Play

Oh Moby, so many people hate to love you. You’re such a dirty little secret, and this album is really good.

Ég hef alltaf fílað Moby en aldrei gerst svo hugrakkur að næla mér í plötu þeð honum. Play var samt platan sem mig langaði mest í, því það eru rosalega góð lög á henni. Restin kemur svo hressilega á óvart. Hefði átt að kaupa plötuna á sínum tíma.

This album is deeply ingrained. Having never counted myself as a Moby super-fan, I was surprised as to how many of these tracks were very familiar, even beyond the singles. My main reaction to this record is surprise at the subtle variety of it. It has elements of pure dance music and trip-hop, but it also loops in so much jazz, blues and rock. And I assume that's Moby singing on a few of these tracks, but part of the mystery here is what is a sample, what is live instrumental, and what is something in between. It's an enigmatic record, and I'm not sure who he thought it was for when he was recording it (was it for DJ sets, live performance, crate-digging music wierdos?). It remains a mystery to me, but its a better album than I remembered at first blush.

2 albums in a row that really got me excited. Can we make it three?!

Interesting listen. I remember having this on MD many years ago. A sound of its time but still listenable

Nice and flowy, a lot of the stuff within each song is repetitive but I like it. Synths and cool sounds. Very long album but its really good.

This is a great album, a blend of electronica meets ambient, with elements of soul and blues. Some big hits on this album, probably a little long but definitely something worth another listen

När jag gick på gymnasiet valde jag ut artister och band och lyssnade igenom hela deras discografi tills jag inte klarade av whatever de började producera senare i karriären. Moby var på den listan men jag hann aldrig dit. Time to change this, I think. Machete var min highlight.

There’s a five-star album in here, but the back end, although still interesting, doesn’t fit the vibe of the early stretch of the album. That said, some absolute tunes on here.

Car adverts rejoice!!

Good but goes for too long

I feel like an idiot that I've avoided Moby as much as I have. I really enjoyed this album. Not sure if it's a full-blown masterpiece, but I was surpassed and impressed by the diversity of experiences here. I'm not much of a fan of short pieces that don't become anything, but there are plenty of pieces here that are wonderful to listen to.

Good artist. Likes to press the limit on all different kinds of music, and he usually nails it. Has set the standards for electronic/alternative sounds. Good music.

Some great tracks but got a bit strange and experimental in parts, overall, very strong

a 90s classic. solid album & still stands up pretty well today.

TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS AND THIRTY FOUR TRACKS? Dear god, this should count as three albums to listen to before I die. Hope I don't die before I finish this odyssey. I lived through to the end and would listen again. It really is a LOT of electronic music but there's cool elements of gospel, jazz, and rock all rolled in. It gets repetitive for sure, but that is kind of the whole genre after all.

Я не знаю. С одной стороны здесь есть такие мега-бангеры, и такая ностальгия. С другой стороны всё это звучит страшно бездушно. Из-за того, что половина альбома звучит в рекламах воды, машин и проч? Или потому что на самом деле эта формула, на которой альбом построен - это действительно какое-то паразитирование на талантливых музыкантах с бессмысленным бит-фоном? Я не знаю, но этот альбом сыграл большую роль в формировании моей любви к инструментальной и электронной музыке. Лучшая песня - Natural Blues.

Samples: the Album. Great groove and a few recognizable tracks. Excellent for background music. Fav - Natural Blues Resonance - 9 Hooks - 7 Yield - 6 Technique - 8 Heart - 10 Momentum -9 49/60

already thought moby was so cool and this album just confirmed that wait this shit is long asf

I bought this album for the timeless classics (Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad? & Natural Blues) and it has some other very lovely tracks like Everloving and Inside. I appreciate this album more now than when I reviewed it for my own collection.

Some classics on here!

I don't think Moby did anything unique or revolutionary with this album, but he did it incredibly well. Every track is super solid, even if he was not the first to go this route.

Nostalgic album for me, his music used to get me through some tough times. Still enjoy it

Pretty good. I think he was a victim of his own success at points. I recall an interesting podcast with the fellow who lent him the Alan Lomax field recordings that feature throughout. Moby never returned them....

While some appear to have criticized Moby for simply collecting and repackaging samples with slick beats, I can't help but thoroughly enjoy the end result. I should note that I'm a sucker for this type of ambient/electronic music (huge fan of Röyksopp) and admittedly some of it does feel like background noise, but as a whole these vibes just speak to me.

77/100. Play by Moby is a chill, calming, and relaxing trip-hop record that creates a truly soothing atmosphere. The pleasant production and mellow soundscapes make it a beautiful and immersive listen. It’s one of those albums that’s easy to get lost in.

Enjoyed this, there are some iconic tracks in it, I felt the album may of been a couple of tracks too long though

De adolescente amaba este disco, lo escuchaba una y otra vez, pero creo que en esta escucha me di cuenta de que no lo oía completo. La primera mitad me parece una absoluta gloria, con hits tras hits sin parar. Pero esta vez, su segunda parte me pareció que baja mucho, hasta la sentí un tanto aburrida, cosa que no me había pasado antes con este disco. Pero bueno, lo sigo disfrutando mucho, la cosa es que cuando me salió, estaba seguro de que le daría 5 estrellas, y esta escucha me hizo reconsiderar y dejarlo en 4.

Cool beats. I like how he works the piano into several of the songs & how he blends roots blues into a couple of them. All the songs after Run On kind of drop off to me and aren't as good as the rest of the album.

This is a good album, definitely overhyped at the time, with a LOT of filler. His formula is to take that old blues singers sample and extend it into a 3 to 4 minute modern electronic dirge, just like Primitive Radio Gods did with “Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand” three years earlier in 1996. It works stunningly and brilliantly on Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, and My Weakness. Bodyrock and Machete feel completely out of place being hyped up dance tracks, but they are still great songs. As the album marches to its second half, songs feel more like sketches of ideas he just didn’t finish. I always got the sense that Moby was better at promoting this great idea of blues being mixed with techno than he was at actually pulling it all off flawlessly. Whittle this down a bit and it is a 5 star album.

Really enjoyed the variety and every track was good despite the changes. Reminds me of a 90’s equivalent to Fred Again

Cool ambient 90s high production 2 hours long is nuts can’t say u listened to it all tho

Electronica is not my usual vibe but this album was a treat to listen to. It's thoughtful, downbeat, and soulful while still maintaining the energy that one associates with the genre. It was cool to hear some songs that I'd enjoyed before but didn't realize were Moby until just now. It's a darn good album.

Really enjoyed this, I can understand why this album really took off in the 90s. This is not usually my kind of music and usually I prefer songs with more lyrics and narrative but Moby has done a really good job of combining simple lyrics and in depth sounds for really enjoyable listening!

was tempted to give 5 stars but i can’t put this above my beatles rating haha. i fucking loved this, i’ve heard the name moby like once but holy shit this album is so cool and not something i would usually listen to either. kinda want this on vinyl now hahahaa

Some interesting stuff, could’ve maybe been shorter but still interesting. 4 stars

Pretty good music. Not a fan of his voice, personally I think he should have more guest vocals. Overall still a good record.

It's a little too scatter-brained sometimes, and the over-exposure to this music in the past probably influences my judgement, but this is truly great stuff.

Biggest selling electronic album of all time.

This was great at the time and has actually aged really well too. Some intoxicating tunes that might be heavily associated with adverts of the early 00s, but did so because they were catchy, rhythmic, purposeful songs that would be massive earworms.

Liked, listen to semi regularly any way

1. Each song is a reasonable length. Something very rare in electronic music. But the record itself is too long. 2. Yeah yeah yeah he sold out or whatever. Anyone who cares about that is just jelly. 3. Yeah he used music created by black people to enrich himself. Somewhat problematic even when used to good effect. 4. This record is entertaining! Heaven forbid a record is a fun listen. 5. It's not aging well sonically.

Classic from its time…

the length scared me a bit at first but wow. If i can enjoy it this much sitting on the couch then i can see how cool it is on the floor.

I was kinda dreading this coming up. It has some tracks I really liked growing up, and were early taste makers. But since then, I've found learning about Moby a little difficult, he seems at best strange bodering on creepy. So, it was somewhat of a relief to listen to this again now and find that, while it does have some standout tracks, I don't like this as much as something like Fat Boy Slim or Mr Scruff. It's like the American imitiation that's not as fun or interesting.

Listened to The Complete Recordings by chance, and it was very worthwhile. Love ya, buddy ❤️

Doubt and hopelessness seem to be a common issue with creatives. But Moby pushed through. PLAY is so well done and there is 60+ minutes of music. A unique approach to marketing the release. I think PLAY needs to be listen to several times, as there is so much there. "Porcelain" was the track that was familiar.

I winced a bit when this popped up but it's solid. Well-made, various, the Lomax thread holds it together (great sample choices), accessible and entertaining. I remember the scene grumbling and the licensing everywhere; he should be credited with killing the idea of Selling Out. WikiTIL: His family gave him the nickname, and while his middle name is Melville, he's not related to that Melville.

I'm into this style of older electronic music where it's just a lot of stuff being sampled. Reminds me of Fat Boy Slim or The Avalanches. A handful of these songs are very nostalgic for me. I don't think this is as good as some of the Fatboy Slim stuff or The Avalanches stuff I've heard but it wasn't bad.

Good tunes

I actually listened to this not too long ago, partly out of nostalgia but also out of curiosity to see whether it held up. And I had a surprisingly good time: it's really not deep, important music and Moby is a bit of a douche but this had every right to be as ubiquitous as it was. Competently crafted sample music that isn't just interested in making your booty shake but to provide some feels along the way. It's nice. And I don't see a good reason to amend this feeling now and today.

Moby is pretty great. Porcelain is beautiful, always gives me goosebumps. Lots of other really good tracks throughout too. I also really enjoyed the techno tracks like Machete - I would’ve liked a bit more of this. Guess I need to check out more of Moby’s earlier techno stuff. Marking it down a star because it’s not the most cohesive album, and particularly towards the end it just seems like a few experimental tracks thrown together a bit. And I didn’t care much for the ambient sound collage type tracks like 7 and down slow. Still a great album - reminds me of when I studied Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad in GCSE music

Chulada

Good background music.

BEST SONGS: - Rushing - Natural Blues - If Things Were Perfect - The Sky Is Broken

14 y/o eminem-obsessed me would be embarrassed I liked this, but it was actually great! Far too many songs though; a lot of boring filler songs. Would have been a strong 4 if there would like 5 less tracks But the good songs were great. I want to be driving down the PCH on a warm summer's night listening to these. Best Tracks: Honey Porcelain Bodyrock Natural Blues Flower Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad 3.75

Play was inescapable in 1999, topping every music periodical's end of the year list of best albums in the era of rap-rock. Evidently Moby was so demoralized by a critically reviled and commercially unsuccessful previous series of releases, that he intended this to be his final album before going back to college to study architecture. Every song was featured in diverse advertisements and on the soundtracks to television shows and movies. The first half of the album is comprised entirely of licensed hits and postmodern blues sampling euphoria, the second half tends to drift off into instrumental territory. I don't know that I ever made it through all sixty-four minutes of the original record, in fact I thought that "My Weakness" was an obscure Sigur Ros track whenever it was featured. "South Side" is better with vocals contributed by Gwen Stefani, but that mix appears to had faded into obscurity (it's not even featured as a b-side appended to the Deluxe Edition), "Honey," "Find My Baby," "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad," and "Natural Blues" all feature samples of blues singers and are incredible. "Bodyrock" is hip-hop inspired.

Okay, I know I've crapped all over electronic music here but can we agree this is different? Moby has a real feel for not just beats, but songcraft. Reading about the journey he and this album went on was WILD, he almost quit altogether when the album landed with a thud. There's a really good podcast called Heavyweight about the guy who loaned him the recordings that led to a few tracks (including Natural Blues) and how he wanted the CDs back. I might go 4.5 here, just for South Side.

Cool electronic sample stuff and pretty decent energy.

Electronic depth Tracks of emotional treks Full of dance rhythms

Still very early-wormy

How is possible that I forgot one song

good background music with an interesting mix of ideas from various genres. i admit that i probably have a bit of nostalgic bias when it comes to this album. i remember my older sister having this album and know ive heard many of the songs before, even if i only consciously remember "honey".

Thumbs up

Very good

So, by this point in the project, I was flirting with the possibility that I might hate electronic albums. Especially the ones around the late 90’s/early 2000’s. They always seemed to be a hour long and are filled with some of the most repetitive tracks. Most of the ones I went through tended to be very boring and felt more like background music. So seeing this album pop up, and not only having a hour’s worth of content, but mixing the blues into the electronics, I was fully prepared to hate this album. But I think Moby here might have cracked something because despite the odds, Play ended up becoming my favorite electronic album so far. Moby somehow found a way to take 5-second blues samples and integrate them in a way that doesn’t make it annoying or slow. The tempo is just right enough to cater to the beat. It feels less like a “party” electronic album and more like an actual ambient electronic album. But not in the way that it might fade into the background, like so many other electronic albums do. It’s ambient in the way that it sends you places. To me, the strongest aspect of Play is its ability to shuffle between the more jam-like tracks (Honey, Find My Baby) and the more chill tracks (Porcelain, Everloving). About more than halfway into the album, the blues mixing goes away and the album takes a calming, sort of more somber tone. Pianos become the dominant instrument and the drum beat and record scratching recede. I think this is the album’s vice is that the second half of the album takes away from the blues influence. Many of the tracks feel a bit like filler. Hell, the trinity of Everloving, Inside, and Guitar Flute and String take up 10 minutes of ambient filler. But personally, it’s not that bad. It adds to the album’s charm. Honestly, my biggest praise is that the album didn’t bore me. Looking through the reviews, some believe the album is mostly filled with generic, repetitive slog made for car commercials. I can see why they think that. The album can stretch into that territory. But for me, this album tapped a lot of emotions. From the smooth trip hop of the first half to the calming aura of the second half, Play didn’t fall into the point of no return other electronic albums have done prior to this. I never got bored and I never lost interest. It kept me invested for a hour. It might not be mind-blowing in any capacity, but it’s very enjoyable. And it didn’t annoy me, so it’s already leagues above the majority of electronic albums I listened to and will listen to. Favorite track: Porcelain Other hits: Honey, Find My Baby, Rockbody, Run On, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Inside

Iconic

I'm going to give Play by Moby a 4/5. I think it's a really good album, I was vibing while I was listening to it. It had some really good songs and I might be influenced by nostalgia but I was considering giving it a 5 for a while. It's not completely consistent though, there are a few times that are a bit boring tbh. Did enjoy it a lot though, listened to it two more times despite already knowing how I would taste it.

this album has 34 songs..... ok surprisingly really enjoyed. v funky and good variety.

Really good electronic album.

Better then I rememebed. Has a few bangers. Very 2000's nostalgic

A great exploration of form and genre, Moby toys with all tools available to him to create some catchy choons

I have heard this many times over but it has some great tracks on there as well as a bit of fill. Its a little over long but the standout tracks Honey, Why does my heart feel so bad Natural Blues and porcelain are worth it. I also like the instrumentals like Everloving and the banging Bodyrock is also a grabber.

A bit bloated but the highs are very high.

I guess I like Moby. I was familiar with the singles but never gave the full album a proper play thru. Doubt I would have appreciated it when it was released in 1998 but I enjoyed it today. Good vibes from start to finish and an excellent album to work to. The opener, Honey was a great track I hadn’t previously listened to. Ended up listening to the extended b side release and that was great too. 4 stars

Love this album. Time to relisten.

A much better album than I expected it to be. Not amazing or anything, but just generally good electronica and ambient chill music with enough variety to keep it from getting stale.

An album I listened to many times as a kid and still holds up well

(not) Moby's party Arranca aceptable y termina muy arriba.

Muy bien moby. Medio larguito nomas

Simple but very unique sound. Album is 2hrs+ and not all tracks worth a listen, but you don’t figure that out unless you actually have listened to all of them. A few great ones.

Great background. I recognized more of these than I realized were from Moby. Nice.

Atmospheric electronic music, very sample heavy but enjoyable stuff. I know a lot of the tracks already.

Love Moby. I own this and played it to death....

This album helped me get through a very rough time in my life. There were a few years when I was very depressed over losing the first girl I seriously fell in love with, and this album really helped me cope during that period. It also had a few B-sides that were very strong tracks, and to be honest, I don't know why they didn't make it onto the final album because, if anything, they were better than some of the original tracks. Anyways, this album will always hold a special place in my heart.

Had some hits, unique style. Interesting album!

Listening to this album I was surprised to find out how many songs I have heard already, and after reading the story behind "Play" it all makes sense - all these tracks have been licensed for films, TV shows and commercials for quite some time before the album was released. I really liked the way Moby combines downtempo and electronica with gospel, folk and blues vocal samples on some tracks - it feels like Moby aimed for something more nuanced and emotive, with minimalist approach to instrumentation letting the vocals carry the tracks. There is no shortage of more big beat stuff though, like "Bodyrock" tapping into the Fatboy Slim/Chemical Brothers style, or "Machete" which wouldn't feel out of place in a setlist of tracks by Crystal Method or Fluke. Overall, a pretty enjoyable album, with quite a few tracks to include in my daily rotation.

such a massive album both for and against it. It seems similar to a fatboy slim record in terms of the fun mixes but it also at times takes itself seriously which gets a little meh and cheesy? But when a song hits it really does hit. Good production and some undeinably time capsule gems of the time. Good hip hop influence. Soul/blues samples. Beautiful orchestral piano. Crazy genre switch ups. I also listened to the extended version on accident so my bad. Definitely an overall good project. The singles are all good (hopefully you know them Honey, porcelain, natural blues) but deep cuts that are also good like run on, down slow, everloving, inside and my weakness. The extended edition has some similar but also decent tracks.

eclectic, cool synths

Weird men elsker lowkey vil nok sige 3,8 men vi runder op😉

Love this album as a kid. Love it still as an adult.

This album makes me realize I liked techno music that’s weird sounding before I knew I did. I enjoy the down tempo meladoic vibes. Some songs are out of place kinda weird. Some even being too damn boring for my taste.

I'd have a hard time doing a complete playthrough of Play these days, but if you include the B sides (they're like an entire second album), between the two you could make a decent album. It was something for '99, but the DJs that grew from this are making better stuff

Liked it alot

Really fun to reminsce with this one. Flashbacks to 1999. Very happy time for me. Bodyrock and South Side were the songs i remebered from this album.

So much nostalgia is baked into these songs. My dad used to play this album so much when I was a child - so it's very difficult to remove the daggy dad energy from this album. Trying to be as objective as possible, the album comes out of the gate with a string of 3 songs which impose themselves onto the listener. Once Porcelain comes around, you can't help but be transfixed. Whole album is fairly consistent - easy to see how it's influencial and critically acclaimed. Might have rated it higher if not for the overexposure to it in my youth.

Album has every Moby song you will recognize

Not listened to this in years but really enjoyed. Will be putting on again

A remarkable album indeed. I am a fan of Moby sounds, however this one had some fillers I did not enjoy much. Still, the album has a number of classic tracks that I can listen for years.

Ok some of the samples are sorta weak now but this was pretty groundbreaking when it came out. The complete recordings of this release is waaaay to long. Overall not horrible.

very cool, but very repetitive at times

Loads of recognisable songs, for some reason I haven't listened to this all the way through before. It is awesome, love the variation between tracks. Do feel it tails off a bit towards the end and could have had a couple cut

Solid elektronisk, gode samples

weird little bald fella makes decent sounding noise

A weird fella but a good album

It was good, but felt very samey

Classic

Played this one so much and I still love it. Super nostalgic

Moby captures something here that is both hyper specific and widely accessible. The music here feels unusual but familiar. As someone who probably first heard Moby in ads long before intentionally listening, there's emotions that the music stirs up that aren't entirely clear. It's calming but also exciting. Some songs remind me of one of my favorite albums from the list Oedipus Schmoedipus. I think that the stand out tracks like Porcelein, South Side, Flower elevate the album to exceptional moody electronic. I personally like Whispering Wind. I also like the episode of How I met Your Mother when the group thinks they met Moby but it's just a different bald guy.

# Playlist track - Bodyrock # Notes - Bit of a long play, but there are so many cool tracks that I'll allow it. - Doesn't really factor here, but Moby also released some amazing videos, go watch them. - Taking one star out as there are a few snoozers in there, like Inside and The Sky Is Broken.

Moby is a little insufferable as a person, but pretty solid album

Good stuff.

Enjoyed it

It’s a formula, but it really does work. As a musician, Moby does more than just find and sample old blues clips. He seemed to actually make something new with his samples. It worked.

Very funky, it was nice background music while I was working.

Yeah the hits on this are great stuff, there is a bit of filler but alot of killer

Most likely best consumed with portable CD player (skip proof), whilst roaming a bustling, rude metropolis. The kind of place where cabs beep, men with fancy hair gel walk by distracted; their fragile masculinity masking parental disassociation, yelling 'buy, buy, buy, sell, sports, beer.' A child cries, a pigeon smiles, and a dog yearns for more... more treats, more fetch, more life.

I wondered if and when we might get this album, and here it is almost exactly a third of the way through. I own this album, and remember when you couldn't avoid hearing it everywhere and everywhen, yet listening to it now I kind of wonder why it made such a big splash (only now, after reading the Wikipedia entry, do I understand that the splash came more from Moby commercially licensing every track of the album than radio plays). I enjoyed listening to it again, and there's a kind of entirety to the album that I find really satisfying, but it's also not really earth-shattering or novel or anything, beyond perhaps using those Alan Lomax samples in a clever way. I feel about this album much like I feel about Faithless' "Sunday 8PM" album. I'd never seen the videos to any of the tracks, so that was an interesting experience. I'm not sure the videos added much of anything to the songs; "Honey" had a strange sort of multiple incarnation puzzle/mystery to it (but I don't understand how it was at all related to the song), "Find my baby" was neither clever nor interesting, "Porcelain" was kind of interesting with the eyeballs, "Why does my heart feel so bad?" reminded me a bit of Radiohead's "Paranoid android" animated video, "Natural blues" was not nearly as profound as I suspect he thought it was (and disappointingly one-dimensional in equating old age with decrepitude), and "Run on" has a cute sort of Memento-style unraveling mystery to it. My favorites on this album remain "Why does my heart feel so bad?", "South side", "Natural blues" (despite the video), "Run on", and "Everloving". I'm both impressed and a little disappointed that this is the only Moby album in this collection, as it would have been nice to have had his album "Animal Rights" as an interesting contrast. But I like the idea that we're getting just one album from an artist, and this is a good one, so a star boost for that (to help offset how it's clearly too long an album). And very cool that Moby is a direct descendant of Herman Melville!

Really, really enjoyed.

I know by many standards this would be boring/nothing special, but there’s something about this that just hits different.

Crazy I had never listened to this album before. A 90s classic with many amazing songs.

Goed album. Belangrijk album. Ik ben niet de grootste electronica-fan, maar Moby is misschien wel een uitzondering. Dit jaar ook de eer gehad om hem live te zien. Goeie show, sympathieke gast en wijze muziek! 4.1

Not bad. Easy listen, basically good elevator music

This is one of those albums I grew up listening to. I still remember my parents playing it in their old car, and it became such a big part of my childhood. Even though I’ve known all the hits from the album for years, I hadn’t actually sat down and listened to the whole thing in about 20 years—until now. Revisiting it like this was a bit nostalgic and emotional for me. While I still love it and it holds a special place in my heart, I did notice that some tracks start to feel a bit repetitive toward the end of the album. That said, there’s so much quality here, and I can understand why it may not have been for everyone at the time. For me, though, it’s still a classic that I’ll always cherish. I’d give it a very, very light 4 out of 5.

Ah yes, the album of commercial and movie songs!

3.5 stars - good songs but a little too long, some skips FAV: why does my heart feel so bad

Still an absolute banger. It's hard to be critical of an album that was an initial failure, only to make it huge through sheer brute force and licensing. Which just goes to show, there isn't a single dud on it.

brilliant

I enjoyed this more than I thought I could. 3.5

Is there anyone who has not listened to this album? For a period of about 2 years you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting a Ford or Oil of Olay advert soundtracked by a single off this. Outside of the ‘hits’ though, there are some proper decent dance tracks on this like Machete. Sounds like the Prodigy, breakbeats for days. There really is something to like on this for everyone, and I imagine it was a lot of people’s introduction to dance, ambient, techno and a number of other genres, so fair play. It’s got some decent dance, some decent rock, and some decent vibes. It’s decent. And the amount of time that’s passed since it came out has lessened its ubiquity. Can’t knock it really. It’s simultaneously got a bit of edge but is also completely inoffensive. No idea how that works. Also Porcelain is proper pretty. Again, time and distance has served it well. My only criticism is that there’s maybe just *too much* stuff on it. You could probably bin off the last 7 tracks on it and no one would notice. Best tracks: Porcelain, South Side, Body Rock, Machete.

Proper nostalgia trip this. Geography field trip to Germany. Sharing a headphone each with Sarah Atkinson. Salad days. Really enjoyed going back to this as not listened for donkeys years. Got slightly ruined by it becoming advert music and Moby being a creep (a common occurrence in here it seems). This holds up strong all these years later. It's a really great mix of genres with electronica, hip-hop, blues and ambient techno. This was a bit of a gateway album to more interesting electronica as before this it was mostly Ministery of Sound - The Annual CDs, 'crasher bootlegs and my cousins DnB/Jungle/Happy Hardcore tapes. Again, salad days. Highlights: Honey Porcelain (my favourite on the album. And not just because I got off with a bird listening to this on The Beach OST) South Side Bodyrock Everloving Lowlights: Trails off somewhat after Everloving. The last 3 songs in particular don't really do much apart from evoke the early hours after a sesh which is quite cool but also a bit boring.

close to a 5

beats for walking down the rainy city streets to. good vibes

So eclectic

# Album Name: Play # Artist: Moby # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Really strong start to this album. The first eight tracks are strong. Theres a great mix of beats, vocals and guitar work. Then the album goes off grid. It moves into more electronic elevator music. Which is a shame. If this album was cut down to the first 10 tracks then it would be an absolute banger. Sadly the extra 8 tracks just prolongs it for the sake of length it seems. This brings down the overall quality of the album as a whole. As individual singles, theres plenty to get into. Some real good tracks. I'd give this a low 4 due to the poor second half. It could have been higher. # Top Tunes: Honey / find my baby / porcelain / why does my heart feel so bad / south side / bodyrock / natural blues # Would I listen to it again? First half only.

I have this on CD and I haven't listened to it in a long while. I ended up listening to the extended 2hr version on Spotify while playing some video games and it actually complimented the game quite a bit. A lot of this was repetitive but I think that was just the extended mix, overall a 4 as I enjoyed it, I have another Moby CD that I'll have to dig out.

Не моё

Overall: 7/10 This was a pleasant surprise, as I've always heard of Moby but never actually listened to any of his music. It's fun music that you can dance to, and I loved the gospel vocal samples. Fav Song: Honey Least Fav Song: 7

People doing fact listen to Moby

That was a really good experience. I usualy don't like eletronic music but this one was fine!

Fav song: Bodyrock An important album in electronic music history! Lots of great sampling and creativity. Love the singles from Play, especially Porcelain.

Excellent album that, based on prior experience with this artist, I would not have chosen.

Honey is great holy crud. First two songs are bops. When the album starts getting slower is when I'm into it less, but that's important to the integrity of the album no? Nevermind Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad is also a bop. Goddamn this album is just good no notes. GODDAMN BODYROCK Okay second half is dragging a bit ngl. If Things Were Perfect is pretty alright though. 7/5 first half, 2 out of 5 second half.

The first half of this album was all over the place, but it did have its high moments. It's the back half of this album that really got me. It began to sort of all flow together and I didn't realize that I'd listened to 30 minutes of it so quickly. It put me in a good Zen mode while I was sweeping. Definitely some standout songs but generally have it on as a background album

starts like fun, it's like pop but refined? I like it, it's different but interesting. A bit repetitive but it's fine, makes it easier to digest.

Poppy, beat-ey, sort of EDM-ey? Even though it was 2.5 hours long, I didn't really get tired of it in the background

Lord I had forgotten how big this was back in the day. It’s good but not sure I’d want to listen to it on the regular. Bit too long as well

A strong 4 from me. Absolute gem of an album. Moby may be the most uncool DJ of all time, but he makes (made?) some great music.

Porcelain Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad Natural Blues Machete Run On Inside (?!?!?!?!?!?) Ok theres like a 5 song span of not much "exciting" happening but it is just pure musicality and gorgeous. Ends at Flower But Flower in its own right is a BOP Spirit Running Ok this album is crazy what the flip?!?! Maybe I'm just a fanboy for these DJ types who just mix the shit out of a bunch of different music to make something their own, but this guy, The Avalanches, Daft Punk, Chinese Man; They all just know what music they want to make and the take bits and pieces from other music to make it. It blows my mind a bit because every... single... sound... is meticulous and put in its place for a specific reason and as a result we get something beautiful. Sometimes in the form a blues, or in the form bumpy bangers, or in my favorite form in full display in this album, the almost ominous but beautiful soundscapes that can be seen in songs like "Inside" The only reason this isnt a 5 star is because there are so many songs, and not all of them are amazing, but those songs that are fantastic (and there are a lot of them) are truly incredible

Pracht album, als mensen zeggen dat ze niet van elektronische muziek houden, dan kun je dit laten horen en moeten ze of hun mening bij stellen, of ze waren nooit te redden. Of naja, dat vind ik dan he, pracht album, alleen net niet de 5 sterren waard, daarvoor zitten toch ook te veel nummers die niet zo de aandacht pakken en een beetje saai zijn. Maar de highs op dit album zijn echt top, die zijn een soort trage trippy psychedelische reis, maar de lows van dit album voegen echt helemaal niets toe. Jammer, maar zet gewoon de FAVO's nog eens op, sluit de oogjes en geniet van hoe mooi muziek toch eigenlijk kan zijn. FAVO: Porcelain,Why does my heart feel so bad?, Rushing, Natural Blues, Run on, Everloving, inside

4 stars

Are my comments public? LOL, I guess I'll find out. This is a new listen, though I came into it VERY familiar with the singles, as I'm sure many millennials are. I watched plenty of MTV growing up, but even if I hadn't done so, the hits off of this album were everywhere! On the radio, in the stores, etc. I was never much of a fan. I still remember the video wherein Gwen Stefani licks Moby's bald head (gag me). Electronica isn't my thing, but I found this inoffensive at worst and even found myself enjoying it at times, which was, uh, surprising for me. 3.5/5

this was great as well, great production, some great sampling as well

What a way to start the album! Honey is an absolute Vibe. In fact the first 6 songs are all great. Bodyrock is a bit out of place, but still fits in with the whole vibe of the album. Every song is a little surprise as to what will come next. Album ends beautifully and peacefully. This is damn close to a 5 star album

I didn't know that he was struggling commercially at that time. To turn this around to a soundtrack of many people's lives back then was a remarkable feat. His ability to take old song clips and arrange them into a fitting electronica track that sounds like this was always meant to be this way is unique.

This album was on constant replay back in 1999/2000 on my stereo but I hadn't listened to it n years so would it still hold up? Oh yes it does, I still loved it as much as back then for me it's a modern classic.

Turns out I knew more Moby songs than I thought I did. Actually, really enjoyed this. Certainly my favourite of the more dance/electronic stuff so far. Simpsons: No

Quite enjoyed this, good vibes. Knew a few of the songs already. Porcelain was probably my favourite, but a shout out to Bodyrock from FIFA.

Wow that was much better than the one song from the Beach

Probably overrating this but

I ❤️❤️❤️ electronic

So this is it, huh? The album that every annoying "not like other girls/guys" totebagger in the 90s and early 00s had instead of Tame Impala.

4.25

it took me longer to motivate myself to listen to this album compared to the last 2 because i've never heard of it in my life. i figured it couldn't be too bad if it was released in my birth year, WELL turns out that's true and in fact, i was pleasantly surprised by this one! had no idea going in that this dude was a DJ and did electronic hip-hop, and one of my favorite artists of all time is Daft Punk sooo this genre meshes with me well. i haven't heard enough house music from the y2k era and i'd love to hear more now that i've heard this album. another 4/5 from me, there were quite a few highlight tracks

Very chilled out album with some unexpected classics. A couple of the middle tracks were a bit underwhelming though.

i kind of resent the fact that i enjoyed this because moby seems to be like a miserable little dude who uses his ~tortured artist~ persona to be a womanizing creep who keeps bad company.

Really enjoyed this. Definitely lost some steam as I went along but I was distracted. Much stronger than tricky.

Ambient, moody, but light. Good music to work by.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. But I have to admit the first song was a bit disappointing. The rock-style songs are the best. "Play" also has the song everyone knows: "Porcelain". I believe this album is peak Moby. 4 stars for "Play".

My reaction to the first few tracks was” this is really good music. I like it but don’t feel emotionally invested “. But it got deeper as it progressed. Very moving in the end. Grateful to have found this one.

电子和乐器的结合非常完美，悦耳

9/17/24. First time listening through the whole thing although I know the more famous tracks. Still holds up as a great electronic album and for me, very nostalgic sounding. Keeper for sure!

Very good

One of the very first albums I brought as a kid! There is some belters on this album, it does tail off a bit toward the end however... I think this album shaped my love of taking samples and making something new out of them. It's certainly not perfect but a good 7.5 outta 10

I have never been 100% sold on Moby, saying that he has had a long career now so that is not easy these days. On listening to this album it has aged really well and there are some great tracks on here, shame he is a bit of a wally in some respects. Stand out tracks: - Honey - Find my baby - Porcelain - Why does my heart feel so bad? - South Side - Natural Blues - Run On

Surprised I actually liked this one.

Better than I expected. Most of the songs that I liked the best were released as singles so I probably have more history with this album than I consciously thought. Some great production and sounds that would be used again and again on future dance pop hits. Definitely an inspirational album for aspiring pop stars of the time and probably still used as a yardstick for dance album production. Will I go out and buy it? No. Will I download it? No. Will I download some songs? Sure. Considering this is not in my normal wheelhouse, Moby can consider that a win. Although, I’m sure he wouldn’t lose any sleep if I hated it either.

I really like this album even though I don’t usually like electronic music. It’s well done. But the looping does get monotonous on a few tracks. But the use of actual instruments makes the difference. Some good acoustic guitar too. Which you don’t usually hear in electronic music.

Some great classic songs, some filler

I remember buying this album based on hearing Porcelain and South Side. Over time I realized that I had heard many of the other tracks, only to learn that it was because of their appearance in other shows, commercials, etc. Reading the backstory of this album and the unprecedented licensing for the songs to gain listening attention is fascinating. All 18 songs licensed multiple times. Rating down due to its length. 3.5/4.

Why must all electronic albums be longer than one hour? At one point in this album I considered a 5 bomb. Then it kept going and dragged. Cut 15-20 mins and it’s *chef’s kiss*. 3.75/5

I guess I forgot about Moby and how good this album was.

I was familiar with Moby, but only his singles. I had no idea what the rest of his music sounded like but I enjoyed it!! I'm not super into downtempo stuff but there was enough here for me that I would return to this album.

Rating this on the music alone, this is a pretty solid four. I do have some discomfort with the fact that he sampled all this black music from the 30s and cashed in majorly on ad licensing etc. It feels a little close to cultural appropriation, even if that wasn't his intent.

Honey // Porcelain // Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad? // Natural Blues //

Great kid

Funky melodies

This is a great album. So many good songs on it. This will be listened to again. Favourite song: Bodyrock, natural blues and porcelain Least favourite song: all good tracks Artwork: great album cover

Really good album.

An unlikely music pioneer. I’m sure after this album made it big things changed for skinny, bald and unattractive guys. I’m a sucker for samples so based on the type of music this is, this album hits in the area of my wheelhouse for this genre of pop/dance. Clearly aware that his singing is the weakest thing on the album, I feel Moby does a good job singing a lot when the music matches his tone and cutting back on the vocals when it could really bring down a song. This album doesn’t disappoint if you have an open ear to dance music. It did reign supreme over the music landscape for a handful of years. Choice Cut: Southside

With the progression of tools allowing more ease in sampling and re-use of other recordings, this album highlights some of the possibilities. At the same time, it raises the issue of attribution of those artists and recordings that one is lifting information from. I look forward to the future of samples being taken from albums like this to become sample of samples in future music. Art sits on the back of art--and its art all the way down.

1. honey - 1.5 2. baby - 1.5 3. porcelain - 3 4. heart - 1.5 5. zouth - 0 6. ruzhing - 1 7. bodyrock - 1.5 8. BLUEZ - 3 9. machete - 1 10. zeven - 1 11. run on - 1.5 12. douun - 1 13. perfect - 1.5 14. loving - 1 15. inzide - 3 16. guitar - 1 17. zky - 1.5 18. uueaknezz - 1.5

- dieses Album sollte mir viel zu eintönig und repetitiv sein; ist aber nicht. - ich finde es total catchy und moody. Dazu kommt, dass ich das Gefühl habe, dass Moby hier nur ikonische Remixes/Samples gebastelt hat. Hat man alles irgendwie schon mal gehört. - Ein geiles Album, vor allem zum im Hintergrund hören 4/5

This record is rather anthemic for obvious reasons, Moby had a free for all letting anyone and their mother use his tracks for TV, commercials, ect. And the bangers don't disappoint. Side bar: I love how Led Zeppelin always gets absolutely shit on for "stealing" American blues music, however, since them, many musical generes have been literally FOUNDED on the use of past material, aka hip hop and electronic

Forgot how many hits were on this. Enjoyed it! 3.5/5

There are some good songs here, but I think my favorite is "Natural Blues." Reading other reviews explains why some of these tracks feel so familiar- good on the artist for finding a way to make money from the album!

7.5/10 Početak je bio groovy i funky, kad sam došla do kraja sam pala u tešku depresiju. Čudno da mi se svidio ovaj album jer lirički nije nešto jak, a inače takve volim. Ponekad mi je bio repetitive. Favs: Porcelain, South Side, Bodyrock, Run On, If Things Were Perfect, The Sky is Broken

Favourite Song: Run On

Love this album

Great album. You can definitely feel the influence of bands like the Prodigy in a lot of these tracks but there’s no denying this album and Moby himself left an indelible mark on electronic music. Some of it seems formulaic nowadays but it has that 90’s edge to it that definitely sets it apart. I prefer this to a lot of today’s cookie cutter, overproduced, ecstasy-fueled DJs that are plastered all over electronic festival bills.

A lot of catchy hits that make me very happy. Great party album.

In 1999/2000, Moby's album was everywhere and extremely popular, appealing to a wide range of music lovers, from a wide range of backgrounds. That's because the album featured a mix of pop, uptempo dance, ambient, and a unique blend of old blues vocals with electronic beats by Richard Melville Hall. The second half of the album, with tracks like "Everloving" and "My Weakness", added depth to the more dance-oriented singles from the album. A classic.

A blast from the past

Peak 90s!

Colour me impressed, I expected it to be a couple of well known hits surrounded by songs nobody knows of for a good reason. There isn't one.

I really like this album, although the vocals can be repetitive on many songs, the overall vibe of the album is chill.

I liked this one quite a bit. Cool samples and good usage of other instrumentation as well. Favorite songs were Honey, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Bodyrock, and Run On.

Ja dikke plaat dit, wel lang altijd, maar nice

And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie You thirty-six-year-old bald-headed fag, blow me You don't know me, you're too old, let go It's over, nobody listens to techno

Oehh classic heel erg goed

A lot of very solid background tracks. It would be five stars if it was about a third shorter

There are so many good songs on here, and I had actually forgotten many of them for many years until I re-listened today. It gets a little repetitive for my taste, but definitely not as much as Fatboy Slim. The last handful of tracks are real nice surprises

I've always resented people talking bullshit about "the good old days" ... but truthfully holy hell do I miss 1999. My hockey team was good, fascism was just a history lesson, we still talked to other people, and sampled electronic music was still kinda unique - certainly not mainstream before this album... I've never known how to feel about "Play" even though I listened a whole heck of a lot to it back then. At the risk of simplicity, I remember almost every song being catchy but ending up too repetitive. Which is probably the point. OK though - I hadn't listened to this in probably 20 years and I'm sure this is a familiarity grade but I am finding myself bopping to pretty much all of these tracks - I like it better than I remember. Although yeah, it's crazy-repetitive - would have been better around 12 or 13 tracks tops. I suppose in a slightly different universe I could ask myself why I like this album but think Fatboy Slim is the shittiest form of this genre... 7/10 4 stars. n.b. I cut myself off after 18 songs - the length of the original album (18 is quite enough).

This was a welcome return. I had the album when it came out and the nostalgia was strong. I found it very good on a relisten and loved will come back Moby seems like a bit of a twat though

Moby found his perfect sound after some previous tries. Tecno lkounge mixed with some pop/rock tunes makes a very enjoyable record.

I didn't like it back then and didn't like it at first this listen, but it's not bad after all.

I listened to the version that also had B-sides. And it was pretty clear most of them should have stayed B-sides. I feel like Moby always had an image of being soft. Some of the jams really challenged that notion. Good energy, vibes and grooves. Overall good. Just avoid the B-sides.

8/10 Fav track: Honey

4.0/5 listened to extended album 2x

I had this album on repeat when it came out and still find it relaxing. Related, I once went to the tea shop that Moby had? has? on the Lower East Side and didn’t really like it.

4.5. Felt it was slightly too long and fell off towards the end, otherwise it would have been a stone cold 5.

8/10. It was a really pleasant listen. Somehow, the two hours of length didn't seem too excessive. There was a nice variety. I like electronic music. :)

Besides the two 5-star singles the rest was good but not completely 5 star worthy. That’s why the record gets 4 stars. Though some tracks would deserve more.

I have never (knowingly) listened to Moby. The first two tracks sample the same soundbite over and over again and, while it may appear reductivist at first, it gives off this attitude. Like Moby is talking to you directly and saying \"look at what I can do with one drum loop and this voice line.\" It's cool. *Update* I'm on track 4 now. I see the comparisons to breakbeat. This was probably groundbreaking in 1999, but every other SoundCloud artist makes music like this in 2024. The music is starting to get a little repetitive. I find myself comparing this to other music instead of evaluating it in a vacuum. It's good, but I think similar music I'm more familiar with will get a listen before this album.

This album is such a huge cultural phenomenon that I’m almost surprised that the list compilers haven’t removed it in one of the later editions * But what does genuinely surprise me is how forgettable the second half is. I think it would be fun to play the B side first and ask people to guess what album they are listening to. Some beautiful music on here - for sure, but even some of the “hits” are a little dated, repetitive and formulaic. It’s almost a 5 for me but not quite there. *because they are idiots and the list kinda sucks.

Tolles Album mit noch immer hörbaren Hits.

The cd was a car staple for a while. Vegan, Moby boils piss in people who need their piss boiled.

Nice that it is 2 hours. I came upon Moby way after he came out, and really like his work. Like Brian Eno. I enjoyed

A lot of really good songs and some just okay ones. Great production throughout. A lot of people are discrediting sampling as if he is just pushing a button to take a sample and then he releases it as a song. There is an art to sampling and it takes a lot to make these short samples compelling. Moby gets a lot of mileage out of 20 - 30 seconds of vocal samples per song. FYI My Weakness is the last official track before the B-Sides according to Wikipedia

Why did I actually really love this. Some of those instrumentals were so good they made me ascend while drafting meeting minutes. I honestly liked pretty much every song on the album, with a few exceptions. I just felt like it was SO long, especially as I was getting to the second half. Then I got excited that a professor I emailed for a URA position responded to me and don't know what happened during the last few tracks. Pretty solid 4 though

A ver, es un discazo hasta la mitad, saqué 8 temas de ahí (de los 18 que tiene el disco); pero después se vuelve una electrónica básica y aburrida.

lovely

What a 2000s album. Many of these songs were recognizable and it was a pretty enjoyable listen with a couple standouts, like Porcelain and Natural Blues. As for sample artists go, I liked this more than the Avalanches, which I didn't expect. At times the music does blend into the background, especially with the B sides, but overall I liked this and could see myself throwing it on when I'm looking to zone out and relax.

Another artist I had heard of but never listened to their music. I'll check out more.

This album helped me get through a very rough time in my life. There were a few years when I was very depressed over losing the first girl I seriously fell in love with, and this album really helped me cope during that period. It also had a few B-sides that were very strong tracks, and to be honest, I don't know why they didn't make it onto the final album because, if anything, they were better than some of the original tracks. Anyways, this album will always hold a special place in my heart.

bruh. idek what to think. he sounds.............. like okay? i guess? just repeats the same word over and over. oh i think i know porcelain lol 3 wow okay its pretty nice. chill. bump up to 4

One of the better electronica albums i've heard on here 3.7/5

Play Don't need to spend too long on this, I have a lot of familiarity with it and 3 listens today is more than enough. There’s absolutely no doubting the excellence of 8 of the 18 songs: Honey, Find my Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, South Side, Bodyrock, Natural Blues and Run On. All brilliant, and despite their ubiquity remain excellent bits of music. Obviously we all know about the field recording samples on some of those songs, but their combination with the electronic foundations and occasional live instrumentation is a great idea and is superbly executed. The samples have space to breath and are supported sympathetically and very cleverly by his arrangements. Tthey still sound fresh, exciting and moving a quarter of a century after release, no matter how many times you hear them. But there’s also no doubting that the rest of the tracks are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from very good to pretty run of the mill 90s electronica. Rushing, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving and the cinematic My Weakness are the pick of these remaining tracks. Well crafted, evocative and very human sounding ambient and downbeat electro. The Sky is Broken could be excellent if not for the excessively wet and sticky sound of his saliva in the spoken word part. The other issue though, is the length. At 63 minutes it’s too long, and the excellence of those songs that tower above the rest contributes to it feeling so long. Despite some very good tracks after Run On it does feel like that should be the natural end point of the record. Indeed editing this down to 12 tracks (and re-arranging as you see fit); Honey, Find my Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, Southside, Rushing, Run On, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving & My Weakness would bring it to around 45 minutes and would undoubtedly make it a 5 star album. Of course it’s still a great album but the mixed bag of tracks outside the ‘big’ songs and the resulting length means it can’t be a 5, so its a 4, albeit a high one, for me.
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Funky experience, really loving the old-school sounds. Percussion and progression are top notch. Fun little dive between different styles, speeds and beats. Top Songs Find My Baby Porcelain South Side Machete Run On My Weakness

ridiculously chill. we are getting out of hand.

Best song Contender: Bodyrock Worst Song contender: If things were perfect

I must have played this CD a lot when I got it when it came out, because the first 8 tracks were all very familiar and all great. The second half lags a bit, so a 4 instead of a 5. Nice to hear it again, which may have never happened without this app we’re doing.

I forgot how many singles from this were saturating the radio for years after this came out. Moby's chill turn isn't without its issues. At the time, we didn't think much of the skinny white kid using so. many. samples from black artists. Now that we know better, it's more than a little cringey. Aside from that, there are so many great tracks on here. Second half of the album isn't as in-your-face as the front, but that's okay. The whole experience is a gradient between Moby before and after.

Was on heavy rotation for me in the late nineties and holds many happy memories of travelling.

Usually, I don't listen to the Electronic music. So, I don't know much about Electronic music and musicians. The only thing I can speak of about this album is that it's enjoyable to me. Some tracks remind me of the music of "Secret Garden". I'm not sure if there is some musical connection between them. Just my impression.

I liked the album and I liked the review from the guy getting his first period ❤️ maybe a little too long for what it's offering but that's ok

Love this album

Going into this album, pretty much the only thing I knew about Moby is that Eminem hated him 20+ years ago. Reading a summary of that "feud" with some retrospective comments by both parties, Moby seems by far the more sympathetic figure. As for the music itself - I really liked it! Usually I'm not into techno, but pretty much every track on this album is a blend of techno and other styles of music. Pretty much every track is good quality and I'm likely to give this record more spins in the future for accomplished and pleasant background music. What keeps it from 5 stars is that I can't see it as much more than nice background music though.

I’m a kid of the 90’s, but my parents certainly didn’t listen to Moby. I listened to this for the first not too long ago actually, and it’s a fine album front to back. Porcelin is fantastic, as is Natural Blues. There’s not a bad track. I’ve been slow to electronic dance music, but I have really enjoyed getting into this genre a bit more the last few years, and this is one of the top examples.

This was stronger than I remembered. I knew the bit was looking back on field recordings and folk music while looking forward into the emerging potential of electronic music. But that could have sounded like a project, and instead it sounds like a cohesive album that still feels fresh. Anyway, now I want to go and play FIFA.

Drags at times but a modern classic for a reason.

Das beste und einzig gute von ihm.

Brings me back a little bit. This was my genre back in the day! Porcelain, Southside, Bodyrock . . . good tunes.

Love this album, reminds me of a misspent youth. Solid 4

I was Rushing through this so I could listen to a new album on Friday, but If Things Were Perfect, I wouldn’t have been Running through this album.

Really love this album. So much variety. 90s electronic music is pretty sweet because it is so musical. There seems to be a lot of effort put into it when now electronic music just feels too electronic. Favorite song was Sunday. Added to my Spotify playlist.

Favourite song -Honey

Play is at it’s best when it’s being beautiful chill out electronic music, Porcelain and Inside being the best examples. I actually think that the Soul and Blues samples that should be it’s most interesting part are where the album is at it’s weakest. Anyway, I’m here to talk about Moby as a cultural figure. How weird is it that he keeps turning up as jokes in sitcoms I love, with the same actor who sort of looks like Moby playing him both times. He’s had this very noticeable impact on American pop culture, while not necessarily leaving much of his own work behind. I don’t remember ever having heard a Moby song in the wild before, but I know what he looks like, I know who he is and what he does, all because of my consumption of TV shows. And I find that fascinating.

This was pretty groovy. I liked the variety of the songs. Cool writing and sampling

Very good. I’ve listened to Porcelain a ton and some other songs but don’t think I’ve ever done the album. Great for work.

Big fan. Fun vibes

I didn't realize how much of this album I have heard strictly from hearing the songs in movies. A lot of recognisable songs. This album was better than I thought. Its faults lie with how repetitive it is. Most of the song follow the same formula. The music is great but as I said, very repetitive to a fault. I'm happy that the version of Southside isn't the one with Gwen Stefani... Because that version is cancer. C. A. N. C. E. R. THAT VERSION IS CANCER! Anyways.... This album was pretty solid. But heavily relied on a formula. Despite that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really surprised I liked this as much as I did. Listened to it twice in a row. Very enjoyable and easy to do some coding work at the same time.

Actually liked it quite a bit

I was a little surprised that I recognized at least four of the tunes on this record. Apparently it was played a lot when it came out. I am generally a Moby fan, though I don't own any of his records. The music is approachable and catchy, with interesting samples. Creative.

Downtempo electronic. Really don't know how I feel about this album. It's really just a collection of repetitive songs using repetitive samples. But then occasionally it's just really good electronic/pop instrumental. A very mixed bag but overall I really like pretty much all of the instrumentals, it's just the samples and other vocals I didn't really vibe with. Especially the ones where you can still kind of hear the background instrumentals to the vocal samples, just drew me right out of it. I think as background music it fits pretty good, not so much if I am actively listening. Might revisit to put on in the background, especially the second half. 3.5/10

The magic of this album is its ability to weave excellent blues and gospel samples into compelling electronica without sounding like a misappropriation. I won’t lie, I hated on Moby when this album came out. It was everywhere, the videos were everywhere. I distinctly remember thinking Gwen Stefani was a sell out for South Side (really she was a sell out for Hey Baby). Listening to this 20 plus years later I realize teenage me was wrong about this music. It’s actually an excellent example of how accretive sampled music can be, basically proof of the adage as it’s greater than the sum of its parts. The downbeat and mostly instrumental back half is fine mood music, but doesn’t hold up as well as the vibrant front.

Cool vibey early 2000s jams

Classic listen all the way through. Very easy to play from start to finish

good but not great

Good sound and variety

Exceeded expectations

IDC what anyone says, in the pantheon of electronic music, Moby is tasteful as hell. He's informed by house music, trip hop, ambient, krautrock, and on this album, infuses a lot of Library of Congress era blues samples. In these compositions I'd argue that he honors the integrity of the sample and gives them new life beautifully.

The first eight songs on Moby’s “Play” is one of the greatest streaks of bangers I can think of. Effortlessly weaving through electronica, rock, blues, ambient, hip hop, and more, it’s an amazing collection of hits. The first half of this album is an easy five stars. Then “Machete” slices in as the first and only dud. Moby recovers from there, and the rest of the 18 tracks are fine, even good. But nothing stands out the way those first eight did. I had actually restarted listening multiple times, loving the start on each occasion, but after finally getting past “Natural Blues” I was shocked at how much it dropped off. I had to go back to the beginning again to listen through new ears. Maybe I remembered the start of the album so fondly because of nostalgia? But upon further inspection, I really think it’s just that nothing on the back half holds up, and it drags down the whole. Those first eight were all hit singles for a reason. And if they were the whole album, I would be able to give this a half star higher.

And a half

When I listen to this album, I always enjoy it. The songs are super hooky. It’s easy to learn the lyrics and sing along. It’s strong for the first half and then tails off with Machete as the turning point. Moby purposefully sequenced the album that way to go from elated highs to the the washed out feeling of coming down from heroin. Seeing the explanation helps me understand the concept. The advantage is that I can just skip most of the second half of the album and be happy. The downside of the lyrical structure is that I don’t want to listen to the album very often. The lyrical structure and song sequencing are dichotomies that make the album exciting to listen to, but only maybe once a year.

Ubiquitous barely begins to describe this album as basically every track appeared in an advertisement or movie trailer of some description over the years. People hate this because of that overexposure, but it's a solid album, some tracks hit with a vengeance but it's the more chilled guitar instrumentals that resonate with me.

En vrai j’ai bien aimé, même si ça s’essouffle vers la fin, la première toune est un banger par contre

Great album, I have never actually heard the whole thing. I would definitely listen to this one again

Favorite Tracks: Honey Run On Natural Blues

Great album. I already knew all the most famous songs - Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, Natural Blues - but this was my first time listening to everything in between. I enjoyed the new songs, especially Honey and Everloving. Most of the songs didn't draw me in, but none were unpleasant to listen to. This is a great chill album to have in the background with five/six great songs to make me pay attention.

Många riktigt sköna låtar. Många sisådär. Långt album, 1 timme. Svårbedömt. 3 eller 4. Fria eller fälla? Det är rätt skönt stämning genom hela. Jag friar.

Mycket bra men hade kunnat vara ett par-tre låtar kortare.

Tons of nostalgia here. Great album of electronic music. I already knew five or so of the songs well and enjoyed the rest. It is packaged with the b sides on Spotify which is a bit much. But the original album will definitely be getting another listen in the future.

Cool add to my library

Nice album. 84/100. Trip Hoppy in a cool way. Looking forward to hearing many of the tracks again.

Lo-fi but grand. Somehow had heard a lot of the album without directly listening to it. Best song is porcelain.

Never listened to Moby. Don’t know a whole lot about him. But this album was kinda fire. No wonder why we have chill lofi beats to study to these days, off that Moby wave. Seriously the way he mixed distorted guitars and riffs with sampling and hiphop inspired beats was really well done, will listen again

4.0

I recall renting this album from the library sometime around middle school and just....not getting it. Looking back decades later that makes sense with my limited musical history at the time, but in the intervening years I've been changed -- exposed to so much. Play offers up two of my favorite musical elements -- sampling and electronic beats -- with unapologetic fervor, gripping you from start to finish, though there are some well-earned (and well-timed) respites along the way. Each cut moves along its journey in almost concurrent scientific and organic tracks. I'd admittedly let this one stew for a few weeks before listening to it, and it's been a good reminder to leave your past biases at the door because a few decades is an eternity in musical taste. Favorite tracks: Find My Baby, South Side, Natural Blues

Some songs didn't age well, others really good. Thanks for the journey to my teens :)

This album made an impression on me when it came out. It's not the type of talent I associate with much of the artists on this list, but that's not what electronic/dance music is about. I dig it. 3.6 stars

Nice beat. Catchy tunes

Not all songs work today, but the classics are still great pieces of downtempo music

Pretty nice mix of blues and electronic in the first half or so, but it loses it towards the end of the album. Nothing on this is bad, so still a 4, but its cohesion starts to fade as it goes on.

These songs reminded me of the music you hear on a movie dvd menu. Often repeating one or two audio samples and very beat-forward.

I was surprised to find I enjoyed a lot of these tracks a lot. There were some instrumental and some electronic dance music. I would listen to more music by Moby. I give this 4 stars.

Moby ‘Play’ An overlong mix of post modern blues and gospel, produced by a man who likes to wipe his dick on strangers at parties. 3/5

Classic dance music. I like the beats, but I was never really type for one or two specific sampled vocal phrases repeated through most of the song. Favorite song: Everloving.

liked it more than I thought I would