Songs 1993-1998

1	First Cool Hive 5:16
2	Go 3:59
3	Into the Blue 5:32
4	Now I Let It Go 2:09
5	Move (You Make Me Feel So Good) 3:37
6	I Like to Score from the Motion Picture "Double Tap" 2:21
7	Anthem 3:27
8	Hymn 3:17
9	Feeling So Real 3:23
10	God Moving over the Face of the Waters 5:45
11	Alone 10:47
12	Novio from the Motion Picture "Double Tap" 2:38
13	The Rain Falls and the Sky Shudders 6:16
14	When It's Cold I'd Like to Die 4:15
15	Living 7:01
16	Grace 5:24

Barnes & Noble

Moby fans can be divided into two camps: the masses who discovered him with last year's brilliant Play, and the dedicated ravers who idolized this techno kingpin as far back as his 1991 club hit "Go." For the newcomers, Moby's former label Elektra has compiled 16 tracks recorded from 1993 to 1998 as an introduction to the artist. Though it doesn't completely chronicle Moby's wild mood swings, Mobysongs does showcase his uncanny knack for reinventing himself -- whether he's appropriating tribal drums on "Alone," combining a sample of a rain shower with sparse piano on "The Rain Falls and the Sky Shudders," or busting out high-energy grooves with a dance track like "Feeling So Real." Several standouts also prove why Moby quickly set himself apart in clubland -- he brought a more organic feel to electronic music with soulful vocal parts ("First Cool Hive" and "Move"), inventive samples (the Twin Peaks theme wildly reinterpreted in "Go"), and funky/bluesy guitars ("I Like to Score"). Fans of Moby's ubiquitous party anthem "Bodyrock" may not appreciate the subtle, ambient atmospherics of the tracks featured here, but Mobysongs is a handy reminder of how Moby's genius can take many forms. Wendy Mitchell

All Music Guide

When Play became a breakout hit in 1999, Elektra readied a basic trainer for listeners new to Moby's practically trademarked style of down-tempo house baroque. Ranging from the Move EP, his major-label debut, to the soundtrack-inspired I Like to Score, Songs 1993-1998 trawls the back catalog to pluck tracks on the same atmospheric level as Play classics like "Porcelain" or "South Side." Many of these tracks -- especially ones from Everything Is Wrong and Animal Rights -- sound much better in this format, divorced from the rock flame-outs that often surrounded them on the original albums. And though the version of his classic "Go" is actually a re-recording from 1998, it's a solid update that retains much of the original but never sounds like a pointless remake. Songs 1993-1998 also spotlights Moby's continuing excellence in a number of genres, including a few of his Hi-NRG house singles from the mid-'90s ("Feeling So Real," "Move"), as well as his frequently beautiful ambient excursions ("God Moving Over the Face of the Waters," "The Rain Falls and the Sky Shudders"). It's a shame that the compilation completely skips his seminal early productions ("Drop a Beat," "Next Is the E") and a few rarities would've been nice for collectors, but Songs 1993-1998 will satisfy fans of Play waiting for a new album. John Bush