Play

very fight club…. probably would not relisten for a while though

3.5

I enjoyed it.

"Today's album is brought to you by the all new 2000 Nissan Maxima. Nissan: Life's a journey; enjoy the ride." This album reminds me of Enigma and the countless other artists that popped up during that weird phase where we were, as a society, collectively into Gregorian chants put to dance/electronic music. Just replace the chants with blues/spiritual samples. Super mid and made for television commercials.

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

7/10

it’s okay

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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.

not for me; samples are good, but i don't enjoy the final package; pat would probably like south side; 2 stars for me

Ok

The Apple Music link took me to a version that was over two hours long (!) but I was relieved to see that it included B-sides. I'll decide when the album is over if I need to listen to those. I am very casually familiar with Moby and his music and it was never something I felt the need to investigate further. The late '90s/early 2000s were a time I felt pretty disconnected from popular music, and the ubiquitous electronic/DJ stuff was a big reason why. I have since come to appreciate some of it but it's still not something I would say I like. I was surprised it took five songs in before I recognized anything ("South Side.") I see on Wikipedia that Moby thanked Lomax and the other archivists in the liner notes, but hearing all these field recordings sampled makes me wonder if any compensation was paid to the families of the actual musicians. Holy shit, "My Weakness" was in one of my favorite episodes/scenes from The X-Files! I love that song! Bumped up one star because of that. The rest of this didn't do much for me. (I did not listen to the B-sides.)

not my choice of listen but i can see the appeal? pretty long, one song was very challengers-esque (machete) highlights: Bodyrock

Ah here's a CD I used to have blasting in my car for years after release. I haven't listened to it in awhile, and some of it still holds up, but not all. Good record overall with some bangers, but it kind of peters out towards the end. Apple Music only has the "complete recordings", but I stopped at the end of the original release since that's what I was bopping to in 1999.

Some cool ambiance music intertwined with songs with lyrics. Liked the vibes. Saved a few to listen in my liked song rotation

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

No. 355/1001 Honey 3/5 Find My Baby 3/5 Porcelain 4/5 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? 4/5 South Side 3/5 Rushing 3/5 Bodyrock 3/5 Natural Blues 3/5 Machete 2/5 7 NR Run On 3/5 Down Slow 3/5 If Things Were Perfect 3/5 Everloving 3/5 Inside 3/5 Guitar Flute & String 3/5 The Sky Is Broken 3/5 My Weakness 3/5 Average: 3,06 Some really influential tracks. Overall for me a bit too long.

Prefacing this review by saying I am not a fan of Moby. While there is a talent to DJing, sampling, etc., that’s what this is. It isn’t original music. It’s easy to bob your head to some of these songs but they weren’t the work of Moby. The obsession over the talent of mixing and matching songs and beats has always confused me. If the counter argument is that he plays some instruments, insta the point? Shouldn’t he be playing all of what he’s claiming to be his work?

The first two alone

One extra star for inside and my weakness, the rest was dookie.

el millor del univers tk moby

it was fun

hard to explain just how much this dominated all forms of media and advertising from 1999 to 2001. it was inescapable. sucked then and sucks now

I like it but I listened to the originals and liked that better

Blues meets electronica. Great album.

As many others have noted, for a 2-3 year period it seemed this album was everywhere. Because every single song was licensed for something. The songs are good, but it’s hard to hear it now as a cohesive album. Always liked that song from the beach though.

After a week of albums no one should have to listen to ever, this is the light to keep me going in this project.

My first five of the list! While it does have some songs that could be cut, it has so many great songs, and even the B-tracks are worth listening to.

another 90s favorite of mine. while _animal rights_ is the moby album that i prefer, there is some marvelous music on here. the re-release including the b-sides is also a good listen

• 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

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

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.

Im not into it. I know people like it, but nah.

Ok

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

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.

OK Dance-party music.. otherwise boring

Definitely a nope from me

This is one of my favorite albums from start to end.

Was hoping some Moby album would show up, so glad to see it here! Personally I'm more a fan of the 18 album, but I suppose this is the more widely known one. Going into this I was convinced I'd give this 5 stars. A lot of people really seem to loathe Moby, but I really like his stuff. Sure, it's simple, but sometimes the simple things are also the best. And of course it's repetitive compared to other genres, it's electronic. Probably wasn't the first to sample old vocals to put over drum beats, but he did it very well in my opinion. Some valid criticism in my eyes would be that the tracks tend to sounds a bit too samey at times. There's numerous songs here that are good, like 'Honey', 'Find My Baby', 'Natural Blues', 'Porcelain', 'If Things Were Perfect' to name a few. To my surprise there's also a few duds, like 'Machete', which doesn't fit in at all, or 'Guitar Flute & String', and some more. This makes it a bit hard to justify the 5 star I initially thought it would get. In reality this might deserve a 4 stars, but this is just so much up my alley that I'll gift it a 5 anyways. The initial tone set for the album is kept throughout, and it just works for me.

I haven’t listened to this in a very long time. What stood out the most was how many of the songs are sampled old blues standards. Blues standards, add some piano, reverb, and repeat. Still, it sounds very good. There are so many singles from this album that it’s crazy. “Honey” is great, and so are “Porcelain” and “Natural Blues.” The first time I remember hearing any of the songs on this album is in the FIFA menu music which had “Bodyrock” playing. In the end, I feel a bit torn. Is this an Elvis-type situation, where a white guy takes Black music as his own and becomes a success while changing very little? Or is this music valid in its own right? I feel like it warrants recognition as its own work, and if people end up discovering the original songs, that only makes it better. Blues music didn’t have that much variety in any case, so calling this monotonous is kind of moot. I really enjoyed it. I feel like I’ve given many good albums four stars because I was a bit disappointed in them. I’m going to be generous and give this a five. It’s well worth a listen, and please check out the original sampled tracks — many of them are just as good as the songs on this album.

To bo super poleti ko bom dobre volje tiste dni ko ne bo ogabno vroce in bom sama nekam hodila. Sam mal je prevec tko plasticen.

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

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

I feel changed after listening to this album... I've always heard the name Moby but have never actually listened to any of his music, and I loved it. I was listening to this album through and I came to Porcelain and my mouth dropped, because A$AP forever by A$AP Rocky has been one of my favourite songs since high school and I never knew that this is what that song was sampled. My favourite part of that song has always been the sampled part, because of how airy it feels, like it's lifting me off the ground. Today I realized, this whole album has that sound. This whole album has such a cool and fun sound to it, it made me get up and clean LOL I loved it so much and that was very unexpected. The album has such an adhesive sound and the sounds of each song flows so smoothly while I'm listening to it.

pretty good record, find myself nodding along with some of the tracks while having it on in the background. i like. everloving is really nice

honey: if you made GORILLAZ into a background song for a movie, very repetitive with nothing to say, not a fan Find my baby: another background music, repetitive but feels more like rock which I like more. Okay Porcelain: Took inspiration from the main theme of Matrix (piano), I interpret the lyrics to sing about a man who lost their lover due to their drug abuse (kaleiodoscopic mind, this is goodbye) while also going through the 5 stages of grief, sets a trap by starting with a hiphop beat then proceeds to turn into a sad ballad, beautiful piece love it Why does my heart feel so bad: early 2000s instrumental with a piano lead, nothing interesting about this one, kinda good but wouldn't listen to it on my own. South side: just... meh, nothing to say, nothing special. kinda "enjoying my time with my friends" song but with a sad undertone for some reason. Rushing: in spite of its name it is a very calm and relaxing song. pretty good. Bodyrock: instrumental rock, kind of weird, could work in a transition scene for an action movie, but not a great song. Natural Blues: instrumental song, calm relaxing like rushing. pretty good Machete: Imitates Prodigy, I liked it a lot 7: feels like a scrapped version of one of the songs, just put in there cause why not. Not a fan Run on: sounds like swing, draws inspiration from hit the road jack from what I heard, can't say much about it, it's okay. Down slow: weird instrumental someone made in a day. basic not a fan, If things were perfect: instrumental rock with some hiphop in the background singing about it's winter and how he doesn't like it. Meh Everloving: very simple guitar chords with a piano in the background. No lyrics at all which makes it fit for any scenario, it sounds happy, yearning, lost and sad at the same time. It is as close to a PC song as it can, but still really good. I like it Inside: (me and your mom), instrumental synth, not much else to say. Guitar flute & string: calm, exactly what's the name of the song. good The sky is broken: boring and depressing, exactly what exhaustion feels like. it portrays the emotion well but the song itself is boring and shallow. My weakness: The last song of the album (even though this album has an extended version with twice the number of songs) this song feels like the final surrender of a suicidal person. That last bit of remembering everything good before letting go. The music completely stops at the end and only the fading lyrics can be heard as the person "goes home". Really good Overall the album is not a conventional music album, it's art but some songs miss the mark they tried to hit with them. The songs try to invoke a specific feeling but usually miss except the ones that hit, but those hit hard. Each song was a different genre aswell, which was interesting, it might have had a message that I missed because I don't understand the context of the album.

Playful powerful joyful

Taking electronica into the mainstream

Great to come back to this

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%

I like the melodies in this. It's generally the sort of the music that my brain likes and it makes me feel nostaligic/relaxed. It feels quite glossy and superficial though when comparing it to the other albums Ive listened to so far. Almost like Moby is dipping in and out of various musical genres a lil bit and putting an electronic slant on them

Îi ok nu-i așa wow, mi-o plăcut mult doar o piesă, îi dau un 5

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

Brilliant album. So much variety from song to song but seems to retain a signature sound throughout. 2nd half stronger than the first and there are a few tracks that could maybe be shaved since it's over an hour but this is minor and does not detract. Great memories listening to this.

Super fun

dont get it

Enjoyed - particularly the hits - got a little bored towards the end

Correcto

Look I get it it’s Moby, but there’s some decent music on this album. I’d put this on the south side of a four. See what I did there? Yeah so I’m rounding down to 3

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.

nossa esse é muito legal, nunca tinha ouvido falar

porcelain 1999 united states electronica

nem a mi zenei izlesunk, nincs semmi dalszoveg, naon repetitiv, inkabb vibe-ok, munkahoz jo lehet, de magamtol nem hallgatnam

I thought I knew about PLAY but i didnt really know about PLAY. Other than a few tracks hadnt really given it a listen throw. But is just full of so many bangers across different genres. Downtempo, souful electronic, good ole techno, breakbeats. Really fire album. I think I usually discredit other genres when the albums are too long and just have filler but the length on this makes me like it even more. So much good music throughout the album

не дослушал, не понравилось

- This guys gives sexual predator vibes... I heard a story from a DJ I follow on Twitch that he once invited her to a party, and ends up it was just him, so he basically tried to turn it into a non-consensual date. This tracks with him saying he dated Natalie Portman, and she said "I was surprised to hear that he characterized the very short time that I knew him as dating because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school”. So, add yet another entitled, sexist douchebag to this list. Plus this: "In the interview, Moby recalled a conversation with his friends at the party in which they informed him of a game called “knob touch”. “You take your flaccid penis out of your pants, and you brush up against people,” Moby explained to Baldwin. “You win by the amount of people you brush up against.” So, yet another artist on this list I will be boycotting. - Now that that's out of the way, I remember listening to this album a lot back in the day, but I don't remember any of the second half of the album, so I probably skipped that. The songs are well edited, but the album goes on too long. The rest of the songs after Natural Blues feel like filler, so I think the album would be better if they were cut, maybe just keeping Everloving and an edited version of Run On (which, wait for it... runs on too long). - On the first half of the album there is a lot of compelling musicality. The music builds nicely -- the instrumentation is used well/wisely, and there's a nice atmospheric feel while also being really catchy. - So yeah, I haven't listened to this album in ages -- it felt really fresh back in the day, but it didn't really stand the test of time for me. On the songs that I enjoy, you get the main idea of the song in the first 10 seconds, so it doesn't really maintain that level of interest forever. Also, other than the piano solo, Bodyrock didn't really age well.

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!

DNF

Lots of variety, great album.

First 3 tracks were boring and repetitive, 4th track almost had lyrics, but there again mostly repetitive. Gave up because I couldn’t stomach the idea of a whole hour of this slop.

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

Good, but I expected it to be better? I had some higher expectations and the album wandered a bit more from the hits that I remember. Might listen again.

Inoffensive

Whimsical; soundtrack or background music

I went to a party with my junior year room mate. We got really drunk and wandered back to the apartment. He said, "I need a album that keeps me going for about 25 minutes then will put me to sleep."

Not a personal favourite

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

I wasn't excited heading into this but it was alot better than I remember honestly a 3 1/2

мне очень понравилось поям захотелось познакомиться, рекомендую однозначно, смесь электро, гитары, хорошие мелодии и голос, по-хипхоперски, дерзко, клево, подвижно, нескучно

C’est sympa mais pas mon style, mais honorable mention a south side

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

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.

First time listening to Moby: Honey: FINALLY SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD!! I wasn’t expecting this to be a djing album but I’m happy. Find My Baby: Has a pretty simple sample but it’s nice to see how the guitar adds so flavor to it. It’s kind of a twangy thing that reminds me of Cake. Oh wow at like the 1:23 spot the violins and background vocals come in nicely. Another change around the 2:00 mark where the original sample is fading out and you hear them really playing around with other sounds and moving the disc. Then you are right back to the track that was around the 1:23 mark. Woah this is really layered. Around the 3:00 minute mark the audio jumps from ear to ear which is cool. Porcelain: Really pretty and hazy ethereal opening. I wonder if this is him singing. This reminds me a little of TV Girl just a little bit though. This was actually really nice. Why does my heart feel so bad?: This is sampling over an entire song like chopping. This is really nice. South Side: I didn’t expect much singing which is interesting. Rushing: another very ethereal sounding and feeling song where you let the beat making speak for its self. Very nice. The piano is nice. Bodyrock: Oh I love the electric guitar mixed with the beats. Wait “ To the beat y’all” made me think of the Beastie Boys “Whatcha Want.” Anyways this is very fun and energetic but also kind of mellow. Natural Blues: Nice blues sound mixed with mixing. 7: Reminds me of ping pongs going back and forth. I’m taking a break because this is a 2 hour long album. But the song after this sounded good. This album is everything all at once

Thank you! Love this album!!!

Finger man I remember th somg

I've tried to get into Moby's music... It's just not happening. :(

Had some decent vibes to it, overall I'd say it's okay

solid 3.5

This just became one of my new favourite albums. The journey it takes you on is peaceful, and each song seamlessly blends to the previous. I could get lost for hours listening to this album.

Ganz vergessen wie wenig Techno und wieviel Trip Hop dieses Album ist. Kann man gut wieder hin zurückkommen.

Ein paar Banger, ein paar Misses

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

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

Absolutes Hammeralbum! Und bleibt zeitlos gut.

I very much enjoyed this album from Moby! I only knew a few songs before and I think this was my first time listening to a full album by Moby. This album was great and made me think, have I been sleeping on Moby for this long? Overall, I loved how he samples and layers in blues and roots into the songs to create an interesting and unique sound. I would definitely listen to this album again in the future!

Fun journey through electronic inspirations

Sounds a bit dated now

repetitive but fun

Try as I might, I still have affection for this and especially Everything Is Wrong. Moby really was the try hard vegan (and also Christian?) underdog when this came out; not exactly a failure when he zigged and zagged after Everything, but trending towards being known mostly for soundtracks and remixes. Which is what Play largely is. I was a huge fan of sample-based music, anything that sounded technologically forward-thinking, all kinds of dance music, and also had a blind spot for early, foundational music. In that respect, Play follows my formula for hits: pairing two different styles of music and seeing what happens. Moby’s contributions to this formula were fairly basic - his palette was pretty set by 1995. And yet, there was and is something charming and open-hearted about the conversation between a generic, not remotely cutting edge sound and largely unheard field recordings. He may not have intended it as such - plenty of sample-based artists of all backgrounds and ethnicities had been executing some version of this for two decades by this point, adding their particular spin or contextualization. But even on the instrumentals, mostly throwaway downtempo deep cuts, there’s a throughline that, like it or not, is still essentially Moby. All that said, My Weakness is still an incredibly moving bit of not quite film soundtrack fare (of course it became part of many soundtracks, tv and film). There are also “solo cuts” like South Side and some people really loved that song around Y2K and I just find his singing and sprechgesang voice incredibly dull. A few years before Play came out I remember getting Animal Rights along with a few other CDs in San Antonio and as a testament to how big a Moby fan I was at the time I played it before the likes of Icky Mettle, Vee Vee, and the s/t blur. Hoo boy was that tough.

Still as good as when it came out

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.

Some nice grooves but kind of repetitive after a while.

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

I didn't understand his popularity when this album was released. I REALLY don't now that I have listened to it. It's boring, repetitive, and unending. I ended up skipping to the next song halfway through each track because it was either that or my sanity. It was frustratingly repetitive. I understand breaking the mold of the verse, chorus, verse type of song but damnit this is a terrible way to do it. My wife said she had this album when she was younger and played me a few tracks she likes. I knew she liked to go clubbing but she always showed better taste in music than this. We might need couples therapy after 20+ years together.

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

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

music for people who think the breakfast club is a good movie

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

Never actively listened to moby. Surprised how many tracks I knew, particularly the first few, which were good. A fair few duds too and felt more of a vibe than an album I'd go back to. Fine overall.

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

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

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

I like this album fine, I’m not sure why it got the accolades that it did, but it’s a pleasant listen. The combination of blues/roots samples and electronic music is interesting and works pretty well on some of the tracks, but was a little boring after a while.

Honestly really cool music but it was a little too long for the mood I was in

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.

Decent 3,5

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/moby/play/ Some bangers, mostly boring. Product of its time I guess.

The songs because so ubiquitous for a time, famously appearing on so many products that Moby has helped sell just about every product class on earth. Because of this it is easy to forget how startling the album is, in its quality, originality and ambition. The songs aim high and frequently succeed. I have listened at times and felt alternatively uplifted, energized and depleted. If I was to make one observation I think the songs on the first part of the album are so strong that it loses some momentum toward the end. I have found myself not listening to the full album on more than one occasion.

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

this album is meh it's definitely not bad or anything just painfully repetitive. Southside is really really good but other than that it's pretty ok. 6/10

It's a decent album. But it lacks passion, soul and emotion. All the reasons I listen to music.

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

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

Awesome

I do like this a lot and have for years. Moby does have a great ear for hooks and for creating interesting soundscapes. My one gripe about him is that he picks a cool hook or phrase and beats the living hell out of it. Something that sounds interesting 3 times, does not sound so interesting after you've repeated it 97 times in 3 minutes. I'm really glad someone gave him that box of old gospel and blues singers. Those are the highlights of the album. But again, pulling two lyrics out of a longer song and repeating them 30 times gets a little wearing. "Honey" alone might stop a lot of people form listening deeper into the album. Crazy way to start an album! I guess that's just a thing for techno, electronica, and dance music. Find a cool sound and then bludgeon us with it. Might be fine if you're partying and dancing. But to sit and listen? Nah. It sounds like I'm dunking on Moby here, but that's just the one thing I dislike about this album. Outside of that, it hits on all cylinders. There are so many inventive and interesting musical choice on here - the samples, the occasional guitars or key riffs. Always interesting. I definitely like the instrumentals and the mellower bits at the end. While they're not part of the release version, the songs that are included in the Complete Recordings, are (for the most part) really interesting soundscapes. Should be their own album. The mellower Play. Because it brought techno to the mainstream and is such a creative mélange of unusual styles and instrumentation, even if it is a bit repetitive sometimes, I'm actually giving this sucker a 5. Yes, everyone should listen to it at least once or twice.

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

very unique and very enjoyable

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

I get the beef with this album, many songs were overplayed in commercials/movies/TV/radio, the whole cultural appropriation thing due to Moby’s samples, and some of the repetitive loops in the songs. Still makes for decent and refreshing listening now and then, especially as background music, and is a good time capsule for its era.

This album was ubiquitous during my teens. It didn’t do much for me, though it’s fine, and this listen didn’t change my mind.

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

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.

solid 5

Couldn’t finish the album. It’s so long & most of the songs are very repetitive. Just not my cup of tea.

nice, bit repetitive

It's fine. Some good high school memories on this one.

This one's fine, though I'd argue that without the later release of South Side with the Gwen Stefani collab most people would have gone about their lives never hearing of Moby.

If Moby stopped making records after this, he'd have a 3/5 (a step up tbh)

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.

Plenty of excellent tracks but also plenty of nonsense fillers.

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.

I want to say that this is a good album, but I don't really like it. He's done his back and forth with electronic and rock/punk, sounds like this is a bit there nor here. I do recognize the tracks that were overplayed everywhere.

the best thing ive ever listened to, literally blessed my fucking ears

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

banger of an album with how much i've listened to so far. also stranger things.

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

GOING IN: No strong feelings LISTENED WHILE: Cleaning house FAMILIARITY: Know a few songs SKIP RATE: Gave up entirely REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: All over the place VERDICT: Bit disappointing BODY'S VERDICT: Statue mode FAVOURITE TRACK: My Rating: 1 Cultural apropriation. Repetative. Ugh. So many things. This hasn't aged well at all. I listened to this while cleaning the house and felt like I was in an advert for a cleaning product or a kitchen appliance.

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

good background music

From what I understand this was once a pretty cutting edge contribution to the electronic music genre, today it feels a little bit boring and mundane. I don't think it has aged badly or feels dated like a lot of other electronic music, it just doesn't necessarily sound that special or unique... This might be more of a reflection of Moby being well ahead of the trends, I think a lot of popular music of the last 25 years has borrowed from this sound and Moby probably deserves credit. To me this is a solid album done in a style that doesn't excite me too much.

Had I been asked if I’d ever heard anything by Moby before, I’d probably would have said, “maybe, but I couldn’t be sure”, but it turns out I actually knew several tracks on this album. Also surprising that I might actually like this? As far as electronica goes, this was pretty enjoyable as it was a lot more than just repetitive dance beats.

The currently highest rated review of this album reads: “(listening to the blues) pretty good. but i wish 5 seconds of this got looped and put over a shitty drum track and stock keyboards for 2 hours.” I know that the author is doing the whole sarcastic 90’s thing, but I unironically agree. The blues kind of sucks, but it obviously has some cool parts in it and Moby takes those cool parts and turns them into super cool techno pop songs. Plus he can jump really high. Good job Moby!

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

Not so good

Ok, some great samples. But always found their treatment here very uninspiring, plodding, a little didactic.

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.

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

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

Ultimately the high watermark of Moby’s career is extremely okay. Catchy, influential on about 20 years of appropriation based ad music, but just…fine.

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

3 out of 5. It's been years since I last listened to this album and it's aged decently.

These tunes slotted themselves right into my aural esthetic.

First listen and I’m already vibing super hard.

sometimes a four, sometimes a two

oscillates violently between a 4 and 2. too much fluff ultimately and songs like MACHETE sound really out of place on this...but ultimately its filled with creative sampling 3

Here we are now replaying boring 90s club music.

Coldplay left me well, cold

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.

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

Dean Pelton has really let himself go

Didn't mind listening to this at all. Good magazine reading music. Part of me couldn't help wondering if I would rather be listening to the samples used in the album instead. Apparently when I was wee I used to always cry to Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? I don't remember this at all. I also don't feel that now Really trying to rate less albums 3/5, but there's nothing else I can give this Songs added to playlist: - Honey - Porcelain - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

I like and I’m really picky with music

Honey - 4/5 Find My Baby - 4/5 Porcelain - 4.5/5 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - 4/5 South Side - 3.5/5 Rushing - 3/5 Bodyrock - 3.5/5 Natural Blues - 4.5/5 Machete - 3/5 7 - 3/5 Run On - 3.5/5 Down Slow - 3/5 If Things Were Perfect - 2.5/5 Everloving - 3/5 Inside - 3/5 Guitar Flute & String - 3/5 The Sky is Broken - 2/5 My Weakness - 3/5 The first few tracks of this album carries the rest of it. The blues samples in the front half could definitely made a better concept but after Machete it trails off to be a bit more of ambient. There really isn’t a genre through line so the genre flip didn’t catch me completely off guard. Great sampling and production but due to the overuse of some of these songs it feels a bit too corporate and too muzak-y. Overall: 3.5/5 Favorites: Porcelain, Natural Blues

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

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

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

Fun fact. Every song on this album has its own video clip. Which is quite rare for an album.

One of my favorites. Electronic isn’t my go to but I bought this shortly after it came out. Listened to it many times. With 18 tracks, there are a couple that are just fine. However, there are many that are beautiful.

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.

I did it. I listened to it. I don’t have to listen to it again.

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

Not my favorite listen, but can really appreciate the sheer volume and range on this one. Some of the sampling was pretty cool tho and though I didn’t particularly love any one track there was still a decent amount I liked. Get a 1-star bump for having a song that’s on the FIFA soundtrack. Fav Track: Porcelain

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...

The sound of every advert back when people used to watch television. Lowest common denominator soulful samples over derivative beats. Nothing music.

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

This album loses so much when out of context, as evidenced by some of the reviews here. It wasn't over-commercialised on it's release, it started the trend. Even if this isn't your kind of music surely you can appreciate that the guy was ridiculously good at what he was doing, and hugely influential. He knew all the right moves to make, he curated great samples and used them to great effect, over and over again. I was never a massive Moby fan but this is sort of like running into an old friend and having fun catching up with them. Some of it is genuinely beautiful, and yeah, the guy was well ahead of the pack.

You wouldn’t download a car- type music

Vibe, but I’d much rather listen to Massive Attack

Nostalgic for a few of these. Still ends up repetitive

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

9 hipster pelati su 10 considerano questo album il migliore album elettronico degli anni novanta. te lo consiglieranno appena prima di ordinare un avocado toast su just eat per colanzo, e poco dopo aver fissato per farsi tatuare "vegano 4ever" in stampatello sul collo. la verità è che è un bel sottofondo per quando fai smart-working in un caffè scandinavo, e che qualche canzone ti fa persino alzare gli occhi dallo schermo del tuo macbook pro, smuovendo in te un certo trasporto emotivo (shazami il brano). poi bevi un sorso del tuo macha con latte di mandorla, e te ne dimentichi per sempre. 1 hipster pelato su 10 ti direbbe: è un album con qualche banger diluito da una serie di filler (anche belli eh, ma filler nonetheless).

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

Mellow background

6/10

Sounds like a skinny white vegan guy appropriating black music but I am still a fan!

#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.

Not my type of music, but there were some songs that sounded very pleasant.

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

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

• very house music-ish, experimental, which I really like • it almost feels like his music was slightly ahead of its time while simultaneously keeping that late 90s vibe • overall very interesting album with a slight eery vibe, which I kind of enjoy though • all tracks are very different from each other yet still similar which I find interesting in a good way

Good music to work with

101223 10:53 3.5

Not interested

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

Quite enjoyed this one. Pretty smooth and easy listening throughout.

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

Ok

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

good music to listen to while on autopilot for work or something. it reminded me of another band who i am seeming to forget now. i think it was fatboy slim? anyway -- they were good!

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

fire

Try to convince me with those repetitive sentences, hell no

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

Pretty amazing. Slightly appropriative.

I thought I’d never listened to a Moby song before and so I was surprised to come across a few songs I had heard countless times in my life before without knowing that this was Moby. It’s also these songs that did not do much for me (especially Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?). These songs have lost almost all their magic due to being overplayed. As a result I especially liked the songs I hadn’t known before like Honey, South Side, Body Rock, … I like the rhythm, the amazing samples and the variety while keeping a consistent sound pattern throughout the entire album. The first half of the album is pretty good but then there is a notable change after the first eight songs. It’s like these later songs are for the time after the party or the come down (Everloving, Inside…) it’s also a notable fall off from the exciting start of this record.

I like this, and any song in isolation (especially off the first half of the record) would be a great time on its own. As a whole album, I find it gets a bit stale.

It wasn't all tinkly tinkly like I thought it would be. There were some tough grooves in there.

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!

Great electrician/pop album

Quand l'album est sorti ce n'était vraiment pas dans mon style d'écoute. Je n'avais jamais vraiment perçu jusqu'à maintenant la touche blues/soul et même des fois gospel de l'album.

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

5 etoiles ne serait-ce que pour le facteur nostalgie. J’ai dejà eu une bonne passe électro, et de réecouter cet album me rait realiser que je connais par coeur les 8 premières chansons de l’album. Faut le faire!

This is very overrated ...

Still one of my all time favorites. Techno at its finest🔥

I admit some of this is fine for a passive listen, and it's easy music to plug into a movie soundtrack or whatever. But for real, this shit sucked 25 years ago and it sucks now. The worst songs are the ones where Moby does "vocals."

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

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

I only listened to about half of this album. It is very long. I enjoyed what i listened to but I didn’t enjoy Moby’s vocals.

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

Good sample choices throughout

Not bad for a techno album. Actually enjoyed this even though money has a shit voice.

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.

Could been great if it was half the time

electronica from nyc Favorite track: honey other picks: porcelain, run on, flower

tried to give this an honest listen, but never been a fan. 1/5

Loved the mix of folk/blues throughout the album

The first half of the album is pretty much wall to wall groovy tunes. They can be a little formulaic but they're pretty good at worst. Then the second half hits and it feels like I'm listening to bad, incomplete videogame OSTs. Now I understand where the haters are coming from.

This album is way too long. Some fun songs. The gimmick of using soul and blues samples gets a bit stale after the 5th time though. This is fine.

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.

1999 is probably the year I paid the most attention to music. Maybe it's when I first got a radio in my room. Anyway, this album cover is very nostalgic. I hated Moby at the time, I think, although I assume that was based on very little -- probably the cultural conversation I was exposed to ("Moby is a vegan loser!!") or, apparently, the fact that my mom liked this album (thus, it was inherently uncool). But it's 90s electro/triphop, so I should like it! Well, I actually don't like it that much. Maybe I only like Euro-electro. I don't hate it, but the sampling of gospel & other older tracks annoys me in the same way that covers often annoy me. Highlights: 'Porcelain' (it's giving Pure Moods), 'Southside' (the single has Gwen Stefani on it! I like that version better but they're honestly pretty similar), 'Inside' (feels like it's about to ramp up to something good -- unfortunately it does not, but at least there's no singing) Lowlight: 'Natural Blues' (I take back everything I said before, this song is the real reason why I hated Moby. I hate it so much. I do not want a "blues lyrics-meets-electronic pastiche"!!! I also hated this music video, it's so schmaltzy. And it was on The Box (my beloved) ALL THE TIME. Ugh, Moby.)

I loved this on its original release. There are some great tunes though I think it now sounds somewhat dated.

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.

Over an hour of this shite? No way.

utter crap. strips down music to its worst parts and builds it back up to complete garbage

Great

I remember this interview I listened to once, about a guy who’s big claim to fame was that he once lent a cd to Moby that had all the original old African American slave songs that he samples on it. He was angry that he didn’t get more credit.

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

First impressions: album art goes hard, first song a banger. First half is so good but all edm has to have absolute rotten stinkers, second half is not that great Lots of the songs have repetitive non instrument sounds but they don’t annoy me and are good unlike most edm that does that. Probably a 3/5 for me, started so much better but turned bad. First two songs are so good. Deserves to be in a 2000s family movie <3 The third song should be on a YouTube video that’s of relaxing backgrounds or the different animation clips (the ones you show me) Body rock is soo 2000s baggy clothes skateboarding music When do you think the bad turn starts cause I’ve hit my first I don’t like this song (Machete) - Yep bad from there

Sound of the early 00s. There was no way you could get away from hearing Moby. This album was used everywhere, though I never heard it as a whole. It was alright. I can see where it was commercially viable and why it became so popular. It sits in the same pool as Nickelback and Coldplay for me. Music for the masses. It's not bad. But not sometime I'll reach for again.

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

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

Gillar! Nog bara hört Porcelain innan. Lite svagare andra halva, men ändå mysigt som helhet!

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.

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

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

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

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

Genere: Musica Elettronica, Blues Anno: 1999

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

good

Ni puta idea. Sinceramente mi vida ha sido más entretenida que la idea de escuchar a un tipo que se hace llamar Moby. Señores del mundo:pónganse un nombre de hombre y canten. Lo demás es adorno.

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

Love it!

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

Not as good as I remember. A couple of good tracks but the rest left me wondering why I liked this album so much.

This was a HUGE album for me when it came out. I mean, yeah, since then we've realized Moby is kind of a dumbass, but damn, back in 1999, that white boy could mix. He introduced me to some great soul and gospel music, so whatever dumb bullshit he's done, this album still kicks ass.

Honestly, right up my alley. This is such a vibe! Fun and a bit wonky and seductive at times? But overall enjoyable!

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

I didn't think I was going to like this and I was surprised how many songs I knew. Would definitely listen again.

I like Porcelain. The rest of the album varies. Some good some mid. 3.50/5

Very easy listening. I enjoyed it well enough, but never felt particularly challenged or interested.

I´ve listened to the album too much. Nice sweet melodies, and good soundtexture.

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

You can get stomped by Obie. Still pretty good.

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

the most cliche and uninspired electronic music ive ever had the displeasure of listening to, atrociously boring

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

Super

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

Really liked the album and the story behind it

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

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.