Play (Moby Album) - Use of Samples and Additional Vocals

Use of Samples and Additional Vocals

The album was particularly notable for its extensive use of samples from the field recordings as they were collected by Alan Lomax on the 1993 Sounds of the South: A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta. Most of the samples were short and constantly repeated throughout the songs. For example, "Honey" used a sample from Bessie Jones that consisted of a conjunction of four verses that was repeated over twenty times. In the liner notes for the album, Moby gave "special thanks to the Lomaxes and all of the archivists and music historians whose field recordings made this record possible."

Samples

• "Honey" features samples from the Bessie Jones recording "Sometimes" (1960), produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Special Products. It also samples Joe Cocker's "Woman to Woman" (1972)
• "Find My Baby" features samples from the Boy Blue recording "Joe Lee's Rock", produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp by arrangement with Warner Special Poducts.
• "Bodyrock" contains a sample of "Love Rap" (1980) as performed by Spoonie Gee & The Treacherous Three. Used under license from Enjoy Records, Inc. Additional Vocals by Nikki D.
• "Natural Blues" features samples from the Vera Hall recording "Troubled So Hard" (1937), produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Specials Products.
• "Run On" features samples from "Run on for a Long Time" (1947) by Bill Landford & The Landfordaires, used courtesy of Sony Music.
• "If Things Were Perfect" contains a sample of "Hospital Prelude of Love Theme" by Willie Hutch. This is uncredited in the album liner notes.
• "Machete" contains a sample of "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band. This is uncredited in the album liner notes.
• "Porcelain" contains a reversed sample from "Fight for Survival" by Ernest Gold. This is uncredited in the album liner notes.

Vocals

• Moby – vocals on "Porcelain", "South Side", "Machete", "If Things Were Perfect", and "The Sky Is Broken"
• Pilar Basso – additional vocals on "Porcelain".
• Shining Light Gospel Choir – vocals on "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" (also sampled)
• Reggie Matthews – additional vocals on "If Things Were Perfect"