Moby
Go - The Very Best of Moby

Before reviewing this Greatest Hits, it seems appropriate to take a step back, precisely eight years; in fact, this artist's career is much longer, but it was in 1999 that he achieved worldwide fame thanks to a masterpiece album named “Play.” We are obviously talking about Moby, a little genius who skillfully managed to combine two completely different musical genres like Blues and electronics, capturing the fans of both genres. A career made of continuous artistic transformations, from a wild rave party and techno music DJ to a refined composer of spiritual melodies! From Disc Jockey to a real musician.

After a career of pounding techno house rhythms, Moby discovers the Blues, shuts himself up in his home garage, and starts sampling old blues melodies from tape recorders of the era, using a homemade sampler purchased near his home... creativity, imagination, and a strong musical knowledge gave birth to the masterpiece “Play” with unforgettable tracks like “Porcelain,” “Natural Blues,” “Why does my heart feel so bad?” “Find my baby,” this artistic mutation of Moby seems to be the definitive one. His subsequent albums have remained faithful to his unique style, as evidenced by his following album “18” where the melodies become increasingly tear-jerking (and perhaps excessively sentimental!), culminating in his latest studio work “Hotel,” an album played from beginning to end, where the electronic component is only a backdrop.

This chameleonic and prolific career is now narrated through this collection named “Go-The Very Best Of Moby,” which includes 15 songs plus a multimedia track that allows access to the artist's private website. The collection revisits the most significant episodes of his career with tracks that alternate between melodic and dance, starting with the single “Natural Blues” that reminds us of the good times of “Play,” down to the beginnings of his DJ career with the Techno/ambient track “Go”, which, together with “James Bond Theme (Moby’s re-version)” and “Move”, adds a dance touch to the collection. Despite Moby's good intention of satisfying his old fans and approaching the new generation, the album is not convincing. Some singles have been retouched and remixed (without warning on the cover), an unfortunate decision to present oneself to a new audience. The Hit singles are presented in the Radio version, meaning shortened; moreover, some masterpieces (e.g. “In My Heart”) have been decidedly ruined by adding clubbing beats that make the entire songs uglier. A less unfortunate but still bad choice is to render a great song like “Slipping Away” into House. Not even the new single “New York New York” manages to uplift a collection that, in my opinion, is subpar.

Ultimately, “Go-The Very Best of Moby” is a Greatest Hits suitable for those who want to listen to Moby's Hit Singles in a carefree manner (perhaps in a car or on headphones), and for those who think that Moby is just a musician for mobile phone commercials... however, for anyone intending to fully discover this multifaceted artist, in my opinion of extraordinary musical talent, I strongly recommend listening to his old albums, especially “Play” and the wonderful “18.”

A good collection, but nothing more.