Track Listing

1. Honey
2. Find My Baby
3. Porcelain
4. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
5. Southside
6. Rushing
7. Bodyrock
8. Natural Blues
9. Machete
10. 7
11. Run On
12. Down Slow
13. If Things Were Perfect
14. Ever Loving
15. Inside
16. Guitar Flute And String
17. Sky Is Broken
18. My Weakness

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2364 in Music
• Released on: 1999-05-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
The great iconoclast of techno returns with a smooth, sacred and exhilarating record. Play's concoction of breakbeat rhythms, ambient mixology and inspired blues and gospel samples cry out across musical genres and histories, imparting a time-tested wisdom to beat-driven ears. Moby's devout faith--in both God and his own musical whims--give this approach a sort of legitimacy that another, less sincere artist would never have. That sincerity reverberates through the beats and instrumental eclecticism like a pulse. The soulful refrains and proclamations in "Find My Baby" and "Natural Blues" somehow nestle between straight-up dance-floor rave-ups ("Bodyrock") and melt-in-your-mouth ambience ("Inside") with an effortless grace. Moby reaches across his turntables and finds something pure--almost organic. In fact, the album feels more natural than techno is ever supposed to feel, more spiritual than DJs are supposed to be able to muster and more alive than it has any right to be. Check out the spellbinding compilation Natural Blues to hear the original source material from blues and spiritual singers such as Etta James, Vera Hall and BB King. --Matthew Cooke

CD Description
Between its release in 1999 and early 2002, ten million copies of Moby's 'Play' had been sold worldwide. Each of the tracks on the album were used on advertisements. The entire record was created in Moby's bedroom studio and he wrote, arranged, produced and performed each track.

Customer Reviews

I am still moved and inspired by this album...
Every artist or band has a moment in time where they reach the pinnacle of their talent and produce their finest never to be bettered album. `Play' was that moment for Moby.

Re-assessing the album several years on away from the hype and backlash that surrounded it's commercial use and appeal, in my view this album sounds even better and perhaps more relevant than it did in 1999. Whilst one must never confuse quality with popularity in this case the popularity (10 million copies sold to date) is justified.

If you choose to buy this be prepared to be inspired and moved by inviting sound scapes, innovative blues sampling, and a feeling of being let into the private world of Moby when he reportedly recorded `Play' in his apartment.

Highlights for me would be Honey, Find my baby, Porcelain, Why does my heart..., Bodyrock, Natural Blues and Everloving but the others are also too good to be dismissed.

Released against a backdrop of late 20th century cheesy techno trance chart `dance' music, this mature body of work stood head and shoulders above most of its genre at the time, and it still does. The album manages to strike a successful balance between being intimate and delicate towards the end of the album, and soaring and celebrationary towards the beginning. The production has not dated and the sampling and song writing is inspiring and emotional.

Now the hype has died down and the backlash has been all but forgotten, `Play' by Moby has stood the test of time to sound even better several years on from it's initial release, and is probably one of the most significant and recommended albums of the last 10 years.

Enjoy.

A Pure Work of Genius
I wasn't aware of 'Moby' till I had heard 'Porcelain' (track 3) for the first time during a TV channel's coverage of the Euro 2000 Soccer tournament. I found myself lost in the beauty of this track and had always wanted to know who it was by. It turned out that not only was he, Richard Melveill Hall a.k.a. 'Moby', responsible for this work of genius, but several cuts on TV trailers I had come across were also of his doing.

If you're one of those who's worried of wasting your money on an album which contains a few tracks you've heard but you think you havent a clue as to how the rest of the album will shape up, then I'll let you know that you will definately NOT be disappointed.

I think this is his 4th album and he has worked his way up to perfection I assure you.

'Play' starts off in a very bright, easy-go-happy mood with the first 2 tracks, which are a sign that you're in for an exciting ride. Track 3 (Porcelain) is a masterpiece you'll find playing in your player many a time.

However the mood of this album does change several times and the second half of the album is very distinct from the first. Over the course of this album, the tracks gradually become more mellowed out and ambient and this I find very special as you start with a party beat and end in a peaceful harmonious state of bliss.

Out of the 18 tracks, track 11 (Run On) is PROBABLY my favorite although I love the way track 9 (Machete) gets my adrenalin pumping with its fast paced beat.

Basically, I fell in love with this album ever since i purchased it and I was surprised how well it was put together. It really taps in deep down at heart if you listen to it all the way through, then you'll want to feel the same way again and again and again...you will NOT be disappointed.

One criticism, one thousand virtues- music for every mood.
If it was possible, Play would get 6 stars. But I'll start with my one gripe about the album. You would have heard almost of the songs somewhere before. Personally, I think the tracks on Play are far too over-used on adverts and trailers. But besides that, it's a brilliant album that you'll never tire of listening to. I bought in in May (I had heard only Porcelain on an advert) and still play it more than my many dance CDs put together.

It starts upbeat, psyched up, with Honey and Find My Baby. Then instantly calms down for the over-used, but peaceful and fabulous, Porcelain, and the inspiring Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?. A yo-yo of 'calm' and 'furious' ensues with tracks 5-13, most notably Natural Blues, which is fantastically uplifting. Everloving is a personal favourite, making you feel really calm, yet happy, with a fabulous piano piece 62 seconds in.

The rest of Play is very instrumental, with one low point: Guitar Flute & String. This track is simply too depressing for my tastes, and have listened to it only 5 or 6 times. Play ends on a high note with the great The Sky Is Broken (which peaks very late) and the inspirational, gospel-like My Weakness, which also climaxes rather late on.

Play has a track for every mood, from depressed (track 16) to peaceful (3), from in love (14) to downright happy (5), which makes it real value for money.

It's just a shame that all of the tracks appear as backing in adverts and TV trailers. Yes, I love Porcelain, but I don't want to hear 15-second clips everywhere I go. The sheer beauty of it (Porcelain) is enhanced by 'The Beach', but Carol Vorderman introducing holiday programme seems almost blasphemous.

Moby could have split it into two halves, but it's a good thing he didn't. Buy it, listen to it once. You won't be impressed with a lot of the tracks, especially if you're new to some of the music genres(like me) he's slipped in here. But listen to it ten times, and you're positively in love with most tracks.