Play. documents an Australian concert from 1980 that finds
Magazine in fine form, spitting out their unsettling, edgy post-punk songs with controlled energy. By this point, guitarist John McGeoch had been replaced by Robin Simon, and although there are some weak patches on the record, he fits into the group's dense interplay remarkably well.
Play., however, remains a record for the collector, especially since their best-known song, "Shot by Both Sides," isn't on the record, and an awkward cover of
Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine