Moby – Play (1999)

Moby's number one album was everywhere in 1999. He seemingly appeared from nowhere (to most of us, anyway - he had had two top 40 UK albums) and hasn't really had the same impact since.

It's currently available for 45p on Discogs, and seems a classic example of a million plus selling album, popular at the time, but which quickly appears in charity shops, to the point where they all have a couple of copies.

So, what was the fuss about, and does it stand up 26 years later? With its mixture of samples (the reliance on old blues numbers being what marked it as different), dance music and chill out beats so popular at the turn of a century, it's not hard to hear why it caught the zeitgeist, while the complete absence of memorable hit singles (despite three UK top twenties) explains why this number one album seems to have vanished from the public consciousness, with, I suspect (I don't really listen to them) little repeat airplay on the likes of Radio 2, 6 Music or 90's Hits radio.

But it starts of with a couple of funky blues pieces, before the laidback hits Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad (an original, despite sounding like it should be an old blues number). South Side is more upbeat, with a dance rhythm over spoken lyrics and a strong chorus. There's a couple of lively (mostly) instrumentals before the other hit, Natural Blues, with heavy sampling from Vera Hall's Trouble So Hard.

Most of the rest is interesting, varied, very listenable, without being memorable. There's a nice remix of Bill Landford's 1949 Run On, followed by a very Massive Attack sounding instrumental, Down Slow, which feels like an intro that never gets developed. Everloving is a delightfully gentle instrumental melody, but the final few tracks are petty nondescript and forgettable.

This is a good album, one that you can listen to, enjoy, and walk away with little or nothing sticking. It hit the right spot at the right time, and while it doesn't sound too dated, it no longer feels groundbreaking.

Link to full album

3* - If you haven't heard it, worth a listen. If you have, worth a revisit.