Like It Always Does

Happy birthday to Richard Melville Hall aka Moby, born 11th September 1965.

Whether you're aware of Moby as a musician, vegan, Christian, baldie, animal rights campaigner or a complete and utter twonk, it's hard to think of another artist that has combined all of these elements so successfully.

I was a huge fan of Moby's music throughout the 1990s and enjoyed the twists and turns of his career. Yes, I was one of the 472 people who bought his thrash metal (kind of) album Animal Rights on release in 1996. And liked it.

I haven't followed every release since then, but I have enjoyed the occasional dip back into Moby's 21st century albums. I must revisit Innocents from 2013, which I recall as being pretty good. 

The last Moby album I acquired was Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt in 2018 and, apart from the You & Me EP with Anfisa Letyago in 2024, I've pretty much no idea what he's released in this decade.

That said, I've still managed to come up with a (mostly) 21st century selection, ten songs moving from metal to machines and back again, also serving to showcase the vocal talents that Moby has collaborated with over the years. 

With the exception of Mark Lanegan, all female singers and likely ones that are undeservedly unfamiliar. Mindy Jones is a long-time musical partner of Moby, whilst others such as Rozz Morehead and Erin Marszalek made fleeting but significant appearances.

I've also thrown in a few remixes, courtesy of Torsten Stenzel, Photek and Moby himself.

Ten songs, all done and dusted in three quarters of an hour, just enough and not too much.

Have a good one, Moby.

1) E2D (Outtake From 'Play') (1999)

2) Don't Love Me (Album Version ft. Mindy Jones & Inyang Bassey) (2013)

3) Spiders (Album Version) (2005)

4) Porcelain (Torsten Stenzel's Edited Remix) (2000)

5) Move (Electro Mix By Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Carole Sylvan) (1993)

6) Extreme Ways (Single Version) (2002)

7) Ooh Yeah (Album Version ft. Erin Marszalek & Luci Butler) (2008)

8) Come On Baby (Single Edit)

9) You & Me (Extended Mix) (Moby x Anfisa Letyago) (2024)

10) The Lonely Night (Photek Remix ft. Mark Lanegan & Mindy Jones) (2013)

1993: Move - The Mixes EP: 5

1996: Come On Baby EP: 8

2000: Porcelain EP: 4

2002: Extreme Ways EP: 6

2003: 18 DVD: Outtakes & Bonus Songs: 1

2005: Hotel: 3

2008: Last Night: 7

2013: Innocents: 2

2013: The Lonely Night EP: 10

2024: You & Me EP: 9

Like It Always Does (46:05) (GD) (M)

As it's Moby's birthday, here's some more Dubhed selections from the archives:

Another Green World (1999 mixtape, posted Jan 2023)

Kaleidoscopic Mind (2000 gig setlist, posted Feb 2026)

Somewhere Around (random selection, posted July 2022)

Another Green World

Sides 1 and 2 of a Moby mixtape, compiled 11th April 1999.

Apologies to those of you who may have read the title and been expecting a lovely Brian Eno ambient compilation to ease in your Sunday. Yer man Eno does appear on side 2, track 3 albeit remixed by the great great great grandson of Herman Melville.

I appreciate for quite a few people out there, Meville's descendant may be considered more Dick than Moby but I was obsessed with Moby's music throughout the 1990s, after hearing the Twin Peaks-sampling monster that is Go. 

Much as I loved his all-pervading album Play, it was wrung out to such an extent that I stopped listening to it for many years, whilst 18 and the albums that followed have been patchy listens that, aside from a few diamonds on each, often felt like they were mining to same seam, with diminishing returns.

This selection was one of three cassettes that I recorded in 1999, on the back of Play but completely ignoring it, mainly for my own pleasure. I also lent them to my mate Paul, as a sampler of Moby's work, pre-Play. I've only got two of the three mixtapes now, so it's possible the other is either still with Paul (we lost touch over the years) or buried in a landfill somewhere.

This selection focuses on the period 1991 to 1997, covering Moby's first four albums, singles and remixes of his own and other people's music. I've also thrown in a couple of his aliases from 1991, Brainstorm and Voodoo Child, the latter periodically revisited by Moby through to the early 2000s. 

Depending on your view of Moby, you're either in for just over an hour and a half of musical delight, or a split second on the 'skip' button. No surprise, I'm firmly in the former camp.

Side One

1) Now I Let It Go: Moby (1996)

2) Everytime You Touch Me (Album Version): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Kochie Banton (1995)

3) I Feel It (Synthe Mix): Moby ft. Nicole Zaray (1992)

4) That's When I Reach For My Revolver (Moby's Mix) (Cover of Mission Of Burma): Moby (1997)

5) James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) (Cover of John Barry & Orchestra): Moby (1997)

6) Move The Colors (Edit By Moby): Brainstorm (1991)

7) Heaven: Moby (1993)

8) Yeah: Moby (1992)

9) My Beautiful Blue Sky: Moby (1993)

 

Side Two

1) Hymn (This Is My Dream) (Single Version): Moby (1994)

2) Go (Arpathoski Mix): Moby (1992)

3) Fractal Zoom (Naive Mix II): Brian Eno (1992)

4) All That I Need Is To Be Loved (Moby Dub): Moby (1993)

5) Bring Back My Happiness! (Extended Mix): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Saundra Williams (1995)

6) Move (You Make Me Feel So Good) (Single Version): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Carole Sylvan (1993)

7) Permanent Green: Voodoo Child (1991)

8) Help Me To Believe: Brainstorm (1991)

9) Love Song For My Mom ('Little Idiot' Version): Moby (1996) 

 

1991: Instinct Dance: A6 

1991: Rock The House EP: B8

1991: Voodoo Child EP: B7

1992: Fractal Zoom EP: B3

1992: I Feel It / Thousand EP: A3 

1992: Moby: A8 

1992: The Ultimate Go (The '92 Mixes) EP: B2

1993: All That I Need Is To Be Loved EP: B4

1993: Ambient: A7, A9

1993: Move EP: B6

1994: Hymn EP: B1

1995: Bring Back My Happiness! EP: B5

1995: Everything Is Wrong: A2

1996: Animal Rights: A1 

1996: Animal Rights / Little Idiot (ltd 2x CD): B9

1997: I Like To Score: A5

1997: That's When I Reach For My Revolver EP: A4

 

Side One (46:22) (GD) (M)

Side Two (46:34) (GD) (M)