Wikipedia

18 (Moby album)

18 is the sixth studio album by American electronica musician, songwriter, and producer Moby. It was released on May 13, 2002, by Mute Records in the UK and on May 14, 2002, by V2 Records in the US. After the unexpected commercial and critical success of his previous album, Play (1999), Moby started to write songs for a follow-up during its supporting tour. He started work on the album at its conclusion in December 2000, using fewer samples than before. Guest vocalists include Azure Ray, MC Lyte, Angie Stone, and Sinéad O'Connor.

18
Studio album by
Moby
ReleasedMay 13, 2002 (2002-05-13)
Recorded2000–2002
StudioMoby's home studio on Mott Street, Manhattan, New York City
Genre
Length71:24
Label
ProducerMoby
Moby chronology
Play: The B Sides
(2000) 		18
(2002) 		18 B Sides + DVD
(2003)
Singles from 18
  1. "We Are All Made of Stars"
    Released: April 1, 2002
  2. "Extreme Ways"
    Released: June 24, 2002
  3. "In This World"
    Released: November 4, 2002
  4. "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)"
    Released: February 24, 2003
  5. "In My Heart"
    Released: 2003
  6. "Jam for the Ladies"
    Released: July 21, 2003

Following its release, 18 went to number one in 12 countries, including the UK, and reached number 4 in the US. The album went on to sell over 4 million copies worldwide.[1] 18 B Sides + DVD, a collection of the album's B-sides and live video footage, was released a year later.

Background

edit

In December 2000, Moby finished his world tour in support of his previous studio album, Play (1999), which had lasted for 21 consecutive months.[2] He wanted to start on a follow-up as soon as it was over, by which time he had already recorded ideas for some new songs. This process was under way in the spring of 2001, with Moby using a Power Macintosh G3 and G4 to write and record with Pro Tools.[3] He felt no pressure in delivering an album that matched the commercial success of Play, but an "artistic pressure" to make a record that he and others could enjoy.[4]

Prior to starting on 18, Moby had friends in New York City, Los Angeles, and London search through local record shops for albums that contained strong vocals that he could use to sample from and write songs based on them, a technique he had used for Play. He received several hundred and from them, clipped vocal lines, often two or three words long, that caught his interest. From there, he played different chords on his piano that suited the part to build an outline for a song. He then stored the records in his cabinets.[5][3] Moby composed the album in batches, transferring songs onto a CD and sending them to his management and the A&R representative at V2 with labels such as "Moby Ideas 2, August 2001" or "Moby Demos 3". After 10 months Moby had sent 35 discs comprising over 140 songs, which promoted ideas of making 18 a triple album, but his friends and management advised against it.[3] There were arguments between Moby and V2 over the use of vocal samples on 18, and V2 and Mute believed that a follow-up album that sounded like Play was going to attract criticism.[3]

Moby named the album after the number of tracks that he put on it, and his fondness towards the idea of the title being easily translated and known as something different in other countries. He pointed out that there are some "really esoteric reasons" for the title, but did not mention them. On his website, Moby hinted that those who had visited Israel and are familiar with conspiracy theories regarding extraterrestrials may spot its significance.[4][6] He said that Play and 18 were structured around the same motivation: "The desire to make compassionate records that meet a need in someone else's life."[7]

By the time of the September 11 attacks in New York City, the album was almost recorded and finished. Following the incident, Moby made alterations to "Sleep Alone" as he found some of its lyrics "too prescient"; the line "Pieces of fire touch your hair" became "Pieces of light".[7] Moby had written "Harbour" in 1984, at nineteen years of age; Sinéad O'Connor was surprised upon learning this, as she initially thought the song related to pre- and post-September 11 events. O'Connor was too afraid to fly to New York City to record her vocals at the time, so she used a studio in London.[7]

Prior to the album's release, V2 Records avoided to send advance copies to soundtrack supervisors. As Play had gained momentum after it was licensed to television and film productions, the label did not rule out the possibility of licensing tracks from 18 but wanted to hold out from doing so until the official launch.[3]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Blender     [10]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[11]
The Guardian     [12]
NME4/10[13]
Pitchfork2.6/10[14]
Q     [15]
Rolling Stone     [16]
Uncut     [17]
USA Today    [18]

18 received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, writing that, "Moby not only creates a shimmering, reflective mood from the outset, but [that] he sustains it throughout the 18 songs, as the album shifts from pop and soul songs to soaring instrumental stretches letting the sound deepen and change colors with each new track."[19]

Track listing

edit

All tracks are written by Moby, except where noted

18 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Are All Made of Stars" 4:32
2."In This World" 4:02
3."In My Heart" 4:36
4."Great Escape"
2:09
5."Signs of Love" 4:25
6."One of These Mornings" 3:12
7."Another Woman"
3:56
8."Fireworks" 2:13
9."Extreme Ways" 3:57
10."Jam for the Ladies"
3:22
11."Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)"
5:09
12."18" 4:28
13."Sleep Alone" 4:45
14."At Least We Tried" 4:08
15."Harbour" 6:26
16."Look Back In" 2:20
17."The Rafters" 3:22
18."I'm Not Worried at All" 4:11
Total length:71:24
Japanese edition bonus 3" CD (V2CP 123-124)
No.TitleLength
1."We Are All Made of Stars" (Cornelius Remix)5:58
2."Soul to Love"4:30
3."We Are All Made of Stars – Slow Synth"7:00
Total length:17:28

Sample credits[20]

  • "Another Woman" contains samples of "I'm a Good Woman", written and performed by Barbara Lynn.
  • "Jam for the Ladies" contains samples of "Wherever You Are", written and performed by Mic Geronimo.
  • "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)" contains samples of "Sunday", written and performed by Sylvia Robinson.

Personnel

edit

Credits are adapted from album liner notes.[20]

Music

  • Moby – instruments, vocals on "We Are All Made of Stars", "Signs of Love", "Extreme Ways" and "Sleep Alone"
  • Azure Ray – vocals on "Great Escape"
  • Freedom Bremner – vocals on "At Least We Tried"
  • MC Lyte – vocals on "Jam for the Ladies"
  • Dianne McCaulley – vocals on "One of These Mornings"
  • Sinéad O'Connor – vocals on "Harbour"
  • Shauna Phillips – vocals on "The Rafters"
  • Lorraine Phillips – vocals on "The Rafters"
  • Jennifer Price – vocals on "In This World"
  • The Shining Light Gospel Choir – vocals on "In My Heart" and "I'm Not Worried at All"
  • Angie Stone – vocals on "Jam for the Ladies"

Production

  • Moby – production, engineering, mixing
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • David Calderley – artwork, design
  • Danny Clinch – photography

Charts

edit

Certifications

edit
Certifications for 18
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[72] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[73] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[74] Gold 150,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[75] Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[76] Platinum 15,000^
Portugal (AFP)[77] Platinum 50,000[77]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[78] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[80] Platinum 518,828[79]
United States (RIAA)[82] Gold 513,000[81]
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,000,000[1]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J. (October 12, 2016). "Moby Talks 'Fast Post-Punk' LP, Embracing Commercial Irrelevance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Smith, Andrew (October 15, 2000). "Definitely Moby". The Observer. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Smith, Ethan (May 1, 2002). "Organization Moby". Wired. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Rionda, Sasha (May 3, 2002). "More Moby: '18,' to be exact". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Hilburn, Robert (May 12, 2002). "What Do You See, Moby?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Goodman, Abbey (February 21, 2002). "Moby's next album is called 18, but what does that mean?". MTV. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Fricke, David (June 6, 2002). "Moby's Home Made Heaven". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Reviews for 18 by Moby". Metacritic. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "18 – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  10. ^ Petridis, Alexis (June–July 2002). "Moby: 18". Blender (7): 107. Archived from the original on November 22, 2005. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  11. ^ Browne, David (May 17, 2002). "18". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  12. ^ Petridis, Alexis (May 10, 2002). "Play it again". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  13. ^ Needham, Alex (May 7, 2002). "Moby : 18". NME. Archived from the original on June 10, 2002. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  14. ^ Pecoraro, David M. (May 19, 2002). "Moby: 18". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  15. ^ "Moby: 18". Q (190): 105. May 2002.
  16. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2002). "18". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  17. ^ "Moby: 18". Uncut (61): 108. June 2002.
  18. ^ Gardner, Elysa (May 14, 2002). "Moby, 18". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  19. ^ "18 - Moby | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  20. ^ a b 18 (Liner notes). Moby. Mute Records. 2002. CDSTUMM202.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  22. ^ "ARIA Dance - Week Commencing 20th May 2002 - Albums" (PDF). The ARIA Report (638): 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-22. Retrieved July 4, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Moby – 18" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Moby – 18" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Moby – 18" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  26. ^ "Moby Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  27. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  28. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Moby – 18" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  29. ^ "Eurochart - Albums". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 22. June 1, 2002. p. 59. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  30. ^ "Moby: 18" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  31. ^ "Lescharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  32. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Moby – 18" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  33. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 23 May 2002". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  36. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  37. ^ "Hits of the World - Portugal". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 22. June 1, 2002. p. 59. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  38. ^ "Лучшая 10-ка НФПФ. Октябрь 2003г" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers. Archived from the original on January 16, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  40. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  41. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Moby – 18". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  43. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  44. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  45. ^ "Moby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  46. ^ "Moby Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  47. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  48. ^ "ARIA Highest Selling Dance Albums 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report (670): 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-22. Retrieved July 4, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  49. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2002". austriancharts.at. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  51. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  52. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  53. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  54. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  55. ^ "Year in Review – European Top 100 Albums 2002" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 2/3. January 11, 2003. p. 15. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved July 4, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  56. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2002" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  57. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  58. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  59. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  60. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  61. ^ "2002 UK Year-End Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  62. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  63. ^ "2002 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-53. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  64. ^ "ARIA Highest Selling Dance Albums 2003" (PDF). The ARIA Report: 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-22. Retrieved July 4, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  65. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  66. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  67. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  68. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2003" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  69. ^ "2003 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-66. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  70. ^ "2000s Dance/Electronic Decade End Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  71. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  72. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2003". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  73. ^ "French album certifications – Moby – 18" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  74. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Moby; '18')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  75. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Moby – 18" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 6 August 2002. Enter 18 in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2002 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  76. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Moby – 18". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  77. ^ a b "Uma estrela pop chamada Moby em Lisboa" [A popstar called Moby in Lisbon] (in Portuguese). publico.pt. October 26, 2002. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020. Disco de platina em quase todos os mercados europeus, inclusive em Portugal onde chegou à marca dos 50 mil discos vendidos [Awarded with Platinum disc in almost every European music markets, including Portugal where was sold 50,000 copies]
  78. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('18')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  79. ^ "Chart analysis" (PDF). Music Week. July 11, 2009. p. 24. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  80. ^ "British album certifications – Moby – 18". British Phonographic Industry.
  81. ^ "Moby Attacked In Boston". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  82. ^ "American album certifications – Moby – 18". Recording Industry Association of America.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=18_(Moby_album)&oldid=1237101561"