Play

It's a bit of a surprise to me, I can stand this quite well. I genuinely like 'Everloving', I can stand 'Why does my heart feel so bad?'. It's an interesting nowadays take on blues and gospel. Once again, just like The Prodigy, the best known songs are my least favourite.

Good album. South Side is my favorite track on it.

interesting, kinda weird but not in a way i vibe with much would listen to again, maybe while not megadepressed

Didn't know what to expect but okayyy! Might get tired of this eventually. 2 songs done, has some interesting ideas but they really just repeat themselves without leading to something more interesting? "Porcelain"'s nice. Real nice. Reminds me of a certain track. Can't put my finger on which one. It's "Holding On" by Tirzah! Not that similar but yeah. "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" is an interesting case, as it repeats the same pattern from the first two tracks but manages to keep my interest. "South Side" starts very interesting. Reminiscent of some tracks from the second side of Talking Heads' "Remain In Light". Sitting pretty at third place for now. next track is nice. "Natural Blues" is interesting but I don't think I will ever have an interest in hearing it again, although the same can be said about this album as a whole. Machete is cool. Some LCD Soundsystem before it, and kinda less douch-y. Like "Run On". These tracks are really just happening without leaving a single mark on me. I feel like this second half could really benefit from some re-listens. It's much more subtle and tranquil. Almost like ambient music. Really nice actually. Really like "The Sky Is Broken". This last track is really pretty. Overall, I do think the album is a tad too long (even if, at the same time, it doesn't necessarily feel like it lasts one entire hour). Some tracks could have been shorter. Some could have been cut. It was still an interesting experience. Got some worthwhile songs out of it. My main grip with the album is its repetitiveness. It feels like the same formula is applied time after time, with some not that stellar results. From the very first song, my interest was peaked and then lost. Some great elements are brought up, without any actual interesting developments. Again, the second half definitely left a better mark. The slower, more subtle songs might actually be the record's best. Might revisit it just for them. Overall, worth the experience. At first listen, it's a 6/10.

I don’t think that I have listened to this full album before. I have heard the singles. It was a nice listen. Seems like a good album to put on as background noise. Overall I liked it but not a favorite.

prefer avalanches

solid tape, i see you white man

Unique original sound, tracks are too long and repetitive

Didn’t give this a full listen. It’s 2 hours that’s too much for one album imo. Used to listen to a lot of the songs in high school on here. Great stuff Moby, maybe a little more concise and I’d be all about it. But overall great, could be incredible for all I know just not listening to that much electronic blues Moby music.

I forgot Gwen wasn’t originally on South Side! I love that song — it’s so dumb. Even better and dumber with her. Overall, this was so weak today, compared to how massive it was when it came out. I can see this being really baffling for people who weren’t around at the time. Very “her?”.

Mhh

My memory of the first play of this was that it was innovative and different - stands the test of time with some great songs still

Hét album dat je associeert met Moby. Maar wat een langdradig verhaal zeg. De eerste helft van het album was lekker, en ik kon niet anders dan concluderen dat het 'Fatboy Slim was met soul'. Dat humane en emotionele heeft Moby goed weten te verpakken in de elektronische beats, iets wat ik wel miste bij tijds- en genregenoot Fatboy Slim. De songs sloten ook goed op elkaar aan door het overkoepelende bluesy thema. Sowieso wel uniek hoe hij samples benaderd, en uit welk tijdsframe hij die trekt. Maar de tweede helft gaat het nergens meer heen en ben ik het 'verhaal' een beetje kwijt. Het duurt een minuut of 20 te lang voor muziek met herhaaldelijke loops. De atmosfeer redt de nummers in die laatste fase nog wel een beetje. Uiteindelijk gekomen voor de classics, en dat zijn ook de enige songs die achteraf gezien echt overeind blijven. Toch een 7 omdat de eerste fase (t/m song 8) echt wel sterk was. 7/10 Highlights: Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? Natural Blues

Moby is één van de weinige electronische 90's artiesten waarvan de muziek tot op de dag van vandaag nog wel vet is. Dat zit 'm deels in de nostalgie van de bangers, maar ook wel in de kwaliteit. Machete is zo'n track die ik niet kende maar ook nu best wel dik vind. Verder leunt de plaat natuurlijk op de grote hits en waan je jezelf in Natural Blues even Jason Bourne. Toch leuk. 7/10 Porcelain Natural Blues Machete

Honestly better than it has any right to be. That Heavyweight episode about how he refused to return those Lomax tapes he borrowed is one of the great podcasts imo.

so fun! not all tracks are great and gets a bit repetitive, but pretty solid album. its like, really good background music

I had this album in high school, and the same holds today as I felt then. I love the first half of the album, it flows, it moves and makes me feel emotions and the experiences in the music. The sounds are so big that you feel like you are floating in some beautiful world while dancing alone but in a beautiful group of people at the same time. But the second half just drags. It is not just the rhythms but the lyrics too. The Sky is Broken is just so bad and so long. In the second half some sounds still feel big and beautiful, but then just completely empty but not in a good way. I get the same feeling in My Weakness, it wants to be deep and meaningful but it kind of ends up no where. Its like he thought he was creating something impactful but it just felt unfinished. First half solid high marks and second half not great....so I will end up in the middle.

Enjoyed this. Definitely going back

It's good and experimental, but I started feeling like I was listening to a movie soundtrack instead of a normal album. Speaking of movies, the album is the length of one. I think it would have been better if it had been shorter.

7/10 First time listening to the whole album, although so many of these songs have permeated popular culture that it doesn't exactly feel new to me. It's a pretty consistent album, although maybe it does fall into a bit of a repetitive formula. Nonetheless, it's a good listen - I like Moby more than I'd previously thought. Listens: 3

I loved some of this, I liked some of this, and I didn’t care about some of this. A very solid 3 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Songs are a bit repetitive, but kind of unique for its time. South Side is still a banger.

Pretty decent music, especially for an easy listening day

Like a time capsule within a time capsule, not only for the extensive use of blues samples but also because this album feels totally tied to 2000. The first half of the album feels stronger to me than the second which gets looser and more ambient and the theme of using blues samples is abandoned. The grooves on the big singles elevate this well beyond the ordinary though. A happy piece of nostalgia through over-licensing has made it feel like sitting through a loop of perfume commercials.

Moby may have done more to promote the work of Alan Lomax to the general public than Pete Seeger; too bad they're all on X when they hear it. I'm somewhat seduced by its propulsive catchiness and then I listen to a couple of real songs and think nah, this is well-marketed trash.

thoroughly enjoyed, fun listening experience but felt like a task to listen to whole album

I remember these tunes being everywhere at the time - soundtracks, adverts, trailers... What I remember is lots of songs based on samples of black singers of blues, gospel and soul over these very basic drum and synth tracks. I was always a bit suspicious of the morality of this - giving your basic simple computer-created song "soul" through these samples. But there was a bit more variety than I remembered. Overall, it's fine. A little bit boring and annoying. But perfectly fine to put in the background whilst you clean the kitchen, which is what I was doing.

Expected to like this a bit more. Think there’s a fair bit of good on there but not much great, and some tepid stuff mixed in.

This album sounds ancient now, I have been transported back to 1999. When an album defines an era of music you've gotta give it some credit for it's influence. There's so good songs on it, but it's way too long. Probably won't listen again.

There's a few good tunes. It defined it's genre but doesn't do a lot in the latter songs for me to keep me coming back. Bit repetitive.

Very good... but not my thing.

Soul and gospel hooks and samples are doing A LOT of heavy lifting here for Moby. Compare “Southside” and “natural blues” for example. The former is Moby laid bare, which isn’t bad. But the latter embraces so much of what this album brings to the table, other people’s magic moments. Ultimately not a bad thing for human race to have, but not something that needs to be revered outside of its original context.

OVERALL: I have been putting this off like crazy. I also just keep forgetting to go here. Anyways, the very sample heavy beginning is pretty good, however can get a little jarring and corny. It's very upbeat, ethereal, and shows off Moby's great production. Then we get to the more ambient and experimental second half. Quite literally the only song that I would probably revisit fairly often is Machete, which is still pretty weird. The second half is a lot more calmer, and while there are a lot of good stuff, it's mostly boring and not much is really going on. I would recommend skipping 7, Down Slow, If Things Were Perfect, Guitar Flute & String, The Sky Is Broken, and maybe My Weakness. Really good album for just vibes, other than that it's okay I guess. SONG AVG: 6.55222/10 PERSONAL RATING: 5/10 Honey: This sounds like a guilty pleasure song. It's pretty fun, but the sample is a bit annoying and is also the only thing that isn't instrumental. The instrumental slaps, although it is pretty simple. 7/10 Find My Baby: I'm beginning to think that this is going to be a very sample-heavy album. The sample here is more annoying, and the instrumental starts off pretty bad but gradually gets really good. The sample doesn't get better though. 6.75/10 Porcelain: I saw a video breaking down this sample, and it's pretty impressive. Absolute banger, the instrumental is perfect and the sample is used very well and fits in. The last verse has a pretty weird effect over it, but it's fine I guess. Also there are actual unsampled lyrics, and they're lyrically good, but sound weak in comparison. 9.25/10 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?: Pretty good, very similar to Porcelain. The sample is used pretty well, and the instrumental is better than Porcelain's imo. It goes back to doing the repetitive sample thing he did in Honey and Find My Baby, but a bit better. The "He'll open doors" is kinda weird the more I hear it, but it's fine. 9/10 South Side: Incredible production and chorus, but the vocals in the verses sound like Moby was either bored or on his 90th take. The guitar rocks though. It is definitely a more safe song, also why did Gwen Stefani show up on this song. 8.25/10 Rushing: Pure instrumental with an occasional sample. Sounds really good, great build up and the sample is used very well. Since it's just instrumental, and Moby has really good instrumentals, this is obviously really good. It does feel like it's lacking something, but I don't really know what. 8.75/10 Bodyrock: I can't tell if I like this or not. I think the sample kinda sucks and doesn't really fit with the songs before it, but it works really well with the instrumental when it's the "we rock the body section. The instrumental is pretty good, nice rock usually. When the guitar does it's own weird drunk thing it kinda sucks, but it's usually really good. 8.5/10 Natural Blues: Nice. Nice sample, nice instrumental, just the most nice nice can get. I don't really know what else to say, but it's very ethereal. 9.2/10 Machete: What happened between Natural Blues and Machete. That was such a jarring transition. It goes hard, but still. Is this what a DMT trip sounds like? I really like this, and it's probably one of the most memorable songs, but that transition from Natural Blues was very weird. 9/10 7: huh. How do I even rate this? I feel like this is a bad omen for what's about to come. Pretty weird ambient stuff, not entirely sure why Moby went for this but I guess it works?????????????????????? 2.34/10 Run On: Better than 7 by a mile. More of the sample-heavy old soul remix stuff, although the verses don't sound that good. Really good chorus. I don't know what weird instrument he pitched down and annihilated at the end, but it brings the rating down a bit. 7.8/10 Down Slow: literally just 7 but a little better. Good choir vocals, and it sounds less drunk than 7. Still nothing much to rate. 2.75/10 If Things Were Perfect: ngl this kinda sucks. The instrumental is dead :(. Moby also sounds dead, that or he hasn't slept since the gilded age. The sample is the only sign of life on this entire song, that and maybe a few parts of the instrumental. 5/10 Everloving: I feel like my standards have been lowered after the last 4ish songs. Nice guitar, and the overall instrumental is super good. The only real complaints are that the guitar is basically the only thing for like an entire minute, and Moby's humming is weird. 7.28/10 Inside: how did we go from honey to this. Very calm and relaxing, although it isn't really doing a whole lot. I actually was surprised by the piano, not because it's really good (even thought it is) but because it is actually something different. Sounds good and that's kinda all I need at this point. 7.82/10 Guitar Flute & String: Seriously, how DID we get here from Honey. Apparently this is Moby's favorite on the album? It's okay I guess. Good ambient music that a teacher would play in the background. 6.35/10 The Sky Is Broken: There is not a single thing that is happening in the instrumental. I really don't wanna hear Moby tell me his poem while he's actively drifting off into a 20 year coma, which has pretty okay writing. The only notable thing in the instrumental are the strings that appear when Moby finally sleeps and the two piano keys that are on loop. Way too long. 3/10 My Weakness: You know what? This is good I think. Very cinematic strings, and the weird ass distorted vocals fit pretty well for a beautiful, yet haunting song. It's so much better than ending on The Sky Is Broken, but it's still not really too interesting. It does use a fade out outro, which I usually hate, but it works in this scenario because the album gets progressively more calmer. How the hell did we go from Honey to this. 6.25/10

I really liked this album. Normally techno isn’t my thing, but this is different. It’s not just mindless beats, there’s a lot more variety to it.

Not sure how this manages to be both very good and terribly lame at the same time. 3/5

I appreciate the minimalism in most of the tracks. They're very easy to listen to, and don't feel overly in your face. Definitely like it most when it feels like an ambient album, the more repetitive dancey parts I can definitely miss. I like the second half of the tracklist better than the first with the exception of porcelain.

Säkert fantastiskt att dansa till! Lyssna rakt igenom, not so much. Trea!

I really liked the upbeat first half. The downbeat back half (everything after "Everloving" more or less) was ok but kind of a bummer after the first half. I feel like if this had been an album and an EP the album would have gotten rated higher.

It's fine - it's just slowed house music though. There's some fun snippets, but it just feels like a really long album.

I can’t ever think about Moby, without thinking about Charles. Charles gave this album to me in 11th grade. At the time, this just totally felt like Charles music. It’s kind of weird, but kind of cool. It’s easy to listen to but also not pop. Cool drum beats and samples. This does feel like music that the world forgot and just kind of moved on. EDM became something entirely different. I really the vocal melodies and blues elements of this record though. It’s unique!

I listened to the first 18 tracks of the 2 1/2 hour long version on Apple Music which appears to correspond to the original release. You know, this was better than I expected. Some songs get a bit repetitive which is par for the course for this kind of music. It also got boring and kind of pretentious and creepy at the end. Best track: Run On I think I heard this guy was cancelled for something or other. I don't know exactly what for, so it's not affecting my rating.

Moby might be one of THE toughest challenges facing both my actual music preferences, and my admitted biases. When I was younger, I didn’t understand Aphex Twin. I thought it was just bleepy noise, that dubstep and electro house was where it’s at. Not too long ago, this list even broke through my preconceptions about how whiny the smiths were (to an extent, at least). But Moby…Moby was and has been a tough nut for me to crack. All I ever heard was wallpaper music that sat in the boring middle ground between music for ambience and actually palpable electronic music you could move to. ‘Electronica’ has been a tough moniker in general for me that I’m only really getting over my dispositions for in the past year or so. All of this to say, I have been waiting for this one, for better or for worse. Did Moby deserve the success this album brought on? Have I aged enough to ‘understand’ Moby? Does age = broader taste? Is it a ‘me’ problem? Well, it's complicated. The music on here is very fundamental. I wouldn't be mad at you if you just called them beats. And the beats take a downturn once "Southside" hits in the tracklisting. The classic 90's slowed breakbeat doesnt change, but the singing on this track isnt it. I liked the new age, surreal moments on "Porcelain" and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" well enough, but this just wasnt it. A song like "Machete" is a good example of what I feel this album lacks: impact. There's just no punch in most of these songs. They're more vibes than songs, or somewhere stranded in the middle between a vibe and a song. "Down Slow" works better as an interlude, becuase it's jsut that - an interlude. A short, hazy beat that knows when to leave after a minute and a half. I think DJ Shadow's Endtroducing... does everything this record fails to do. Endtroducing is additive and wandering, sometimes randomly frenetic, always engaging and/or mysterious. Play is just a bit too wallpaperish, too frequently. Maybe good for a kickback, that's about all. I can't say my opinions totally changed on this album, and on Moby so far. While I understand the appeal a tiny bit more, and recognize this music has its place, I still dont know that we all lifted the right guy to such great heights during his peak. Nothing sticks.

Had to skip through the first two songs cause the repetitiveness was a sensory nightmare for me but Porcelain was a recognisable tune so it started to redeem itself. But then I remembered how much I used to hate 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?' and had to skip again. But then it got brought back again with two good songs, so I started having a change of heart. Ultimately, it was a bit of a mixed album. Half of it I got irritated by and skipped, the other half was reasonable

Good ambient music but that's about it for me.

I feel like every song is the ending of the first Bourne Identity movie. It’s a moood.

I like this. But I don't love it. I wouldn't rush to listen to the whole album again. But pretty cool. And he seems like a pretty cool person, too.

Interesting one this, I bought it on the strength of Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, and I played it a lot but always skipped a few tracks. Listening for the first time in years it's still three tracks deep into the album that I love: Everloving, Guitar Flute & String and My Weakness. The samples and beats work well elsewhere but these instrumentals have so much depth and emotion. Too patchy for a 4 :(

Instantly recognisable and quite timeless too. A good listen with some definite highs, but admittedly not one with a lasting impact on me, and therefore I am unlikely to listen from front to back often. Good music, and a good album - not a great album though.

Porcelain is one of the best song ever, such a vibe! Moby is like a more mystical disco version of pitbull

This album is so long! Overall pleasant electronic music. Some of the songs would make good background music for commercials. I like how it takes from different oldie styles like in Run On. A lot of soundtrack vibes for some of these tracks. No idea how his concert might look like tbh.

A bit too repetitive for me. Could see how this would be revolutionary in the 90s.

Pretty good

PORCELAIN

honey was in holes. 3.5

-kind of reminiscent of Since I Left You with the plunderphonics / downtempo sound, but…. Not as good imo -had some really phenomenal moments, started off very good but ultimately couldn’t hold my attention much at the end. definitely gets 3 stars just for how catchy it is though, I was moving -Favorites are Honey, Bodyrock, and Machete

Highlights: Honey, Run On. In a nutshell: taking and running with it. It’s obvious Moby read from Fatboy Slim’s playbook: find samples you like (in this case blues vocals), add loops, stick to a template. Repeat. Porcelain is universally recognised as a chill-out radio “classic”. Body Rock would’ve been on a gym playlist. Overall: 5/10

This was surprisingly better then what I remember from Moby. 3 whales outta 5 🐳🐳🐳

Love the old samples. Tried to listen to it, just can't stick with it through the whole thing. But fond memories

Some bangers, but relys on nostalgia

I thought I would hate this, but honestly it was pretty good. A bit overly long, could have been tighter had it been shorter but enjoyable.

This album has got me really confused 'cause I really love parts of it, but some tracks (like the opening two) are simply atrocious. I guess I'm just going to go for the middle and give it a three. Moby's definitely not as bad as some people paint him to be. 3 stars

I know it well from my teens. I still like it but it is not the same. I see it more like me having grown in musical taste than the music not having aged well.

Each track is a single idea repeated ad nauseam, but at least some of the ideas are good.

It didn't really strike something with me at first, but the further along I got in the album, the more I started to like it. Overall it was a pretty solid album with great sampling technique, and I would probably listen to it again.

Heard it before. It's a really good album, honestly. One of those things you listen to when you need to chill. But I'd remove a couple of songs because it's a bittttt too long 3/5

buen sonido.

Pretty basic electronica compared to what I'm used to not bad and something I will absolutely play again.

3.5 stars. Moby and Fat Boy Slim are total 90s nostalgia.

Some hits from back in the day 3.5

You know I understand why the HIMYM gang would’ve been so excited to meet Moby on NYE. I actually really enjoyed his album compared to other electronic ones we’ve listened to so far. Moby did an amazing job at mixing it up and keeping me on my toes throughout the entire album, rather than just the redundant sound I’ve experienced with this genre in the past. Overall good album

Earworm central, slows down in the second half. Favorite track(s): Honey, Find my baby, natural blues Will I revisit?: low priority Current rating: 6/10

Find cool 'preacher like' sample, put it over a cool beat... rinse and repeat. Man found a formula that worked. I liked this album more than I thought I would.

Pretty good collection of techno and electronic songs. Very long album though, and is tedious to listen straight through.

I get the importance of this album for electronic music but electronic music isn’t really my thing.

Actually pretty decent for house music. May need to put this on my background playlist, though would need to go through and cull the right vibes. But just overall, putting this on at a party would fit right in, I can totally see why this was here. Vibed with quite a few.

This was great for the first 30minutes or so

I mean it's pretty cool, but then it gets kind of repetitive towards the end. Eighteen songs is too many.

Very tricky to rate. The "thing" is good and produces a lot of pleasant songs but does the lack of variety mean I'll not be back? I'm erring on the harsh side

“Nobody cares, Moby. Nobody cares” -Space Ghost

everywhere in 1999 and a losing cool for the multitude of corporate sellouts and overplayedness

3.5- for an electronic album it was pretty decent. A handful of songs I enjoyed and a lot of filter. Favorite songs: porcelain

First half of the album is a strong 4 second half of the album is a 2. Very typical sound from the era were you used sample and loops to create a ”unique” sound.

1/1089 - Mildly enjoyed it. Nothing super memorable.

Some good songs but not a compelling album.

Never listened to a Moby album, although I’m sure I must have heard at least one of the eight (!!!) singles from this at some point. If I’m honest, I was busy and this passed me by. I don’t remember much about it. It seemed neutral enough. I suppose I should listen to it again really. But I don’t have any desire to just now. Maybe one day I might. We’ll see.

very energetic and chaotic, like it

Don't think I'll go back to it but it was surprisingly alright

Only one must skip and few might skips which is pretty good going. All a bit unrecognisable I only knew I’d looped when I hit porcelain again each time and even then I thought Rocky might start rapping. It’s a 3.5 but that’s not an option.

Ever present part of 1999-2000. Some good tunes in here. Quite eclectic. Some are quite poor though.

Electronica. First: 3/5 Again? 3-4/5

My first time listening to Moby and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's strange and different, for sure... I don't really like the songs where he kind of talks. I do like some of the instrumentals.

Nice background music, but the extended version would go on too long

Kinda weird but some catchy songs

A fun album, which was easy going. The record was very creative and had a fun mix of genres, such as hiphop, rock and jazzy elements even, making the sound patterns quite unique. However the formula for making music on this record is very repetitive and thus overall the record lacks a bit in artistical depth. I did however enjoy listening to this record as it was super easy to jam out to this record. I'd give Moby's Play a 6.7/10.

It was okay. Not really my taste of music.

Look. I was 17 when this album came out. He placed an indelible mark on the soundscape of my youth, and it is very catchy and well produced. It is also way too long, very repetitive, and outside of the well-known songs. There’s nothing really great about it.

“Porcelain” is a deeply nostalgic song for me, but otherwise Play is mostly of its time in a way that doesn’t necessarily hold up. Loses steam halfway through.

Classic

now fairly boring due to overplaying

I fear that I put this on to read to at the end of the night and got through about half before the repetition of it all lulled me to sleep. Don’t have a real opinion, not sure I care enough to listen to the other hour or so.

5/10

++: Honey, Find My Baby, Rushing, Bodyrock, Natural Blues, Machete, Run On +: Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Inside, My Weakness +-: 7, Down Slow, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving, Guitar Flute & String, The Sky Is Broken 7,2/10

It's sweet! Really nice usage of sampling throughout the entire thing, though I do think some fat could've been shaved off in general. 3.5 (rounded down to 3 stars)

This is the first time I’ve ever listened to any of Moby’s work and I don’t know how to feel. On the one hand, there are times I found myself getting into the overall production. But there were plenty of times when I heard the sample once and dreaded that the song would be 4 minutes of that sample on loop. I don't know that I will really come back to this album, but it at least didn’t leave a sour taste in my mouth.

I know Moby and I know this album was huge (couple of hits, all the commercials and movies, etc.) but this is my first full listen. It's pretty chill throughout and despite it's length I found it to flow by pretty well without me realizing it. I like it.

This was a catchy album. But outside of that, kinda forgettable. I didn’t have any strong critiques. But I didn’t really love it either. I just wasn’t passionate about it

Not listened to this in years. I was big into Moby at the time and purchased the album before it exploded and became the soundtrack to everything. Unfortunately overexposure is to the detriment of the songs as it diminishes their emotional impact as you just think of the shit its been used to flog or crap tv moments soundtracked. Shame.

3 Stars (8/15)

Much better than F. Boy Slim. Plus he’s a certified bald icon.

3.5 The album is longer than I would like, but the songs are so pleasant and would make for great transitions at a house/techno rave.

El album está bueno, y pareciera ser de los mejores, si no el mejor, de Moby. Lo aprecié pero sin compartir al 100% el estilo musical de Moby.

works fine as background music i guess. nothing stands out, but nothing is bad either. so middle of the road it is

It's fine albeit a little dated

Songs i know: 3 Songs i like: 2 I missed the whole moby dick sucking phase, to me he was just some nerd who made music in his bedroom who eminem used to take the piss out of. Some decent tracks on here, deffo well known but also some nothing songs on here that you could just skip past. A mid 3.

Some nice songs, some ok. In total average.

A few tracks stand out, like "Honey" and "South Side," but overall it's not my favorite electronica. Evidently this was licensed a lot but nothing sounds familiar to me, so there's no nostalgia to help sell me on it. Overly long too.

Great album. Long time favorite, with some of his best work. The best stuff gets diluted by a ton of filler, though, dropping this barely below 4 stars.

He’s benefiting a lot from coming toward the end of this project for me, after having been through so much of the dullest drum & bass slop that the 90s had to offer. Gives an appreciation that he’s actually doing some interesting & different stuff, pushing the genre etc

I was into it at first, but realized quickly that it’s pretty much one 15-second gimmick on a loop over and over and it wore out its welcome

Pretty fun album. A few songs that I recognized on it.

Better than I expected. The samples of old blues records helps, and generally the arrangements are strong. Biggest complaint I had was that the samples of the old blues songs only took one phrase and there wasn’t any harmonic motion (stayed on I, never going to the IV or V) which can be a tough pill swallow when hearing old blues.

Was dreading this 2.5 hour beast of an album, but after the first few songs I got in the grove and ended up going back and playing parts of it again. Great background music to get through a workday coding and debugging.

This was certainly an interesting listen. I thought it wasn't hard to listen to but all the best songs were the samples. The samples are the only songs I would say are woth coming back to unless you are looking for background music.

Nice album. Good flow of vocals & musical arrangement.

Techno, electronic, not usually part of my listening habits, but this engages me. The guitar runs (is it a guitar?) alone, enough to keep me paying attention. I don't know how, but I was introduced to Porcelain and loved it, so I listened to more Moby. I have no ability to comment, just appreciate the steady, humming drum tracks.

Well, I've never really been a Moby fan. It's not that I dislike his music, more that I've never really played it except when an album turns up on this list! I kinda like this one, but I feel that the intervening quarter century since release hasn't served it well. The multiplicity of samples are a bit distracting, as I recognised some of them, which perplexed me as I tried to identify them.

To me Moby comes across less as a musician, and more as a reupholsterer. He chooses old African-American spirituals, as one might find a beautiful old sofa. He hammers the old melodies into shape, puttying over any small imperfections. He then applies some new material, slick beats crisp and bright (like new fabric on an old sofa), to make the original content marketable to a contemporary consumer. It's a professional and precise product but it feels cold and inauthentic. (Note: This is not my original writing, but it so perfectly captures how I felt listening to this album that I am going to “borrow” it - thanks!) 2.5⭐️

It’s a great bum of advert songs and background noise 3/5

Probably wouldn’t rush back to it but easy listen. Porcelain is a banger

5 songs are great. The rest is average and maybe too easy. But the 5 great songs (Natural blues, porcelain, Run on, Porcelain and Honey) are truely great

I expected to hate this one, and while it still wouldn't rate high on a list of albums I'd be listening to on purpose, I have to acknowledge there's some real artistry here. Plus the way this music was just showing up *everywhere* in the early 00s says something about its mass appeal (as background for car ads if nothing else).

Half of Moby's songs feel like PS2 menu music and I mean that in a good way.

I enjoyed this album. It's one that was always on my radar, but I never really listened to.

Not as good as I remember it being when I first listened to it as a teenager. It's an album with some high highs and low lows. Really 3.5* but dinged a bit for lack of consistency

I used to be quite mesmerized by Moby's music. Nowadays, it rings hollow with me. This is a very Gen X-coded record with a rather dated sound. Sometimes it does exhibit this endearing quality, but it generally screams the 90s in a rather mediocre fashion. Songs vary by quality and don't really feel like they have any kind of connective tissue that brings any kind of coherency or flow. Most of them are just loose experimentation, throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. The atmosphere of the better songs works, but with me having more experience with the music of Moby's contemporaries in the trip hop/downtempo genre, such as Portishead and Massive Attack, it fails to impress. I surely don't gravitate to it as much as I do to the more obviously dated pieces such as Bodyrock and Machete. The music video for Porcelain is great, though. Quite a striking existential piece. Actual rating is 7/10, or 3.5/5.

This album was a trip. Not even really sure how to define it, but I did enjoy it. A lot of strange and familiar samples and such. I felt like this was truly unique in the context of the list. The type of album I am really glad made it.

There was a ton of variety for an electronic album and that was a pleasant surprise. It was also fantastic for a road trip. Some songs were added into my library, but I don’t think I’ll ever find myself seeking out this album as a whole.

Moby 👍

My favourite songs were porcelain southside, body rock, and run on. I enjoyed listening to this album.

Keeping on track with my first few albums, an "old but gold album" though this time not my style.

Enjoyable enough

I loved this album when I was about 10. It is very nostalgic for me. In hindsight it is a bit long and repetitive, also it seems a bit icky to sample a load of old black singers and put a simple beat over it and make loads of money

звучит здорово. звучит необычно. чистый ракинрол в электроне. прог. но к середине альбома понял что мозг сверлит знатно.

Enjoyed Southside and Run On and a handful of others, but it mostly made me sleepy. Not my favorite type of music in general.

Can't really listen now without remembering the creepy Natalie Portman stories.

Some nice and pretty sounds but lowkey kinda boring, especially towards the back end. But that’s ok tho cus this guy was in JASON BOURNEEEE

1. Get my honey come back, sometimes 2. I’m gonna find my baby before that sun goes down 3. As I wake it’s kaleidoscopic mind 4. Why does my soul feel so bad? 5. Here we are in the pouring home 6. Instrumental 7. To the beat the bodyrock today is rock 8. Don’t nobody know my trouble 9. Help me break you with my mind 10. Instrumental 11. My head got wet in midnight dew 12. Instrumental 13. Living is easy when it’s night 14. Instrumental 15. Instrumental 16. Instrumental 17. Hear the rain fall, see the wind come to my eyes 18. Weakly mind

Not as bad I had made it out to be in my head.

Electronica with some rock mixed in between at times. Feels very late 90s. I did enjoy a few tracks, but the album is very long and it just feels like Moby threw all of the tracks he made at the time into an album with no rhyme or reason.

Kósý moby.

Fyrri hlutinn frábær, restin leiðinleg. Moby hefði átt að fara með rakvélina á helming laganna,

Much of the first part of the album is a simple beat layered with a repetitive blues/soul vocal sample. It got old fast. The last part of the album is mostly instrumental and is much better (I listened to The Complete Recordings version).

Like a lot of people, pretty much the only reason why I know and remember the name Moby is because Eminem dissed him in "Without Me". Don't ask me why; it's 20-some year old beef and I don't care. But if you asked me—and Moby, for that matter—this diss was actually a great thing for Moby. It got (and is still getting) his name in a lot of ears. "Without Me" **is** one of Eminem's most well known and played singles, after all. And, goodness me, in 2024 it might be slightly better advertising for him than his music. I mean, let's be clear: I don't dislike it. Far from it, actually. There's a lot of stuff I like a lot, **especially** the piano parts. They're gorgeous. And letting myself vibe out to this album while I'm playing DR. MARIO... Yeah, it's a great time. But actually listen closely to the album, and taking it as a whole... Frankly, I don't think it really needed to be an hour long. Like, so you can maybe understand what I'm talking about, let's just focus on the songs built around samples. He takes a snippet of a blues vocal, lays down some dance drums and piano around it, sometimes inserts some synth strings, and lets it flow up and down. It's not bad, and it's where some of my favorite piano lines come from actually. He just never really builds on that set-up. I mean, take Fatboy Slim's YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY—which, yes, is built on more samples than this album, and is going for a different sound, but hear me out. Fatboy Slim does a lot with his samples, not just between songs, but even within them. They're always switching up into different sections to keep things moving along and interesting, and no two songs pull the same tricks. This album, meanwhile, opens with the same trick twice. Sure, I don't think either one's bad, but did they really both need to be here? Or at the very least, more could've been done to make them unique besides their sample and tempo. And it's not like there's not exceptions across the album. As I was writing this, the closer, "My Weakness", came on, and that's a beautiful track. As a whole package, though... This kind of feels like a casualty of CD bloat; like there wasn't any restraint in what to include. Just throw everything on there, even if it doesn't have any more ideas than the five other songs it sounds just like. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Like I said, if I allow myself to just vibe to it, it's fine. And, hey, there's no shame in that being your relation to an album. I'm not even sure why I would've been expecting too much, anyway, given where I know Moby's name from. But I can only be honest with what I heard, and what I heard is a pretty "it's fine" 3. One that could've been a 4 if it's tightened up its runtime, 'coz, seriously, I really do a lot of its piano stuff. The way it is now, though... Yeah, I doubt I'll ever again give the whole thing a play.

I’m at a 3.5, and I think I have to bump it down to a 3. I think this album has an identity crisis. I thought about it a lot while listening to it, but the core style of this album is split between “composition” vs “feel” for me. I don’t think the album ever really comes to a decision on which way it fully leans, and that sort of indecision is what’s driving me down towards a 3. I think in terms of the actual compositions, these are sort of thoughtfully lazy – that is to say, each added instrument on top of the many samples, as well as the ongoing layering of instruments that occurs throughout the album is intentionally and thoughtfully produced. Sure, not all of it is sonically and tonally as energetic as one might hope, but there is not one “mistake” in terms of Moby’s composition. It’s very deliberate. The question that arises from those choices is simply “does it make you feel the way he intended?” I don’t know if every track made me feel the way he intended. I think it leans that way most of the time, but when it hits on feel, it sacrifices part of the actual musicality of everything. I don’t think the composition is particularly as interesting or as captivating as Moby intended it to be. I think the feeling of each track is nailed pretty well, and when it clicks, it clicks. The question that arises from that choice is simply “does it make for a coherent album experience?” No. No, it doesn’t. At least, not for me. This album never quite finds its true balance between composition and feel, and it suffers from not picking a proper direction. There’s not any bad tracks (ok, save for the painfully boring stretch of Tracks 12-13), but I can’t really say that this album ends up sticking out after listening to it. There’s definitely good tracks, don’t get me wrong, but as an entire experience front to back, things just feel like they come and go – nothing truly sticks in the long term in terms of feel or composition, and it makes for an album with an identity crisis. I did like most of it, and there are worse ways to use up 63 minutes, but there are also much better ways. I’m not gonna say it doesn’t deserve to be on the list, because this will click with someone much more than it did for me, but I just feel like it had to commit to a more concrete style to really click for me. Hence, the 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3.

Not sure how this manages to be both very good and terribly lame at the same time. 3/5

Day276 - seems like a win win. the sampled artists get new life to a new audience

An electronica album with repeated beats/music/samples/sounds/etc, yet not as bad as some songs of the same genre can get. Kept me interested, for the most part, but at times got a bit boring. Average overall.

Hasn't aged too well sinceI listened to it as a child

Yeah it sounds like a commercial break from 1999-2001, and I’m not immune from that as a lover of nostalgia.

moby is certainly an interesting character. the stuff with natalie portman is a huge red flag and it sounds like his heavy-drug-and-alcohol-addiction era is responsible for a lot of damage he did to himself and those around him. but this review is ostensibly about an album, not the man himself. and it's decent. as many other reviewers pointed out, moby has essentially perfected the formula of taking an old african-american spiritual or blues song and recontextualizing it as a modern electronica hit, which then gets repackaged for use in car commercials. the circle of life??? if you like that formula and sound, you'll love this album (and it seems many people do, considering this is the best-selling electronica album of all time). if not, your hour is better spent elsewhere. i like a good transformative work/sample but these do get pretty samey after a while. still, the songs are good as background music and decently catchy. my opinions are mixed, so three stars it is. favorites: honey, porcelain, why does my heart feel so bad, bodyrock, natural blues, my weakness

Not my cup of tea. Most tracks sounded like background music from a level in Sonic the Hedgehog. Except I can beat most levels in less than 6 1/2 minutes, which seems to be about the average track length. A couple bangers though, like that one track from Gone in 60 Seconds.

Perfect for a cocktail party, or something where it's just dropped into the background, but nothing that comes across as a must listen with your full attention. Some really decent hooks, but often just leaving your mind to focus on anything but the music.

This album sounded like the most relaxing day in a swimming pool, call refracted lights on white walls. Favourite track: Honey.

Nice enough, eclectic.

Started off strong but dragged on a bit.

Nice diverse casual listen , can totally sss myself bumping this on. Work day … but also nothing too crazy to my new age ear

Definitely better than most of the electronic music that we've heard from this list. I was surprised at how many songs I knew or at least had heard. Just way too long.

This was like one long piece, which while impressive was also kind of boring. The sampling was well done though.

Meh. I’m just not into electronica. I tried but I’d neither take it or leave it.

3☆/5 09.23.2024

Before listening to this, my only formed opinions of Moby were that: - He did the Sopranos theme. He didn't. - His restaurant is good. Not the best cinnamon roll ever, but after a full brunch, it was small enough to enjoy without being too indulgent. Anyways. This is something where I was aware of, had never heard, but had no objection to listen to. On that itself, it wasn't bad. Solid beats, not surprisingly. More hits than I remember and I think those, especially Southside, are among the lower points of the album. The back half, like Corrosion of Conformity's Animosity, is where the magic lies.

Pretty damn great! So cool to organically discover the origin of the Southland Tales dance song.

Moby! Give Gregor his CDs back. It's like this guy stumbled onto the right sound the right place the right time. Some undeniably catchy compositions. Album doesn't need to be this long. Sould have ended at least after track 11 The Blues and Roots samples elevated this to make it much cooler.

This reeks of early 2000s. All I picture is that dumb Leo DiCaprio movie about a beach. That said it’s solid I don’t hate it.

Lovely at first but fades into the background, and there’s a lot there. Gets tedious at the end.

First 10-ish songs are solid. The other 24 are a little much. By 'little' I mean way too and by 'much' I mean ffs Moby.

Well done, but not my style at all.

some really cool ideas however it overstays its welcome if im being honest. I was done with this album by track 8. crazy that there is an extended version that doubles the track list to 34 songs. Jealous of the fans of this album because they got a lot of music to enjoy. unfortunately im not one of them

I love Moby and have this album but I like the other two I have (Animal Right and 18) more. I like the sound of it and some songs are great with clever use of samples. But it's not very varied. I'd give it 4* just because I like it, but I think in a list like this, it only deserves a 3*.

Listened to it a couple times today. I really enjoyed three tracks: Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad? and Everloving. The album is way too long, it would heavily benefit from cutting a lot of deadweight. It's downtempo enough, no need to make it boring. The whole idea behind the album of working on old blues samples feels pretty great in the beginning. Especially on tracks such as Why Does My Heart...? But - it gets old quickly since there's not that much going on other than that. The melodies are pretty and feel familiar, piano goes well with synths and the rhythm patterns are easy to follow. I like it but a) it's way too long, b) it is a bit boring. 3/5

There are some great songs on here. The problem is my brain associates them all with tv commercials in the early 2000s.

I never really understood the fascination and appeal of Moby and though I hadn't actually listened to the music I had some hesitation to bother. The music isn't anything special, electronica and borrowed beats from a bald white guy who goes an admirable job filling a CD's worth of music. I didn't mind the songs, there's definitely something there and it was enjoyable enough to let it run with the extra tracks (on the version I heard). I still don't get why he's popular, but there is a lot more music that is more popular that I don't like. So, I guess play on Moby.

Basically movie soundtracks, which is good if you’re in the mood for it. Some duds some bangers

Pretty cool for electronic music, which isn’t that cool.

I remember what a huge splash “South Side” was, most likely due in part to Gwen Stefani being at the peak of her powers and popularity; although the version with her vocals is not included with this release. I also thought “Run On” and “Honey” were interesting. Outside of those few though, I didn’t much care for the rest of this.

All I can think during this album is: “And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie You thirty-six-year-old bald-headed <expletive deleted>, blow me You don't know me, you're too old, let go It's over, nobody listens to techno Now let’s go!!!” I mean it was fine. Just gets so repetitive for me!

Difficult to classify. My first serious effort to listen to Moby. I liked the sound/vibe of many of the tracks but it is hard to say what mood this music works with. Appreciate the effort to diversify the sound across songs. Particularly liked \"Natural Blues\", \"Porcelain\", \"Everloving\" and \"Run On\".

It started really good, but I did start to lose interest a little bit by the end. None of it was straight up terrible, but this album could do with just being a bit shorter.

plant-based ambient realness

Not bad.

Energetic record.

From his little globe head that sits atop his slight frame to his underwhelming tuft of untamed chest hair, Moby is an Adonis and an icon. I don’t know anyone who could rock black slacks and sneakers like this little guy. Moby, your talent is unmatched both in fashion and in mixing sick beats. Metaphorically speaking you are a giant among men. Call me

Decent at points, some songs got me in the feels others were just annoying

didn’t love it, didn’t hate it 2.5

Not too bad

Considering I hate this genre this was OK!

Don’t really care for money, but this album is ok

Moby's Play is a mixed bag. It has some real gems, like "Porcelain" and "South Side," that are absolutely stunning. It's the kind of music that sticks with you. But there are also parts that feel a bit drawn out. It's like a box of chocolates – some are amazing, others just okay. Overall, it's a big album that made a huge splash, but it's not perfect.

Pretty cool electronic

...(.

This reminds me of 1999. It's fine but was too long

Starts like a Ferrari with a handful of annoying hits. Then becomes forgettable.

Play is the fifth studio album by Moby, originally released in 1999. The story behind this is pretty interesting. Apparently Moby made this record with the intention of it being his last before he had to quit music to find a more reliable source of income. His previous albums were met with OK ratings but failed to break into the mainstream. That was the case with this album too.. initially. It bombed on release. Moby had to license pretty much every song from here for use in commercials, movies, etc. just to make some sort of profit. For some reason, this album eventually blew up months after its release. As for the music, I was surprised by the variety on here. Moby does a good job at incorporating different genres such as downtempo, trip-hop, ambient, and more. The samples are well curated as well. The main downfall for me is the repetitiveness. Sure, the samples are good but they repeat throughout the whole song, and it can get tiring after a while. Also, the spoken word parts were a bit cringe and definitely didn't age well.

I flicked between 5 and 2, so am averaging out at a 3 - to me, it feels very smug and like it's too busy trying to be clever that it forgot what it was trying to say. It does have a vibe, but it's one that rubs me the wrong way.

Not really my thing but I'll say I've enjoyed this more than the trip hop and most other electronica albums popping up on this list so far. I was also surprised by how chill some of this is.

Could have been a 4 star for me but there is a lot of filler tracks.

Wait .... didn't I hear that song in a commercial once?

I thought this was great at the time, on replay I didn't love it as much

A couple of cool tunes. Most of the songs are a bit odd, repetitive. And like everything he does, ego centric. Maybe I just don’t trust young bald guys.

A few great tracks in Honey, Porcelain, and Natural Blues but the rest of the album doesn't quite reach the same heights.

Torn. Moby is pretty cringy (Natalie Portman?), but I remember some of these songs fondly from when they first came out. Some of it is fun easy listening, some of it is annoying or boring. And the album as a whole feels a bit too formulaic to be interesting.

This is decent. But this is not my type of music. I found this to be a bit long as well.

The hits are good, everything else is probably a bit meandering/repetitive or just not quite as good, but overall enjoyed it.

I wish Moby would've been more selective on what made it on this album. There are some real highlights. Flower is probably my favorite track on here. But man there are some snoozers on here. Probably not an album I'll return to, but I'd happily listen to a much more curated version.

Some beautiful tracks, but way too long as an album

Gestural and surfacey and Muzak-ian in the end, however intriguing and attractive upon first (or distant) hearing. Closer attention begs questions: Does he deserve credit for seeking to inject some soul into the sterility of club music? Was it inspired insipid to seek to instill gospel and blues into a clubby context? Is it a dilution, a corrupting by way of compromise, even an incompatible marriage? And shouldn’t there have been a merger with Fatboy Slim? Editors are right; ultimately this is a play for the pop mainstream, for broad acceptance. Clearly some thought went into the layerings and pairings, but it lacks flow and feels overcontrolled, as if it had to be just so. These rather anodyne assemblages may have marked a moment, but not very distinctively. And Stipe had every right to be annoyed for being mistaken for Moby.

I mean, it’d be hard to make an album 2.5 hours long that didn’t have a few hits—there are some beautiful, meandering tracks and some pop-y dance songs that make it enjoyable but it’s just….so…..looooong.

Every track has a great groove. I’m not a big listener of electronica, so I don’t have a lot of background/input for this album. Something I’d surely put on at a party for easy going ambience. High 3

Play is a good album, and a well-made album , but it’s one with diminishing returns. This was my first listen, and I was immediately impressed by the sample blending, which is incredibly unique, even today, as well as Moby’s brand of downtempo, spacey electronica. Especially on the first half, it comes in strong and feels energized, but the back half is more laid back, more textured. But then I replayed it, and it started to lose its luster immediately. Now that I’d seen Moby perform the trick once, it stopped being cool. The more I focused on the blues and roots music samples, the more I thought about the inherent politics of using disembodied black voices in white art, and it reminded me of a novel I read a few years ago, White Tears, which frames this issue throughout history as a horror story. And that thought couldn’t leave my brain. No matter how respectful Moby may have been when he made this, it’s still, well, a political act, and as a listener, it’s hard to not sit with the politics of this choice. The issue, though, is that those are the best songs Play has to offer. They’re the most energetic, the most complex, and the most engaging. Without this trick, you’re left with Moby, on his own. That means a lot of downtempo trance. A LOT! Sometimes, it also means you have to tolerate his voice, which isn’t great. And I think ultimately this became Play’s Achilles Heel for me. These downtempo trance songs all blend together. They don’t really go anywhere, they don’t evolve, and they’re either given no space or too much space. With little meat on each song’s individual bones to warrant a track-by-track revisit, I found myself growing bored with the whole venture of the album itself. By a third listen, Play’s back half barely registered in my brain, and I accepted that this is the exact type of electronica I would never listen to by choice. What’s more, it sounds so distinctly ‘90s, the sonic equivalent of the iMac G3, and that dated quality made it even less interesting. Play is a cool idea, and cool for its time, but that coolness has a half life. An active listen expedites that half life. If you get through a handful of listens without that half life being an issue, then Play will always work for you. For me, I have to tap out and accept that a truly enjoyable electronic album would not make me question its creation, and also would actually get my ass moving. Play does neither. Interesting and important, sure, but I won’t relisten any time soon.

Totally listenable, but not all that interesting

Good, but massively overrated. Some tracks are awesome but some really haven't stood the test of time. Plus his "essays" in the cd sleeve are cringe beyond belief

I mean. It’s alright like. Overrated

Easy 4 star, maybe more. I remember liking Moby. plus he's vegan, which should mean nothing for his music but it does to me. OK -1 star for being a douche to Natalie Portman when they "dated"

The album that convinced thousand of mediocre dudes that they could be a musician/dj. Definitely a product of its' time. The tech has come so far since then. First half of the album is fine. Latter half tapers off a bit. I did always enjoy learning that he worked on an Atari ST. I might know some of the guys that programmed the tools he used.

It’s weird that this review is taking this path, but it is, so oh well- there were mouth sounds in the spoken words bits on some of the songs. This bothered me. You’d think that there would be some kind of quality control. But I definitely heard lip-smacks and suchlike, and I don’t wanna hear lip-smacks and suchlike. Drink some applejuice or something, eh? I also don’t understand people who are into mouth sounds as ASMR. Or really, any ASMR. It puts me on edge, but people think it’s relaxing? What? If I’m gonna listen to something I wanna, you know, listen to it. I think that ASMR broaches the liminal aurally. It’s also kinda voyeuristic, no? IDK- I hate ASMR and don’t wanna hear mouth sounds. South Side was good though.

Solid album. I need a break from electronica. This one is very good though. I liked the samples and eclectic array of genre influences. I just don’t really see a venue (other than a party) where I’d listen to it. ***

All in all, I enjoy this album.

Pretty nice and upbeat but too repetitive. Favourites: porcelain, why does my heart feel so bad?, rushing, everloving, guitar flute and string. Overall pretty good but I think it would be improved if some songs were cut/edited out because it dragged on for too long. 3/5

I like a lot of the songs on this album. The issue is, if I listen to the whole thing it gets on my nerves. I have to be in the right mood and then I listen to maybe 4-5 tracks total and then I’m loving it. So as an album this is going to get a low rating from me but the songs themselves, especially Porcelain and My Weakness, would get five stars.

Run On, Honey, and Porcelain are very familiar to me, with their near-constant use as backing music in the early 2000's, but I still like them, and the basic idea of remixed blues and gospel tracks is very cool. Still, a lot of the tracks here go on too long and the lesser-known tracks are lesser-known for a reason, I would say. I definitely understand this album's inclusion on the list, it captures music of the period and it was influential, or influenced, but I don't know when I would listen to most tracks for enjoyment.

It's okay. I'm just not that interested

Some nice sounds me

The highs are great, but overall has not aged well

Well, I expected to hate this, since it is categorized here as electronica. But it's alright. Not great, but solidly alright. Nice enough for background, at least 3/5

Fun album. Great music to work to or drive to. I think it's a 3.5/5 for me

I thought this album would be a "4" after I started listening to it the first time. I listened to the first half in my car and it had a lot of great emotion behind the songs. However I didn't feel as strongly about the second half. When I listened to the album again, it was much less evocative for me, so it bumped down to a "3"

3,5

2024-05-15...

It might be because we've had 25 years of electronic/sample music since this but I found a lot of the album quite bland and uninteresting. There are some interesting and fun moments on the album, but especially when the Avalanches or DJ Shadow were doing much more unique stuff with sampling in this era, I was left wanting a lot more from this. Best Track: My Weakness Worst Track: If Things Were Perfect

I am not very familiar with his songs. Album cover was familiar. First seconds I was liking it but definitely sounded very repetitive sampling/loops without contributing enough I think. Porcelain I liked most- felt the most complete. Nice Decent background music especially at the second half. 3.5

Fine but can't be arsed.

Here’s a question: do I like this album, or have its songs so ingrained themselves in pop culture that they’re inescapable and therefore familiar? Is sampling field recordings exploitative, innovative, reverential, all of the above? Are the folk songs enhanced by Moby’s reimagining or are they stripped of something essential and turned into something soulless? Is the second half of the album a peaceful meditation, a metaphor for a breakdown, or Muzak? Is licensing literally every song on this album a genius marketing move, savvy business, or evidence that perhaps it isn’t about exposing more people to folk music or anything so “artistic” at all? Is Moby intending these questions or is he just a hack who stumbled into a profitable gimmick? I think if I thought he were intending them, I could forgive a lot more, but nothing about Moby suggests to me that he is that dude. I don’t think he cares if we think deeply about this. I think he just wants us to dance. Not to diminish that goal, which is fine, but then I’m going to evaluate things differently than if I thought this were a social commentary. I see on previous listens I have liked five songs here (honey, find my baby, bodyrock, natural blues, and run on). Today natural blues, find my baby, and why does my heart feel so bad are the only three that hit for me. (Also, flower, always, but that’s a b-side.) Bodyrock especially feels … let’s say, of its time. Seeing that “like” is physically painful. It feels very much like a “I was 16 when this came out, this song made everyone dance, I have some nostalgic feelings tied up with it” like and not a “this song is actually good on its own terms” like. I also didn’t hate “my weakness” but I had to force myself to listen to it because I was ready to quit a couple songs from the end. I think I come down on the side of liking the folk/electronic mashups while having conflicted feelings about them. I found an article from 2000 saying Moby hadn’t paid the Lomax estate (who recorded the originals) or the estates of the performers themselves: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/08/09/for-blues-artists-a-sad-refrain/5c0fdb33-682e-4feb-b03d-93edc7c81491/ And more googling didn’t uncover a satisfactory resolution to that story. So let’s try to add that all up. +1: introduced a lot of people to the Alan Lomax recordings +1: incalculable cultural impact +1: some bangers, for sure +1: you have to have the idea to mix genres like this and then execute it -1: exploitative refusal to share credit or profit -1: the songs that don’t build off others’ work kinda suck, including one of the most lyrically boring rap(?) songs in existence and a generally bland second half -1: I suspect I’ve thought more about the politics of this album this morning than Moby did while making it I think we’re landing around a 2 or 3, and I have all weekend to consider whether I should separate the art from the artist/background, be less of a killjoy, just lay back and submit to the inevitability of Moby, and round up to a 3. I’ve already given plenty of terrible people high scores and when we get to Led Zeppelin (for example) that’ll continue, with more exploitation of black artists to boot.

decent electronic

Never heard of this before - it was nice enough.

Amazed at the amount of house music this website gives you

schön zu hören

Moby is just a better version of Fatboy Slim. Now that I've finished the whole album, yeah he's way better. It was a decent album, but it got pretty slow towards the end.

Better than I remember it being. Southside was overplayed when it was released, so I got sort of sick of it.

Good album. Appreciated it when it came out. Just got terribly overplayed, and became redundant. And overuse in ads made it feel like kind of a sell out after a while.

🎧Good stuff here. I’ve long known Porcelain and South Side (still a banger). There are other nice techno grooves here like Natural Blues. Everloving with its tender acoustic guitar was unexpected and quite beautiful. Couple snoozers/skips on the back half—If Things Were Petfect and The Sky is Broken are basically just Moby doing spoken word over boring instrumentation.

Mix of electro “hits” and deeper vibes w a melancholy tone

Easy to listen to and not bad, but sonically repetitive.

It's cool, not my favourite.

I won this CD from a local radio station back when it first came out. I played it numerous times right after I got it, but had completely forgotten about it until it showed up in this list. It was good to listen to it again.

I gotta say, I actually liked this album when it came out, but now I'm not sure what to think. I don't think it has aged particularly well, or maybe I haven't. Listening to this is like looking through some blurry photos from a disposable camera in 1999. Green lawns, fake Oakleys, butt cuts, faint glow of youth.

An interesting mix of ambient and house-y tunes but sooo long. Was surprised to hear the track flower too haha

A thoroughly enjoyable album. Not strictly an electronic album with heavy samples and fantastic tracks built around said samples. South side is forever a banger but the nuanced tracks in between hits really help this album flow.

I forgot how many songs I know and like from this one. This is as good as electronica gets for me. 3.75

Pretty good. Gets a bit redundant.

Pretty good first, part, later songs bit weird

These are brilliant backing tracks. Had he collaborated with songwriters and performers he may have actually made something more than (admittedly gorgeous) sonic confections.

elevated muzak. sometimes just elevator music

Surprised I recognized a few songs. No idea what was he saying half the time. Good background music

Eminem improperly prepared me for Moby. I actually quite liked this. More like chill focus music than techno that I thought

You don’t know me. You’re too old. Let go, It’s over. Nobody listens to techno. But actually pretty good tbh

Seems like a playlist in an album. Love the tracks that have the soul samples. Will definitely play it a bit, it’s a chiller.

Liked it back then, now... It's okay!

Brings back memories but perhaps I’ve heard it too many times… not really my vibe anymore

Ya desde los dos primeros temas, "Honey" y "Find My Baby", Moby deja claro en "Play" que lo suyo es la música con base electrónica. Si en esos dos temas la entreteje con muestras vocales de blues y gospel, en el tercer tema, el muy conocido y uno de los que más me gustan, "Porcelain", adquiere el tono evocador y melancólico característico de su obra hasta entonces, y ya no lo abandona en el resto del álbum. "Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad" sigue su estela y consigue emocionar, mientras cabe destacar la incursión en la tendencia electrónica del momento, el big-beat, con "Bodyrock".

Some definite solid songs. Too many ethereal tracks that are just filler

kaffihúsatónlist æsku minnar. ekki slæmt en missir hálfan af því moby er tussa. 3,5.

Mest megnis gott, fílgúdd stöff. Minnir mig alltaf á eina systur mína.

Honey - 82 Like the clapping, beat, the loop, the strings the beat switch in the middle is alright Find My Baby - 75 Like the strumming, Porcelain - 86 the piano in the back is nice, and having lyrics is a nice change from the previous songs got a little too repetitive, the different musical elements merge the best out of the songs so far. Like how it repeats the start at the end. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - 83 Like the sample, reminds me of Fred Again's style South Side - 89 Like the hip-hop East Coast vibe beat, i like the singing, inspirational Rushing - 85 chill, the sample is used sparingly the quiet yeah yeah, the clicking around the 2:15 mark is a bit annoying on its own, and feels like a long interlude Bodyrock - 80 Different vibe straight away more pop, the drum pattern is cool, the electric guitar Natural Blues - 78 Machete - 75 Don't like the woop woop sound, the techno beat synthesiser isn't unique like the beat switch at 1:47 a lot, in my mind part really good and further is still good dont like the first half too much 7 - 70 solid interlude, just to slow down the pace after the heavy song before Run On - 84 Like the sample and the hum, Down Slow - 70 Another solid interlude, slows down the tempo, nice to have just a beat If Things Were Perfect - 68 like the beat and record scratch, the vocals are a bit odd, the 'Give me summer' is a nice sample, maybe would like it more on a relisten Everloving - 87 not a fan of it only playing in the left earphone for the first minute but is satisfying when it starts playing both, the humming and strings are really nice, the drums coming are good, Inside - 82 very nice chill instrumental Guitar Flute & String - 82 also a very nice instrumental The Sky Is Broken - 70 One of my lesser favourites on the album, again not a fan of the vocals and the background track isn't a standout My Weakness - 80 A nice calm end to the able, interesting vocals

Besides his biggest hits, I discovered a few more tracks that I really like. I don't enjoy the tracks with Blues influence also some tracks are only sketches that I wouldn't consider full songs. So I don't think I will go back to this album and listen to it in its entirety. Still, he created a near-perfect soundscape on many of the tracks.

I wasn't sure I was going to know anything off this album, then the first song started.

Yo. I thought I had never heard of this mans and then I'm hit with that one song from the movie Holes (Honey) right off the bat. Runs into the same issue as Fatboy Slim though, where it's just the same 10-15 second clip looped for minutes at a time. Many songs could have been half the length and I would have honestly been happier with the result. Makes for decent background music at least.

Not for me, necessarily. I can respect that it's an important electronic record. The hits are great. I feel a certain way about sampling classic blues recordings and repackaging them this way.

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Some really cool sounds. I think a few of the tracks continued on for a little too long.

Moby dick

Forgot about Moby!!!

Cool songs but they were repetitive

This album really was just ok. There’s some bangers, but you have to sit through the first half which is a real mixed bag. The second half is way better, even if it still has a few downsides. One of them is that the samples can get annoying at times, and the songs start to sound same-y, which really sucks because there’s some stuff this album has to offer. It’s ok.

Repetitive lyrics.

The album is fine but I have a very different taste in EDM. The significance of bringing EDM to the masses is kind of lost on me.

In the right mood/setting...

7/10 Loved the first song

I connected with some of the diverse tracks on this record. Definitely has a cultural contribution from the time this was released. Not a regular listen for me, but I appreciate the artist and the ground that they were breaking at the time.

I have to give credit where credit is due, I remember the first time I heard this and how it made me feel. This was a special album in its day. Today, it probably sounds like bad Coldplay and could be criticized for that or whatever, but I still hold a certain fondness for it remembering those very good years. The song I discovered almost for the first time was 'Guitar Flute & String'. It's probably a track I skipped back in the day, but now interestingly found to be the best song on the album.

Mostly sounded like hotel lobby music. The few tracks that had words were very repetitive. Would have enjoyed the album at about half the length. Good background music.

Interesting music, if not my particular cup of tea. 6/10

it's ok

2,7

Some of the songs are great. The rest is just background.

It's okay, it didn't evoke anything out of me and Moby is kinda weird

An important album for electronic music. This has a number of great tracks, but the second half of the album drags.

I recognized some of the songs from getting radio play, but aside from that, this album was just ok. Didn’t really connect with me.

I've heard a number of these songs..not my jam but familiar

Two hours of what I suppose would be considered Electronic Dance Music, so a standard song structure (intro, verse, chorus, etc.) is nowhere to be seen. Lots of pleasant looping beats, though. I'm not the target audience, but for what it's worth, people like me may still find value in the album as background music. I listened while working, and I didn't find it distracting at all.

Good stuff, would t necessarily search it out but would be happy to listen again.

Attempting the Led Zeppelin approach to song writing, but without the charisma, chops, or outright bombast. Now, for some reason, I feel the urge to buy a Toyota. And some Tampax.