Customer Reviews

Moby

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First things first: DO NOT expect the type of sampled electronica you've heard on Moby's more recent albums. This is pure, raw techno, baby. I knew of this album when it was pretty much new. My sister had it years ago and would listen to Help Me To Believe on full blast for an hour at a time. Upon hearing the rest of the album, I grew to love Moby and the whole techno thing.

Unlike most other techno albums these days, including Moby's newer work, which are mostly mixing and remixing of samples into completely new songs, this entire album (aside from a few vocal samples) is done on synthesizers. Repetivive? Kinda. Different? Definately. Bad? Depends on what you're looking for, but this album is definately an excellent history lesson in what techno started as.

Particular favorites on this album are Drop A Beat, Yeah, and Stream. The latter being very relaxing with its jungle beat and slow tempo. For anyone looking for a fresh Moby experience, this album may disappoint, but for pure techno connoisseurs, it's a nostalgic trip to the days when techno was for dance and synthesizers were the hottest thing. A very good album indeed.

Although he had been putting stuff out since 1989, this album can really be considered his first album. Unlike Play and even I Like to Score and Everything Is Wrong, this album is 100% pure techno. So, don't be expecting another Play with this one; however, this is IMHO, classic techno. It has great slammin' tracks like Drop a Beat, Electricity, Next Is the E, Have You Seen my Baby, Ah Ah, and of course, Go, which is easily Moby's most famous early song. The rest of tracks are good as well as Moby does a great job in making this album flow from one track to the next. If you love techno and/or Moby, then this album is a mandatory selection for your collection.

I couldn't care less about the majority of techno I hear in clubs, on the radio, wherever... It all sounds fairly much the same, and originality is generally not associated with it. With Moby, however, there is a drive to be different, to put in more effort, and the result is worth it.

My Moby-listening began with the CD "Animal Rights", which is metal-influenced, but when I found out he did primarily dance music, I didn't mind. Now I want it all! Note: the versions of "Go" and "Ah-Ah" differ between this CD and those on "I Like to Score", so if you're heading backwards, like me, you won't be paying for the exact same tunes.

Before I start, you need to be better familiar with Moby's rather complex discography. From 1989 thru 1992, he did lots of experimental work under lots of different names, but they were all small experimental albums and singles released in small numbers. In 1992, his 'then' record label started a series of compilations using the best songs songs from his early work, the 1st of those compilations being this album. The other 2 were 'Early Underground' and 'Ambient'. Although technically compilations, these albums are usually considered his first 3 official albums, because they were rereleased in wide release, unlike his earlier records, and they were more organized and all released under the name 'Moby'. As for this record, it's amaizing, it's wonderful, it's explosive, it's powerful, it's fun, it's rave! Buy it.

Interesting how Moby's two finest albums are his first (this one) and his last ("Play"). Seems like he got started off on the right foot and then he lost his way for a while...

Anyway, this is a great collection of early techno. It's very lush and energetic, and this really helps a lot. In fact, a lot of these tracks don't sound very dated at all. "Go" is the big highlight here, probably Moby's finest hour, but there's plenty of other good stuff here too, such as "Ah Ah", "Drop A Beat", "Next Is The E", and "Help Me To Believe".

Be warend, though: this is techno in a much purer sense than "Play" was. It's not nearly as organic, so this may not be your thing if you're skeptical of techno. But if you like it, this is an excellent disc of early techno from an artist who's great at his best.

For those who only discovered Moby in the past few years, due to the phenomenal success of "Play" and the media expuse he's gotten since, it might come as a surprise that Moby used to make honest-to-goodness dancefloor-ready techno! This record chronicles his early 90's sound and is worth obtaining simply for his first hit, the classic "Go", still heard at clubs today! The album is a mesmerizing blend of beats and hooks, and is guaranteed to get you moving or driving fast! "Next is the E" was a modest club hit, and has an insanely fast beat and wild vocal screams. "Have you seen my baby?" features a scary-serious male asking the question while Moby's blippy keyboards build and swell. And as a precursor to the experimentation with disparate genres that would characterize his later career, Moby includes blues guitar on "Everything" and cuts of downtempo ambience on "Slight Return" and "Stream". This LP was truly ahead of its time and is a great summary of both the state of early 90's US dance and Moby's role in shaping the scene.

This is not the same sound as on "Play" or "18." If you're looking for "South Side," "We're all made of stars" or "Porcelain," you might be upset with what you end up with. This album, while very good, has a sound that is edgier and much more raw. If you're in the market for that, don't hesitate in buying it, but remember that this isn't the music that's put in commercials or played at The Gap.

I love Moby's music, and although I believe he has progressed immensely as a musician and has produced some of the most beautiful and stirring musical pieces ever, and although at times this album sounds a bit dated because of its early "techno" sound, and although I've enjoyed a lot of his output over the years.... I still judge this album to be my most favorite of his. I played none of his other albums in their entirety the way I did with this one.

I am glad he found massive success and riches with "Play," but I always seem to go back to this one when I'm in a Moby mood. Maybe it's because I'm really more into 4/4 house and techno rhythms, maybe its because it reminds me of a certain time period of my life, I'm not sure. This album stands the test of time - when I think of Moby, THIS is the album I think of.

I don't know about these other two people, but this is the greatest Techno CD ever made. Every single track is filled with energy and intensity you will not find in another collection of songs anywhere else. Critics may say that some of the tracks are repetitive, but if you are someone who is just getting into Techno, this is the first album you should own!

From the first notes in "Drop A Beat", you know that Moby's debut will be a ravin' ride from beginning to end. When I think 'techno', this album is what I think of. Hard driving beats, snarling synths and obscure samples create a perfectly crafted piece of elecronic mayhem. Moby has an excellent sense of layering and timing, and he knows exactly when to 'drop the beat' (get it?) to get an audience raving.
Highlights include the classic Twin-Peaks sampling club hit "Go" and the dark acid-rave "Have you seen my baby?", easily one of my fave Moby tracks, along with "Machete" off of Play and "Feeling So Real" from Everything is Wrong. Things slow down a bit at the end with the tranquil "Slight Return" and the organic sounds of "Stream", but all in all, Moby's self-titled debut is one powerful piece of work. While his later albums, especially Everything is Wrong, still had the techno spirit, this is techno in it's purest form. Highly recomended.