Moby’s Play is 20 years old on the 17th May, 2019.
That’s right, TWENTY YEARS OLD!
Here’s 5 facts you may or may not know:
1 – Not initially a success
When it was first released in the U.K. Play only entered at No.38 on the official album chart before sliding down and leaving all together within 5 weeks,
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2 – Thankfully, there was a back up plan
Although denied as a marketing initiative, the success of the album came from licensing the tracks to films, tv shows and adverts and although these weren’t lucrative, they got the album heard which in turn lead to sales.
Moby states he didn’t think any track on the album had a ‘sync’ potential (ie licensing potential) but Danny Boyle using Porcelain on The Beach with a fresh-out-of-the-mega-film-Titanic Leonardo Decaprio was a major factor in putting Play on the map.
3 – The idea to name ‘Play’ came from 3 different sources.
– Moby lived near a Muriel that said Play. Just around the corner from Moby’s apartment in Manhattan, where the album was made. (on the corner of mulberry and spring though I have no idea if it’s still there.)
– Whilst in a friends car, Moby noticed the CD player said ‘play’ when a CD was playing and thought it would be cool if the CD was actually called Play.
– The name of a live album by one of Moby’s favourite band, Magazine.
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4 – Moby’s last album
This was going to be Moby’s final album, a swan song in sorts before Moby decided on a career change. The initial goal was to sell 250’000, and then leave the business.
5 – The album did ok in the end
Play eventually went on to be the biggest selling electronica album of all time, according to the UK Official Charts, it’s spent 108 weeks on the chart, 5 of them at number 1 and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide!
If you haven’t yet got your vinyl copy, you can buy it from Amazon here
and if you have got it, make sure you add the B-sides version to your collection.