Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The most organic techno album ever
I repeat: this is techno at it's most "live" and organic. For proof, just listen to the opener, "Honey". The turntable scratch is the only thing that doesn't sound like it was recorded live. Dance music has been lacking in the "live sound" department for quite some time, and this was a great idea: blues and gospel vocals added to modern electronic beats.Of course, that wouldn't mean jack if the album didn't have good songs on it, and it undoubtedly does. "Honey" and "Natural Blues" are great examples of this concept, but the real winner is "Run On", an incredibly catchy song that could be the album's highlight. "Porcelain", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?", and "My Weakness" are just some of my favorite slower songs here. "Machete" is an Underworld-esque track that is a lot better than it sounds on paper, and "Bodyrock" is the last great big beat song. All in all, this is probably Moby's finest hour, and a great achievement for the world of dance music. It seems to appeal to those outside the techno world, too, making this a rare crossover. Appreciate it now or be left behind.
Rating: - Dozens of "Background" Plays Won Me Over
Like I usually do, I listened intently to each cut after I bought this album (by an artist I'd never heard of but saw highly recommended by many of you amazon.com reviewers). My reaction was mixed as I wondered whether the sampling of old blues masters was a rip-off...or a gift from the past to younger ears that may have never heard the originals. I remained undecided and really not too enthusiastic since what I was looking for was a smoother techno ride ala Underworld. This album went through too many changes. I decided I respected MOBY for his ambitious eclecticism, but passed the CD onto my 19 year old daughter. A month later, bored by most of my other techno CDs, I took MOBY to work and set the player to repeat the album ALL day long at a relatively low volume. Now I wasn't "listening" as much as just hearing. The repetitiveness of the first two cuts which bothered me at first, turned into satisfying mantra music. To make a long story a little shorter, I kept the CD in my at-work player for days, then weeks. No question about it, although it took me awhile, PLAY is super! It deserves all the kudos so many have given it. My way may not be your way, but sometimes backing off from "hard" listening can make all the difference.
Rating: - a genious in his own right... (5 Stars)
Pre-"Play," I was not a big dance-music listener. When my roommate at college said he was waiting for the new Crystal Method album to come out in a couple months, I had to admit that I had no idea who it was he was talking about. Determined to broaden my musical horizons, he handed me "Play" by Moby. I had already heard a lot of the stuff on it; "Honey," "Bodyrock," and "South Side," just to name a few, but this was the first time I really listened to it. Then I listened to it again. After a little while I was hooked, not just on this CD but the B-Sides as well (another amazing album, by the way.) Soon I bought my own copy, incredulous to the fact that I had so narrow a vision on the music of Moby before I had the chance to slap on my headphones and experience it.Spin Magazine named this the #20 album of the decade, and with good reason. It DOES sport about 7 singles, ranging from his old semi-ambient style, to hard dance, to pop, to pure moods. But the most impressive is the albums solidarity; no bad tracks on it. And along with the B-Sides, it is one of the great musical concoctions of my time. Enjoy. Oh, by the way, for those writers who call this overblown or pretensious; Ok, I respect the opinion and all. But if an album is this good, wouldn't it be hard for radio stations NOT to overplay it a little?
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