br3ad_man
07-02-2004, 02:33 AM
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd400/d484/d48479095bs.jpg
Moby was one of the most important figures in electronic music in the 90s, and on of the most controversial. While other techno artists were strictly electronic, Moby took techno and disco beats and fused it with heavy distorted guitars, punk beats and sometimes, blues samples. Moby's music drew equally from pop, dance and movie scores. What resulted was some brilliant music, but was often criticised by dance DJs. Moby's music made dance and techno more accessible to a mainstream audience. Moby released his first album (considered by some to be his best) in 1992.
Moby's music wasn't the only thing about him that was often made controversial. Moby's lifestyle consisted of his often radical Christian beliefs and his vegan lifestyle. For those who don't know, a vegan is someone who niether eats, wears or uses anything of any kind that comes from animals. In his album "Play", Moby writes essays in the booklet. These have nothing to do with the music, they simply explain his beleifs and why he chooses to live the way he does. One thing that I really liked that he said was at the end. He said "The essays don't really relate to music, so if you hate the essays, you might still like the music, or if you hate the music, you might still like the essays. But perhaps in some bizzare twist of fate, you might end up liking both." I know I do.
In 1996, Moby totally abandoned techno and made an Alternative Rock album with "Animal Rights". In 1997, he returned to electronica with the album "I Like To Score". In 1999, Moby released his album "Play", the album which turned him into a genuine pop star. The album holds the record currently for being the only album in which every track on it has been used for some type of advertisment.
For me, the album is basically broken into two parts. The first part consists of the more radio friendly tracks, some are really beautiful and some are rock/rap type songs that are cool and hip, the ones you'd expect to see on every second commercial. The second part is mainly synthesiser instrumentals, with other instruments added. The is next to no sung vocals on these tracks, and the majority of vocals are simply spoken in time with the music. Moby plays all of his own instruments on his records.
Album Credits
All songs written by Moby
Album produced, engineered and mixed by Moby
All instruments played by Moby
This album was number 341 on Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Albums list
Honey - The two first songs in the album use blues samples. There is a piano sample and a drum beat and Moby's vocals are over the top. Then some turntables come in and a bluesy sounding acoustic guitar. A pretty cool track, fairly recognisable. Towards the end a guitar with a wah pedal comes in some wierd electronic effect. Then the song goes back to what you heard at the start for a few bars. After those bars, everything comes in a full and another vocal sample in the background. Overall, a pretty cool song.
4/5
Find My Baby - Starts with just Moby's vocals, then the instruments grdually enter. This is the second song that uses blues samples. There's some cool stuff in this song, electric guitars, drums and turntables. There is also a female backing vocalist which adds to the song a lot. There aren't really any lyrics in the song besides the one line that he sings. Overall, pretty cool song.
4/5
Porcelain - This is a very relaxing song. It starts out with a synthesiser into and then a nice drumbeat comes in. Then there are some vocal samples and an incrediably beautiful piano melody. The piano doesn't play while there are vocals, but it does a sort of call and response thing with the vocals. The chorus consists of the piano melodies with all the other instruments and vocal samples. In the second verse, there are no instruments at the start but then they come in playing some different sounds to before and sounds really beautiful. The piano does some block chords a bit later in the song. The song ends instrumentally with the synths and the really nice piano melody. One of the highlights of the album and one of the most famous.
5/5
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - One of the most beautiful songs on the album. Starts out with some vocals and a piano melody. A bit later, some synths and drums enter the song. The amazing chorus features a female singing words I don't unserstand (I'm not sure if they actually are words). I can't really put into words how beautiful and amazing this song is. It's hard to describe, but I think I'll be safe saying that it is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and is on a short list of 30 or so songs that have managed to make me cry. This is one of those songs that can help you through a hard time in life. My second favourite off this album. This song was featured on an advert for the movie "Black Hawk Down". Fits perfectly.
5/5
South Side - A more upbeat song. My second least favourite off the album, but that's a personal thing, it's still a great song. This song features some really cool drumming, a really funky beat. It also features some cool synths and some really cool guitar parts. This is one of Moby's songs that fuses techno and modern rock. An example is that you'll hear some extremely electronic sounds and those sounds will be responded to by an electric guitar solo. Pretty cool.
4/5
Rushing - Starts with just drums and a female vocal sample. Then the synths and drums come in. Much like "Porcelain" or "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?". A bit into the song, one of the most amazing piano melodies on the cd comes in. So good. The song is basically just a female vocal sample, drums and one of the most amazing piano melodies. A bit into the song, it drops back to just piano and and hi hat which sounds totally amazing. The song is actually quite repetetive, but it's hard to notice, because the piano is so great. Really good song.
4.5/5
Bodyrock - This is a really cool song. Similar to South Side. It sounds out with some rapping and guitar harmonics. The chorus is cool, it's a mix of a synthesiser, guitar with a wah effect and rapping. This sounds cool. A little later, the song drops and a piano melody plays a bit. Then the verse part of the song is sung with a wah pedal guitar. The songs has quite a few ups and downs and is very uplifting. The melodies are all really cool and the rapping is extremely effective. This song was featured on an advert for the movie "Ali". It works with the movie's ad really really well. One of the highlights of the album and it's probably the most popular off the album.
4.5/5
Natural Blues - When I first got this album, I didn't like this song. The reason was the vocals. I still don't like the vocals, but I came to realise that this song is really cool. The way the song is mixed is good. The vocals are in from the start and a light synth is under them. The drums and piano come in later and some synths are progressively added to the song. The best part by far of the song is the instrumental part which just has a synth doing chords over drums. The song drops back to nothing but vocals and piano. The drums and synths are later added. All up, the song is amazing, though you, like me might need a while to get used to this song to appreciate it fully.
4/5
Machete - This is the most techno song on the album. This is the song you'd be most likely to hear in a dance club. The song is nearly fully electronic and it's pretty cool. There is some electronic effects and then the drums and vocals come in. The song doesn't really change until the end where there is a synth doing some nice chords over the electronic effects. There are some vocal samples and wierd noises as well. Good song, but it doesn't really do a lot for me.
3.5/5
7 - Not really a song, just a 1 minute instrumental that doesn't really need to be there. Not bad, but it doesn't really do much for the album
2.9/5
Run On - A cool song, nice piano and cool vocals. The only other thing that this song has are some drums and low volume synths. The lyrics are good and are related to Moby's christian beleifs. It's actually one of my favourite songs lyrically on the album. Here are the lyrics:
Lord God Almighty let me tell the news
my head got wet in midnight dew
great God i been down on my bended knees
talking to a man from galilee
michael spoke and he sound so sweet
i thought i heard the shuffle of angels' feet
He put one hand upon my head
great God Almighty let me tell you what He said
[bridge:]
go tell that lonesome liar
go tell that midnight rider [???]
tell the gamblin', ramblin' backslider
tell them God Almighty gonna cut 'em down
[chorus:]
you might run on for a long time
run on, ducking and dodging
run on, children [?], for a long time
let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down
you might throw your rock [?], hide your head
work in the dark with your fellow men
sure as God made you rich and poor
you're gonna reap just what you sow
[chorus] x3
some people go to church just to signify
trying to make a date with a neighbor's wife
brother let me tell you just as sure as you're born
you better leave that woman alone
Good lyrics and good musically song. There are also some turntables which add a lot to the song. It's good stuff.
4/5
Moby was one of the most important figures in electronic music in the 90s, and on of the most controversial. While other techno artists were strictly electronic, Moby took techno and disco beats and fused it with heavy distorted guitars, punk beats and sometimes, blues samples. Moby's music drew equally from pop, dance and movie scores. What resulted was some brilliant music, but was often criticised by dance DJs. Moby's music made dance and techno more accessible to a mainstream audience. Moby released his first album (considered by some to be his best) in 1992.
Moby's music wasn't the only thing about him that was often made controversial. Moby's lifestyle consisted of his often radical Christian beliefs and his vegan lifestyle. For those who don't know, a vegan is someone who niether eats, wears or uses anything of any kind that comes from animals. In his album "Play", Moby writes essays in the booklet. These have nothing to do with the music, they simply explain his beleifs and why he chooses to live the way he does. One thing that I really liked that he said was at the end. He said "The essays don't really relate to music, so if you hate the essays, you might still like the music, or if you hate the music, you might still like the essays. But perhaps in some bizzare twist of fate, you might end up liking both." I know I do.
In 1996, Moby totally abandoned techno and made an Alternative Rock album with "Animal Rights". In 1997, he returned to electronica with the album "I Like To Score". In 1999, Moby released his album "Play", the album which turned him into a genuine pop star. The album holds the record currently for being the only album in which every track on it has been used for some type of advertisment.
For me, the album is basically broken into two parts. The first part consists of the more radio friendly tracks, some are really beautiful and some are rock/rap type songs that are cool and hip, the ones you'd expect to see on every second commercial. The second part is mainly synthesiser instrumentals, with other instruments added. The is next to no sung vocals on these tracks, and the majority of vocals are simply spoken in time with the music. Moby plays all of his own instruments on his records.
Album Credits
All songs written by Moby
Album produced, engineered and mixed by Moby
All instruments played by Moby
This album was number 341 on Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Albums list
Honey - The two first songs in the album use blues samples. There is a piano sample and a drum beat and Moby's vocals are over the top. Then some turntables come in and a bluesy sounding acoustic guitar. A pretty cool track, fairly recognisable. Towards the end a guitar with a wah pedal comes in some wierd electronic effect. Then the song goes back to what you heard at the start for a few bars. After those bars, everything comes in a full and another vocal sample in the background. Overall, a pretty cool song.
4/5
Find My Baby - Starts with just Moby's vocals, then the instruments grdually enter. This is the second song that uses blues samples. There's some cool stuff in this song, electric guitars, drums and turntables. There is also a female backing vocalist which adds to the song a lot. There aren't really any lyrics in the song besides the one line that he sings. Overall, pretty cool song.
4/5
Porcelain - This is a very relaxing song. It starts out with a synthesiser into and then a nice drumbeat comes in. Then there are some vocal samples and an incrediably beautiful piano melody. The piano doesn't play while there are vocals, but it does a sort of call and response thing with the vocals. The chorus consists of the piano melodies with all the other instruments and vocal samples. In the second verse, there are no instruments at the start but then they come in playing some different sounds to before and sounds really beautiful. The piano does some block chords a bit later in the song. The song ends instrumentally with the synths and the really nice piano melody. One of the highlights of the album and one of the most famous.
5/5
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - One of the most beautiful songs on the album. Starts out with some vocals and a piano melody. A bit later, some synths and drums enter the song. The amazing chorus features a female singing words I don't unserstand (I'm not sure if they actually are words). I can't really put into words how beautiful and amazing this song is. It's hard to describe, but I think I'll be safe saying that it is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and is on a short list of 30 or so songs that have managed to make me cry. This is one of those songs that can help you through a hard time in life. My second favourite off this album. This song was featured on an advert for the movie "Black Hawk Down". Fits perfectly.
5/5
South Side - A more upbeat song. My second least favourite off the album, but that's a personal thing, it's still a great song. This song features some really cool drumming, a really funky beat. It also features some cool synths and some really cool guitar parts. This is one of Moby's songs that fuses techno and modern rock. An example is that you'll hear some extremely electronic sounds and those sounds will be responded to by an electric guitar solo. Pretty cool.
4/5
Rushing - Starts with just drums and a female vocal sample. Then the synths and drums come in. Much like "Porcelain" or "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?". A bit into the song, one of the most amazing piano melodies on the cd comes in. So good. The song is basically just a female vocal sample, drums and one of the most amazing piano melodies. A bit into the song, it drops back to just piano and and hi hat which sounds totally amazing. The song is actually quite repetetive, but it's hard to notice, because the piano is so great. Really good song.
4.5/5
Bodyrock - This is a really cool song. Similar to South Side. It sounds out with some rapping and guitar harmonics. The chorus is cool, it's a mix of a synthesiser, guitar with a wah effect and rapping. This sounds cool. A little later, the song drops and a piano melody plays a bit. Then the verse part of the song is sung with a wah pedal guitar. The songs has quite a few ups and downs and is very uplifting. The melodies are all really cool and the rapping is extremely effective. This song was featured on an advert for the movie "Ali". It works with the movie's ad really really well. One of the highlights of the album and it's probably the most popular off the album.
4.5/5
Natural Blues - When I first got this album, I didn't like this song. The reason was the vocals. I still don't like the vocals, but I came to realise that this song is really cool. The way the song is mixed is good. The vocals are in from the start and a light synth is under them. The drums and piano come in later and some synths are progressively added to the song. The best part by far of the song is the instrumental part which just has a synth doing chords over drums. The song drops back to nothing but vocals and piano. The drums and synths are later added. All up, the song is amazing, though you, like me might need a while to get used to this song to appreciate it fully.
4/5
Machete - This is the most techno song on the album. This is the song you'd be most likely to hear in a dance club. The song is nearly fully electronic and it's pretty cool. There is some electronic effects and then the drums and vocals come in. The song doesn't really change until the end where there is a synth doing some nice chords over the electronic effects. There are some vocal samples and wierd noises as well. Good song, but it doesn't really do a lot for me.
3.5/5
7 - Not really a song, just a 1 minute instrumental that doesn't really need to be there. Not bad, but it doesn't really do much for the album
2.9/5
Run On - A cool song, nice piano and cool vocals. The only other thing that this song has are some drums and low volume synths. The lyrics are good and are related to Moby's christian beleifs. It's actually one of my favourite songs lyrically on the album. Here are the lyrics:
Lord God Almighty let me tell the news
my head got wet in midnight dew
great God i been down on my bended knees
talking to a man from galilee
michael spoke and he sound so sweet
i thought i heard the shuffle of angels' feet
He put one hand upon my head
great God Almighty let me tell you what He said
[bridge:]
go tell that lonesome liar
go tell that midnight rider [???]
tell the gamblin', ramblin' backslider
tell them God Almighty gonna cut 'em down
[chorus:]
you might run on for a long time
run on, ducking and dodging
run on, children [?], for a long time
let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down
you might throw your rock [?], hide your head
work in the dark with your fellow men
sure as God made you rich and poor
you're gonna reap just what you sow
[chorus] x3
some people go to church just to signify
trying to make a date with a neighbor's wife
brother let me tell you just as sure as you're born
you better leave that woman alone
Good lyrics and good musically song. There are also some turntables which add a lot to the song. It's good stuff.
4/5