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Play is the title of the 1999 techno music album by the musician Moby. While some of Moby's earlier work
(notably the album "Everything is Wrong" from 1995) garnered some critical success,
Play was Moby's first true critical and commercial success. It was also the first album to ever have all of its tracks
licensed for use in movies, television
shows, or commercials. One of the more notable
commercials featured golfer Tiger Woods
playing a round of golf around New York City to the tune of Moby's "Find
My Baby".
Unique Style
One of the more unique aspects of this album is the ways in which it combines old folk music rhythms with modern techno sensibilities. For the album, Moby sampled heavily from the collected
works of Alan Lomax in songs such as Honey, Find My Baby,
Run On, and Natural Blues. This created a sound that was very unique among the music that was being released at
the time. While the album also has some more standard electronic tracks and ambient pieces, it is this fusion of gospel and
techno that this album is usually most remembered for.
Critical and Commercial Success
As stated above, all of Play's 18 tracks were licensed for use in films, television shows, or commercials. In many
ways, this album helped to establish Moby as a mainstream musician. The album has sold over 2 million copies since it was
released in 1999. The album was also lauded by many critics as one of 1999's best albums.
In 2000, Play was released as a special edition album with several B-Side tracks. One of these tracks was a remix of the song
"South Side", which featured a duet with No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani. Thanks to a creative video and heavy airplay, the song helped to push
the success of the album even further.
Track Listing
- Honey (3:28)
- Find My Baby (3:59)
- Porcelain (4:01)
- Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? (4:24)
- South Side (3:49)
- Rushing (3:00)
- Bodyrock (3:36)
- Natural Blues (4:13)
- Machete (3:37)
- 7 (1:02)
- Run On (3:45)
- Down Slow (1:34)
- If Things Were Perfect (4:18)
- Everloving (3:25)
- Inside (4:48)
- Guitar Flute & String (2:09)
- The Sky Is Broken (4:18)
- My Weakness (3:37)
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