciting. My favourite Moby tracks aren't on here - Extreme Ways, and We Are All Made Of Stars. But it's still enjoyable, has some good beats and is quite clever. He's also a nice chap, it would seem.

Damn, I really didn’t think I would like this, but it was fucking great. I perceive Moby as very pretentious and I guess I am too?

first listen super sick

Not sure how I missed this during my university days. Decent music, but I guess I am missing the nostalgia factors others have.

Great album

3.5/5

I think like 90% of assumptions and dislike toward vegans comes solely from Moby. I know he’s become uncool but I still like him. The dude is kinda weird and very much in his own lane, but he’s still entertaining to me even when he’s annoying. Play is a pretty fun and interesting album too. I have no affinity toward whatever techno scene so him “selling out” means nothing to me. I can just enjoy the music for what it is

Listening to this while in public transport is like being the main character in a badass film with a killer soundtrack

Moby's shining moment of genius - at the time this was a game changer album, his sampling and re-use of old cotton picking songs and hymns; almost every track was used in a commercial of some sort as well. I played it so much I had to get another copy. This record is 26yrs old already!? Love it 4.5

Loved this album unironically when it came out. I knew it was uncool but didn’t care, it was fun as hell and it still is.

02/11/2025 Good, solid album. Spotify listeners: 7.8 million

Biggest electronica of all time South side Natural blues

Enjoyed this way more than expected. Some classics on here

Good album this

While Moby may overuse his gimmick of finding old samples of soulful vocals, I do think this album holds up quite well. I really enjoy the classic hits from the album like Honey and South Side, while also finding joy in some of the softer passages. I thought most of the songs had a good amount of depth to them and liked the layered instrumentation throughout. That said, there were a number of forgettable tracks in the mix as well. I'm not big into the electronic music scene, but it does seem this album continues to have a large influence on this style of music. Also, I somehow didn't realize (or forgot) that South Side is a Moby track! 3.5 -> 4

Excellent just for a lot of the sample choice alone, highlighting some great blues classics.

I'll be honest, I was not enthused to have another electronica/ambient album after yesterday's. But I guess... I actually like Moby ... and actually enjoyed this. I'm not sure that this is an album that will make its way into my normal rotation. But if I need a background track for something where I don't want the focus to be on the music, I know what I'm picking. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars.

I hadn’t intentionally listened to this album in nearly 25 years, but the moment I hit “PLAY,” I was instantly transported back to 1999. It made me wonder why Moby hasn’t released anything even remotely as significant since. Revisiting it reminded me how much I miss his contributions to pop and electronica. His reimagining of the James Bond Theme remains iconic, but for me, Moby’s most powerful impact came through 'New Dawn Fades' and 'God Moving Over the Face of the Waters'—two tracks Michael Mann used so effectively in his epic crime film 'Heat.' Those pieces are so evocative that the film would feel entirely different without them. What surprised me most, though, was how this album didn’t grate on my nerves like I expected it to after decades of distance. You couldn’t go anywhere in the early 2000s without hearing something from it, and Moby’s ability to sample such a wide range of genres—yet make it all sound distinctly his own—is exactly why this album still feels, at times, like pure genius.

I really enjoy chill electronica and this album is super enjoyable

2025 tells me I should feel uneasy listening to ‘Play’ by Moby, framing it as a work of cultural appropriation. It’s so powerful and potent because it collapses distance between past and present, sacred and commercial, Black and White sound worlds. That tension is both the source of its beauty and the root of its ethical complications. The album is gorgeous, but much of that beauty is borrowed. Moby is hardly the first or last white artist to build music around samples of Black music, but ‘Play’ stands out because its most iconic tracks rely so heavily on the haunting roots and folk vocal samples of Bessie Jones, Boy Blue, and Vera Hall. Those voices, lifted from Alan Lomax’s 1993 box set of collected field recordings ‘Sounds Of The South: A Musical Journey From The Georgia Sea Islands To The Mississippi Delta’, do a huge amount of the emotional heavy lifting, which is why the album sits at the centre of so many debates about appropriation. The story of its slow rise only adds another fascinating layer. ‘Play’ initially flopped, only to become a global phenomenon through relentless licensing: films, TV, ads, everywhere. It became one of those rare albums whose ubiquity built its success rather than diluted it. For all its complexities, one thing is undeniable: at 18 tracks and over an hour long, the record never drags. Its pacing, sequencing, and production remain remarkably tight, a testament to how carefully constructed it is. In the end, at least in my opinion, ‘Play’ while a complicated album, is also a great one. Whatever your feelings about how it was made, it absolutely merits a listen, and it more than deserves its place on this list.

Nice to revisit this after a long while. Still holds up.

Some great tracks on here for sure,

Gonna be honest I do stan Moby. Intro to this album fuggin iconic. This album captures the zeitgeist of the late 90s. This is the future old man get used it. Music sounds like this now. And tbh I love it. Introduced the genre of repetitive light techno / ambient techno beat in a more mainstream context. With this album he does a stellar job. Also looks fuggin cool in album art. May as well be skateboarding over a shark.

More fun than I anticipated.

Really good.

i think it's too long for an album but it's great.

This is very solid but a bit dated. Bodyrock is still a solid jam, the rest is just cool and interesting, but nonetheless listenable and enjoyable.

oltre il fatto che effettivamente questo ha fatto un fatto veramente figo e quindi sembra di sentire una roba che viene dal futuro ma anche dal passato, la prima metà dell’album mi ha fatto godere molto peccato che poi invece le tracce della seconda parte si appiattiscano un po’ e quindi perde la carica fortissima dell’inizio (e solo per questo sarebbe più 3,5 che 4) forse find my baby la mia preferita, capiamo

Molto bello, soprattutto nella prima parte. Questo genere di elettronica fatto di sample mi piace molto, infatti lui, i chemical brothers e fat boy slim sono i miei artisti preferiti in questo campo. Tuttavia la seconda metà è troppo spenta e moscia

You know what? I thought this would be a 5. I've listened to it so much before and the use of the old blues and soul stuff is still great (if exploitative) and burned into the memory. But this might be the first album that familiarity has not helped it (maybe bar Fat Boy Slim). It just wasn't as consistent as I remember. And nothing to do with the fact every song was on an advert. I reckon if 18 is on this list it might be better.

I had this record on regular repeat as a teenager, and it still holds up pretty well. Great use of old vocal samples, and even though some of the production sounds a little dated by today's standards, there are some good tracks here. Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad? is my overall favourite track, but the whole thing works great as a complete listen. Not quite five star material for me though.

iconic album that i've listened a lot. many tracks that i eagerly sucked up as a teenager. in its entirety as an album, there are some fillers, however.

A genuine pleasant surprise -- earworms that dig far deeper into your brains than they should