From: owner-mobility-digest@lists.xmission.com (mobility-digest) To: mobility-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: mobility-digest V4 #488 Reply-To: mobility Sender: owner-mobility-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-mobility-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes mobility-digest Monday, January 8 2001 Volume 04 : Number 488 (mobility) OT: Paradise Cowgirl Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... (mobility) moby in urb mag. Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... (mobility) Play nominated as best album Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... (mobility) Re: play neophytes (mobility) Setting Sun ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 12:37:21 +0100 From: "Bart van Eijck" Subject: (mobility) OT: Paradise Cowgirl Hi, I'm trying to reach you through Mobility because the e-mail I sent you bounced. I just wanted to say I really appreciate the updates for the Moby Discography you send me :) Keep 'em coming! kind regards, Bart - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 06:57:18 EST From: Bijou75@aol.com Subject: Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... - --part1_fe.aba729.278b051e_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 01/08/2001 5:17:24 AM Eastern Standard Time, cbourke1@bigred.unl.edu writes: >> Personally I attribute the success, as carrie probably does, to word of mouth. But that still doesn't answer the main issue, WHY PLAY? Why not EIW? Why not AR? Why not the score of other albums he's done for the last 15 aught years? Perhaps these questions will never be answered. << Probably the only way to know with any degree of certainty is to do some good market research, something I doubt Mute or V2 are likely to do, and even if they did, hopefully it would have no bearing on Moby's future recordings; it would merely satisfy the curiosity of people like us, and that doesn't really justify the expense. So it's left to us to speculate. So, why not AR? Well, granted I wasn't around then, but from what I gather not even Moby's fans were quite sure what to make of that one. And EIW was released before electronica, for lack of a better term, had really become accepted. Back then there was a certain stigma attached to it; I think your average pop listener thought of dance music as being rather "gay" or nerdy. That's changed, with the "electronica explosion" of '96-'97; although it never quite lived up to the hype it garnered as "the next big thing," I think it did open a lot of people's minds, or at least expose them to something new and different. You're right, though... I don't think Play really fits into any one category, not even electronica. And maybe that's what people like about it-- it's different and refreshing. Personally there's something about Play that speaks to me... it's nearly impossible to define what that quality is; it's ineffable, something that can only be understood when it's felt. I hesitate to use the term "spiritual," as it's such a loaded word, but it really is what seems most appropriate. I remember excitedly composing an e-mail to a friend after I'd heard the album for the first time; in that letter I described Play as "capturing the beauty of creation," and while that is a highly subjective description, I think it may be help explain the album's popularity. There's something about it people connect to, something they're longing for. I am very, very picky about the records I buy, but even so, Play moves me in a way few albums ever have. But back to being coldly factual.. Moby's visibility did increase with this album, although it's still a question as to which came first, the chicken or the egg. But people have been able to see him on MTV and MTV2, as well as on tour, and I think the notoriety caused by the commercial licensing of the songs on Play have contributed as well. I'm not referring to people hearing the songs in commercials, but rather to the stir it all caused. It aroused people's curiosity, perhaps made them notice the songs more than they otherwise would have. All factors considered, however-- word of mouth, commercial licensing, visibility, personal connection-- I think the first is most important, followed by the last, with visibility and licensing, respectively, bringing up the rear. This is far from scientific, however-- it's just my opinion. - --Carrie - --part1_fe.aba729.278b051e_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 01/08/2001 5:17:24 AM Eastern Standard Time,
cbourke1@bigred.unl.edu writes:



>> Personally I attribute the success, as carrie probably does, to word of
mouth.  But that still doesn't answer the main issue, WHY PLAY?  Why not
EIW?  Why not AR?  Why not the score of other albums he's done for the last
15 aught years?  Perhaps these questions will never be answered.  <<



Probably the only way to know with any degree of certainty is to do some good
market research, something I doubt Mute or V2 are likely to do, and even if
they did, hopefully it would have no bearing on Moby's future recordings; it
would merely satisfy the curiosity of people like us, and that doesn't really
justify the expense.  So it's left to us to speculate.  

So, why not AR?  Well, granted I wasn't around then, but from what I gather
not even Moby's fans were quite sure what to make of that one.  And EIW was
released before electronica, for lack of a better term, had really become
accepted.  Back then there was a certain stigma attached to it; I think your
average pop listener thought of dance music as being rather "gay" or nerdy.  
That's changed, with the "electronica explosion" of '96-'97; although it
never quite lived up to the hype it garnered as "the next big thing," I think
it did open a lot of people's minds, or at least expose them to something new
and different.

You're right, though... I don't think Play really fits into any one category,
not even electronica.  And maybe that's what people like about it-- it's
different and refreshing.  Personally there's something about Play that
speaks to me... it's nearly impossible to define what that quality is; it's
ineffable, something that can only be understood when it's felt.  I hesitate
to use the term "spiritual," as it's such a loaded word, but it really is
what seems most appropriate.  I remember excitedly composing an e-mail to a
friend after I'd heard the album for the first time; in that letter I
described Play as "capturing the beauty of creation," and while that is a
highly subjective description, I think it may be help explain the album's
popularity.  There's something about it people connect to, something they're
longing for.  I am very, very picky about the records I buy, but even so,
Play moves me ! in a way few albums ever have.

But back to being coldly factual.. Moby's visibility did increase with this
album, although it's still a question as to which came first, the chicken or
the egg.  But people have been able to see him on MTV and MTV2, as well as on
tour, and I think the notoriety caused by the commercial licensing of the
songs on Play have contributed as well.  I'm not referring to people hearing
the songs in commercials, but rather to the stir it all caused.  It aroused
people's curiosity, perhaps made them notice the songs more than they
otherwise would have.

All factors considered, however-- word of mouth, commercial licensing,
visibility, personal connection-- I think the first is most important,
followed by the last, with visibility and licensing, respectively, bringing
up the rear.  This is far from scientific, however-- it's just my opinion.

--Carrie - --part1_fe.aba729.278b051e_boundary-- - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 08:38:16 -0500 From: "courtney colonna" Subject: (mobility) moby in urb mag. this may have been mentioned before, but i've been on vacation from work over the holidays, and rather than wading through hundreds of mobility emails (that are probably more of the same pointless oneliners back and forth between a few people), i just deleted them all. (what the HELL is going on here...isn't there a chat room or something for these people??) anyway...there's a nice interview with moby in the newest issue of urb mag (the 10th anniversary issue). he talks about his "anti-dance music" comments that he made years back. they also printed a letter that he wrote to the magazine in 1996. i think there are 3 different covers for the magazine. a picture of moby from 1991 (he had hair) is one of them. (i've only seen the de la soul cover, though.) there are also other mentions of moby throughout the whole issue. courtney _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 09:38:49 -0600 From: Christopher Michael Bourke Subject: Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... > And if you would read what I wrote again, I'm saying I just think that play has a way more mainstream sound then previous works. I did read what you wrote, and I still fail to see what you're saying. How is it "more mainstream"? Who does he sound like? You've failed to explain yourself for the second time. >Also, as far as I know, mainstream doesn't really mean "sounding like another artist" it just means something that's of common liking and not 'underground' persay. For you to say, "he sounds more mainstream" implies that there is a pre-existing standard you were refering to. Considering that I don't beleive he ever broke the billboard top 40 (if memory serves me), and the fact that it took 18 months to even reach platinum (which I'm still not sure he has done in the US, havn't seen any solid numbers on it) in the US, I wouldn't exactly call him a breakaway success. Mainstream really means what has been established as the acceptable norm of the day. I wouldn't call the Beatles mainstream anymore, but I would have 30 years ago. I wouldn't call Micheal Jackson mainstream anymore but I would have 15 years ago. Right now mainstream GENRES include the rock-rap, hip-hop, and of course the teen-group/single blonde girl acts. Play sounds NOTHING like any of these. - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 16:43:09 +0000 From: Martin James Subject: Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... > i trust critics about as far as i can throw them > since they are either bought off or are trying > hard not to look like they've been bought off. Thanks for the generalization. In my experience, in every DJ there's a critic desperate to get out. The music industry (especially PR) would love everyone to think that they have the power to buy off critics. Some they have, but then again some DJs only play populist music and never break any ground themselves because they rely on the freebie mail outs. In almost ten years I've never accepted payola to give a good review... and I know plenty like me all over the world. The critic's (and more to the point the editors who are, after all the gatekeepers here) lack of faith, or interest in Moby after Animal Rights led to Play being largely ignored when it was first released. It was through the persistence of freelance critics that many of these editors eventually listened to the album. And believe me, the most Mute did to buy us off was sending dodgy promo t-shirts out. Although I think the most obvious reason for Play being so huge has been because of the marketing, I also think that the music itself hit the mood of the people. Its melancholic ambience seemed to tap in to last year's atmosphere of post-millennial malaise, while also retaining a valuable sense of positivity. In a funny way, and I know this won't be very popular, Play touched on the exact same spirit as that Titanic song which sold by the shipload (if you'll excuse the pun). For some reason people enjoy being depressed, or at least experiencing art as melancholia. I also believe that this is exactly what Moby was aiming for as he has often remarked on the rare ability that pop music has to touch millions of people in a very personal way. That he has achieved this without selling out his creativity should be celebrated. Whether or not he's sold out on a personal level is not really for me, or anyone but those actually involved, to say. As I suggested in a previous posting I think this whole sell out debate is far more complex than the black and white criteria that some people are placing upon it. And finally... When you consider how much shit music gets licensed for TV, ads, movies etc, and then still fails to sell to the public, it just proves that even the most mainstream listener has a discerning ear. The people chose Moby, not the marketing men. And Mo, or any one from the record labels/ management companies etc, if you're reading this please send me a fat cheque to buy me off, just so DJ Pagan can be proven right about his assumption about critics:) Martin PS Just listening to Magazine's '(Where the power is)' compilation. It's excellent. If you've never heard of them, but want to hear where Moby has taken some of his influences I'd fully recommend it. And no 0ne paid me to say that either:) - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 17:25:39 +0100 From: "Ulrik Brandt" Subject: (mobility) Play nominated as best album Play has been nominated for the "best album of the year" in Denmark??? Same Award-show (danish music award) nominated Eminem as best newcomer!!!!! I know that we usually are a couple of months behind UK/USA, but a whole year! After a long time Moby might be accepted in Denmark (the country where he sells the smallest amount of records i think), but why not nominete GO as the best Hit, or Vatican Commandos as best new band????. Ulrik - ------------------------------------------------- Salsa Claus is Coming to Town - ------------------------------------------------- - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 10:34:37 -0800 (PST) From: MiCk jONez Subject: Re: (mobility) Play neophytes... ...say what you like, the fact of the matter is that Moby created an album of songs/sounds that NO ONE else had done. It is an original work, from the way that he used vocal samples, to his own writing. The mainstream debate is kind of a moot point. If you look at Moby's catalog of albums they're always breaking away into different sounds/genres, what-have-you. He created a very original body of work that appeals to a larger number of people than say the single "go" did. I don't think he was trying to make a more "mainstream" album. I think he was recording what interested him and what was true to his heart. It will be very interesting to see what his next work is like, after "Play"s success.... - --- Christopher Michael Bourke wrote: > > > And if you would read what I wrote again, I'm > saying I just think that > play has a way more mainstream sound then previous > works. > > I did read what you wrote, and I still fail to see > what you're saying. How > is it "more mainstream"? Who does he sound like? > You've failed to explain > yourself for the second time. > > >Also, as far as I know, mainstream doesn't really > mean "sounding like > another artist" it just means something that's of > common liking and not > 'underground' persay. > > For you to say, "he sounds more mainstream" implies > that there is a > pre-existing standard you were refering to. > Considering that I don't > beleive he ever broke the billboard top 40 (if > memory serves me), and the > fact that it took 18 months to even reach platinum > (which I'm still not sure > he has done in the US, havn't seen any solid numbers > on it) in the US, I > wouldn't exactly call him a breakaway success. > Mainstream really means what > has been established as the acceptable norm of the > day. I wouldn't call the > Beatles mainstream anymore, but I would have 30 > years ago. I wouldn't call > Micheal Jackson mainstream anymore but I would have > 15 years ago. Right now > mainstream GENRES include the rock-rap, hip-hop, and > of course the > teen-group/single blonde girl acts. Play sounds > NOTHING like any of these. > > > ------------- > To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to > majordomo@xmission.com > with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 13:49:22 -0500 From: ian crowther Subject: (mobility) Re: play neophytes so, in all this discussion of why play is so great to so many people, we all kinda lost album recc's for those two newbies... my first exp. w/ moby was "everything is wrong" and i still think its his best electronic album. play has a lot in common with it in that they both explore a large number of styles, or modes of music, in the context of a single album. also, the singles from that era are *huge*...all of moby's eiw singles were maxi to begin with, at least in the us, and they all top at least half an hour (into the blue remixes are my faves...) but if you want to be exposed to his real old skool electronic roots, the easiest way is probably instinct's comp. "rare" but probably the best way is just to get the singles from back then. i see that instinct has rereleased them, or at least, they're in my record store, so they might be i yours... ian listen to your eyes you said/ but all i could see was doris day/ and a bigscreen satellite/ disappearing down the tubehole in furringdon st./ with whiplash-willy the motor-psycho// and the light it blinds my eyes - --underworld, "dirty epic" There's always tomorrow,/ For dreams to come true,/ Tomorrow is not far away. -- red red meat, "there's always tomorrow" - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 10:57:11 -0800 (PST) From: Shaun Rader Subject: (mobility) Setting Sun I was listening to Setting Sun today by the Chemical Brothers and I found that the siren sound in it reminded me a lot a piece of Moby's Hymn. Especially the remixes of Hymn (not sure which one exactly right now). Anyone else hear it? Speaking of Chemical Brothers what's been up with that popularity contest for some awards show (against Moby and Fatboy)? Shaun __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ - ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility" in the body. ------------------------------ End of mobility-digest V4 #488 ****************************** ------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to majordomo@xmission.com with the line "unsubscribe mobility-digest" in the body.