Hits 21 - 1994 (5): Pato Banton & Baby D

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Hits 21: The 90s.At the roundtable this week it's Rob, Ed, and Andy!This week - Pato Banton longs for the return of the true 90s soccer gaming franchise, and Andy sees if Baby D's beautiful fantasy can pass the Land Down Under Test.Email: [e-mail]: @Hits21UK

Hits 21 It's 24. Hi there everyone and welcome back to Hits21 The 90s where me, Rob, me, Andy and me, Ed are looking back at every single UK number one of the 1990s. If you want to get in touch with us you can, email us at hits21podcast.gmail.com. Thank you ever so much for joining us again, we are currently looking back at the year 1994 and this week we'll be covering the period between the 23rd of October and the 3rd of December, we are taking you right up to the race. For Christmas number one, last week the poll winner, Saturday Night Wigfield, could there be any other? I don't think so.

So it is time to press on with this week's episode and here are some news headlines from well, late October to December 1994. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act and the Marriage Act are both passed into law in the UK. The Eurostar begins running regular services between London and Paris. The Daily Telegraph becomes the first British newspaper to offer an online edition. And the first ever national lottery takes place with seven prize winners sharing a jackpot of £6 million, which if I'm about right with our maths is about £800,000 each.

So well done to those people. In Switzerland, 48 people are found dead after a mass cult suicide near Geneva. Three paramilitary groups involved in the troubles in Northern Ireland declare a ceasefire. In Norway Norway a referendum determines that the country will not join the European Union and Moors murderer Myra Hindley is told she will never leave prison. In America, 64 people are killed when a prop plane crashes in the state of Indiana. Former US President Ronald Reagan announces that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is himself killed by a fellow inmate in prison, and rapper Tupac Shakur survives a shooting in New York City. The films to hit the top of the UK box office during this period were as follows. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for two weeks, The Lion King for one more week, Highlander 3 The Sorcerer for one week before The Miracle on 34th Street closes out the year for four weeks and the BBC is forced to apologise after C-Facts mistaken the reports that the Queen Mother has died. An apology was issued promptly afterwards. Bloody hell, Highlander 3? I didn't even know that was a thing, let alone it topped any chart.

BBC One broadcasts the first episode of The Vicar of Dibley and marks the return of fireman Sam to its children's programming. He really is always on the scene. BBC Two broadcast the very first episode of Ready, Steady, Cook. Kylie Minogue, Damon Albarn, Lily Savage and Jarvis Cocker all present guest episodes of Top of the Pops and on EastEnders Barbara Windsor appears as Peggy Mitchell for the first time. There had actually been a previous Peggy Mitchell, I've seen clips

which is really weird. But most importantly of all, my husband is born and it was very nice to hear the headlines about the National Lottery first draw happening because he was born two days before that first lottery draw took place. Coincidence? I think not. The world won the lottery that week. Oh they certainly did. In America, MTV releases Nirvana's unplugged live show seven months after Kurt Cobain's suicide.

Beastie Boys member Adam Horowitz completes 200 hours of community service after assaulting a TV cameraman at the funeral of 23-year-old actor River Phoenix. And TLC group member Lisa Lopez begins five years of probation after inadvertently setting fire to her own house. Andy, the UK album charts, how were they? Well, we are continuing where we left off last week with the highest selling album of the

year which is Crossroad by Bon Jovi, presumably the sequel album to Why Did Chicken, that's Crossroad. There we go, that's my contribution for the week, yes thank you for the laugh and that went six times Platinum and was number one for 3 weeks at the start of this period, before it was briefly interrupted by Nirvana with MTV Unplugged in New York which went number 1 for just 1 week and went platinum. Bon Jovi then returned to the top with Crossroad for another 2 weeks before we get The Beautiful South at number 1 with Carry On Up The Charts, their first greatest hits album, which went

six times platinum, which is almost enough to win the year and take the title off Bon Jovi, so very impressive from Beautiful South there. So yes, Bon Jovi, Nirvana and Beautiful South this week. That's a dinner party for you. Ed, how are the states? Well, two boys one week. Well, two boys, one week. Boys, two men take three trips, two number one, for some reason. Then it tends to get forgotten, but the follow-up to Doggy Style wasn't The Dogfather, it wasn't No Limit Top Dog,

it wasn't Dog Forgives I Dogged, it wasn't Doggled Adogs A Dog Walkers Guide to the Galaxy. Jesus Christ, I wrote this last night quite late. But the soundtrack to Murder was the Case, which I would like to believe involves Master Yoda in the LAP Homicide Squad. Mmm, Murder was the Case. But as it isn't doggy style, it is now best remembered as a paycheck or a shiny thing

you can hang above your broad beans to deter birds. Then it's Courtney Love's Husband's Band with MTV Unplugged in New York for a week. Then it's the Eagles for two weeks because people still like them even now They're awful. I don't understand I agree. I agree. I really wish we could pass a law to ban Hotel, California. I really do but Jesus Christ I used to be even the bands I Dislike I can kind of find one track at least that I like by them.

I know it's just a thing. Oh, don't like the Eagles, but take it easy. That's a banger. That's a great track. Really like that. Of course, it turns out that not only did they not write it, which isn't the end of the world, maybe they made the definitive version, the Jackson Browne version is identical to the note.

They add nothing and they take the money. Fuck the Eagles. Apparently they aren't even good lives. So why are they still here? Anyway, singles. Awful. Singles. Chris, singles. Right.

Boys to Men. That is literally the singles. All of them. For this duration it's just Boys to Men, so... Jesus Christ, what's happening? Is that everything? That is Boys to Men for the entire time. Oh my god. That's it! And do you know what? A little bit of a spoiler, they get taken over by themselves with another song.

So look forward to that. Bloody hell. Alright then, so, two songs this week, just the two instead of three, and the first of those is... THIS. Come back, baby come back Come back, baby come back This is the first time I see you today If you run away I'm asking you for the first time then Love me enough instead Instead, instead, hey come back

Baby come back Baby come back Come back Baby come back Bode bye bye bye bye Bode bye bye bye bye I must admit I was a clown To be messing around But that doesn't mean

That you have to leave town Come back Yes and give me one more try Cause a love like this shouldn't ever ever die Come back, yes with me colour TV And me CD collection of Pop Molly Come back, yes with me bag of sensei And we can be together for eternity Okay, this is Baby Come Back by Pato Banton. Released as the lead single from his 8th studio album titled Collections, Baby Come Back is

Pato Banton's first single to be released in the UK and his first to reach number one, however as of 2025 it is his last. The single is a cover of the song originally recorded by The Equals which reached number one in the UK in 1967. Baby Come Back first entered. It stayed at number one for...four weeks! Across its four weeks atop the charts it sold 356,000 copies beating competition from the following songs. When We Dance by Sting, O' Baby I by Eternal, Some Girls by Ultimate Chaos, Oh Baby I by Eternal, Some Girls by Ultimate Chaos Another Night by MC Saar and the Real McCoy and All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow And Let Me Be Your Fantasy by Baby D, Sight for Sore Eyes by M People and True Faith 94

by New Order When it was knocked off the top of the charts Baby Come Back dropped one place to number 2. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Baby Come Back dropped one place to number two. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 100 for 21 weeks. The song is currently officially certified platinum in the UK as of 20...25... Andy, since your husband was born when this was number one, you can go first. I had, despite the fact that it was number one when my husband was born, I'd never really sat and listened to this until a few weeks ago I was co-hosting a baby shower for my sister and one of the activities we did was to put together a playlist of songs that have baby in the title

and do it as a sort of quiz of guess the song with Baby in the title so I put this on and I hadn't listened to the playlist, I just put it all together and then this came up and I thought God, that's a jolly opening and everyone was kind of tapping their feet along and moving their shoulder to that and I thought oh I'm looking forward to covering this in Hits 21

because that was a good intro turns out that was very much it da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da little moment we've had of like pop reggae throw away things, which is really that like, they're just kind of frothy and just there, there's not a whole lot to them, to be honest. Like, you know, what is there I think is quite fun and is definitely like, you know, nothing that offends me in any way, but there just isn't a whole lot in this and I remain mystified by how this genre was so popular in the early 90s and I don't think we're quite done with it to be honest. There's a lot of this. We've had UB 40, we've had the Twist and Shout cover and we've had this and I don't know. It just doesn't do it for me to be honest. What I thought might explain it was, oh, is this something from the summer?

But not really. We're getting towards Christmas here. This is like around getting towards bonfire night and Halloween and this is a bizarre thing to be number one at this time of year. Maybe it's something that people brought back off holiday and it took ages to get to number one. I don't know. But for whatever reason, yeah, this just kind of mystifies me to be honest and I don't know. I really want to believe, I really do want to believe that it isn't just the gimmick of oh listen to those funny voices with the umpah umpah beat because I'm just sitting here imagining how many entirely 100% white British people imitated the voices in this song when they were singing along to it and that doesn't fill me with a huge amount of pride for my nation.

But anyway, I just think this is like, like I say, frothy, light, full of gimmickry and what I like, sorry, what is here I actually like. I don't have any problem with this at all. But this is just like having a cup of Vizzy Pop basically, like satisfying, tasty, but you forgot it as soon as it's over and hasn't really done anything to quench your thirst. It's just a load of sugar. So yes, this is fine, but insubstantial to say the very least. But not a bad one for my husband to come into the world too. You know, some of the ones that we've gone through this year

would have been unfortunate. Certainly I would have hated if you'd come into like Without You by Mariah Carey or God forbid if you'd been born a lot earlier. Well, if you'd come on your heads or if you'd been born a lot earlier and come in with babe, I take that. Certainly could have had a worse time of it than coming in to baby come back. But yeah, yeah I just kind of wish there was a bit more to this because it's just a silly party song but that's I guess that's fine.

Yeah my one word for this is just disappointing. Like I am disappointed by the reggae and reggae pop that the UK is really getting behind at this point in time. We've gone past a few songs that I genuinely treasure that sound really fresh but they keep falling short of number one and we keep getting stuff that's like UB40 adjacent or just not particularly adventurous. Obviously UB40 are on this vocalists then again I suppose this stuff is inevitable because we and I say we as in Brits we probably find the anger and violence of reggae to

be a little uncomfortable we prefer the reggae that fits an image we've already got in our heads which is probably quite similar Andy to the yes the voice impressions that people were no doubt doing 30 years ago for this. Funnily enough I think Chaka Dame was slot into that quite nicely as well. We've only got two songs to cover this week so I wish I had more to say but I just I find this to be very complacent I think it is exactly what it's always going to be, immediately out of the gate. I don't find it to be exciting. I don't know if it wants to be considered exciting.

But, you know, I will say that for all the UB40 or UB40 adjacent songs of this era, this is the most tolerable I think that we've had. Because as much as I think it's slightly scared of excitement, and as much as it's the softer end of reggae that I tend to not veer away from, I just prefer the angrier stuff, the more, you know, the stuff that's got a bit more like... yeah, just anger to it I suppose. This is never unpleasant, it stays in second gear the entire time but like we're in a 20 zone anyway so that's fine. It has some original content in the verses which I appreciate from the cover,

but I think it does bury the best thing about the Equals version in the mix which is that, you know, that lean on the Motown soul sound and that lovely kind of surf rock guitar line that comes through that it kind of buries them. You can hear them if you listen out for them and occasionally the little do-de-do-do that occasionally, you you know perks its head up above the surface but I'm glad that we never have to come back to this I'm glad I never have to come back to it in my personal life but I'm not entirely annoyed that we went past it in the first place because it's just kind of whatever but I am feeling this like this is like the 80s clinging on for dear life in a way this feels like something that I've mentioned before where between about 88 and 93 I think

if you were to play any song to me I would have a hard time deciding which year it's come from. 94 feels like a bit of a point where it's like okay that's from 94 because of this production choice and that production choice and because of this particular drum machine sound or you know like it's that sort of thing and this feels like something that maybe gets lost in the 88 to 93 Maya a little bit which is a little bit ironic considering the next song that we've got this week which I'll explain but after last week where it felt like the 90s really got going this is just a bit of a oh no 80s are still hanging around there they are oh yeah they are they ever going now I think

they're going I think the 80s are going is that them that's yeah that's them there they go and it's so yeah that's it's fine it's just kind of something I wish wasn't around anymore but Ed how about you I think nostalgia is beginning to rot my brain at this point I didn't think I'd be so susceptible to it I'm probably an ounce more positive about this than either of you well I can't actually deny any of the things you've you've leveled at it yeah the guitar line but you either have it or don't it's one of the best things about the original it roars out straight

out the gate you have that great drum fill and that's it. The pumping, you know, underlying rhythm of the track is established. And here it just is occasionally there reminding you that the original sound was a lot more in your face. But yet you've both mentioned that this feels like it was cheapening a bit for the white English market, so it would be like the surface level impression of, you know, oh good time Jamaican music.

Ha ha ha ha ha. This goes a little bit further. Those references like Bob Marley and stuff, it's like, come on. You know, I don't want to sound like some fucking hipster, but they know there's so much more to it than that Why are they talking about bring back me Bob's Bob Marley CD collection? It's like Come on. Why why you just you face like telling people? Oh just listen to Bob Marley. That's all there is to this Bob Marley and party music. There's fucking nothing else which you know full well is box

But it's just a strange choice. It's like people are already, you know full well is bollocks. But it's just a strange choice. It's like people are already, you know, having fun with this. I've no problem with it being, you know, just a cheap bit of fun, bit of dancehall fun, thrown off, get a hit. But why take down a lot of the cultural avenues with it? Sounds a bit pompous of me to say, but that just irked me a bit.

Yeah, are there any original songs coming out of this scene or is it literally just oh these are things that the audience might remember with some you know ragga vocals over the top is that is that it is that what this is? I'm sure madness are probably still cranking out a few original ones. Yeah slightly different scene but yeah I suppose this is there's overlap but yeah you would be amazed at how much I recalled this song when I heard it, even the vocal interjections. Because again, it's like when you said for four weeks, if I didn't know the song so well, I'd be like, how?

Why was this at number one for four weeks? But I evidently, this as was illustrated, I think last week, this evidently was a period when I was really fucking tuning in to what was in the pop charts. And so that, ba-da-bye-bye-bye-bye, ba-da-bye-bye-bye-bye, has been stuck in my head for 30 years, just looking for a place to land. And that just immediately springs into my head when I think of this song. Which is super weird as well, because I actually knew the original version first, I think of this song, which is super weird as well because I actually knew the original version

first, I think, because I used to record Sounds of the 60s off the telly when I was a hip and happening bloody like six-year-old. It used to be this series in about 1990, I don't think I saw it actually at the time, it was a couple years after, on the BBC that had half an hour and it'd just be a random snapshot of what were, you know, most likely the top of the pops or ready steady go performances. And I remember this was on there, I remember Bonzo Dog, Doodah Band was on there. I don't know how much of this is nostalgia, but I do find this fun. I'm glad you mentioned, Andy and at least that it feels jolly. I've got that in my you know in its favor because I think it is it's very upbeat it's got more bounce and it's got more presence than the bloody Shaka Khan and Piles one whatever that was.

Glad that I got a laugh. But it does have more presence, it's got more bounce. It's got a likeness of touch, it knows what it is. And it doesn't, you know, it's not making any illusions. It's almost self-effacing. I know I went off on one pompously about the whole fucking Bob Marley thing, but you know, it knows what it is.

It knows what the audience is, it knows what the purpose of the song is. And you know it's it knows what it is it knows what the audience is you know what's what the purpose of the song is and evidently it's been very very successful at doing that and it's i i just i find it very hard to dislike um it doesn't really go anywhere particularly fresh though i will give it a bonus point for doing one of my favorite simple tricks to extend the life of a song which is to overlap the verse with the chorus it does that the end so you've got the baby come back and you've got the ragga vocal bit which is not much of a hook but it's something new at least that extends it to about the two and a half minute mark which means I don't

quite get tired of it he's talking a load of bollocks at the two and a half minute mark, which means I don't quite get tired of it He's talking a load of bollocks at the end And I always thought it was bring back me senses turns out so nice bring back me sensei I'll be honest. I don't know what that is. The only sensei I know is the abbreviation that fans use for sensible world of soccer know is the abbreviation that fans use for Sensible World of Soccer, which was a hugely popular game at the time. And I'm not even kidding, this sounds stupid and like a mean flippin'. He might be referring to Sensible World of Soccer and I'm not even kidding.

But I'm probably wrong, there's probably people banging their head against the table like no, no, it's perhaps what you're talking about you posh brat but anyway I I like this and that's about as far as it can go it gives me some sort of nice uncomplicated buoyant joyful feelings but it's there's not really much in terms of landmarks it's fine it's fine and it's well done for what it is. It's like a three-star sort of thing, if you get my drift. I do definitely agree that of the, you know, varying installments that we've had from this genre

over the past five years, this is the most tolerable. This is the best, I think. It's not, it's not a huge competition, but I do agree that this is the best one, that we're coming out of the mire to some extent. Centi is marijuana. It's... yeah. Oh! Patois for marijuana. So there you go.

Oh I wanted it to be sensible world of soccer. I was like, oh that's such a like a specific reference. I'm like, I like that. Oh well. Just keeping it stereotypical then I guess. Yeah I guess like just to go back to what you were saying before about this kind of stuff reaching you know the top of the charts and what else is there sort of thing I think a lot of them I think there's a lot of stuff that's been around but it's just not reaching the top like I think we would have a slightly different picture or a slightly different opinion if we'd been able to stop and discuss something like Onoraga Tip. I think it's part of a... I guess this is the acceptable end of it, where it's like

Onoraga Tip is something that maybe came up through the clubs, whereas Baby Come Back is something that like the pop audience like, as opposed to the dedicated scene audience would play at a wedding and no one would notice aside from it being nice background music I think you already know the answer yes exactly yeah so already we are on to our final song this week but that's just because it's the second song this week of two which is this Let me be your fan I'll take you up to the highest heights Let's spread our wings and fly away Surround you with love that's pure delight Release your spirit, set you free Come and feel my energy Let's be as one, soul and mind I'll fill your world with ecstasy

Touch all your dreams, keep down inside Let me be your fantasy Let me be your fantasy, yeah Let Me Be Your Fantasy by Baby D. Released as the lead single from the group's debut studio album titled Deliverance, Let Me Be Your Fantasy is Baby D's second single to be released in the UK and their first to reach number one. However, as of 2025, it is their last. Let Me Be Your Fantasy first entered the UK chart in 1992, reaching a peak of number 76. It re-entered the charts in 1994 at number 3, reaching number 1 during its third week overall. It stayed at number 1 for… two weeks! In its first week atop the charts it sold 75,000 copies beating competition from

We Have All The Time In The World by Louis Armstrong which climbed to number 5, Crocodile Shoes by Jimmy Nail which got to number 8, and Spin The Black Circle by Pearl Jam which got to number 10, and in week 2 it sold 84,000 copies, beating competition from Love Spreads by The Stone Roses, which got to number 2, and Stay Another Day by E17, which got to number 8. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Let Me Be Your Fantasy dropped 1 place to number 2.

By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 104 19 weeks. The song is currently officially certified platinum in the UK as of 2025. Andy, Baby D, how we feel it? I'm going to briefly start by acknowledging we have all the time in the world because I'm never going to have the chance to do that again and also we sort of do have all the time in the world because we're starting our last song at about the 27 minute mark so you know if I do that it would be much like the film that accompanies we have all the time in the world on a majesty secret service which is a bloody long

film but anyway I rewatched the Bond films recently and on a majesty secret service is actually really good if you can ignore George Lazenby's best efforts. But I just forgot how absolutely gorgeous We Have All the Time in the World is. It's just an absolutely beautiful song, wonderfully performed by Louis Armstrong. And you never really hear that song on like playlists of Bond themes because for some reason it's not considered a theme even though it's absolutely a wash through the soundtrack and it clearly is the theme of the film but anyway I just want to mention that because yeah

it's just recently come back into well come back onto my radar a bit that it's an absolutely beautiful song so I really would have loved to have talked about it but then the breaks instead we've got Let Me Be Your Fantasy and I was quite frustrated by this I felt a bit... I don't know if let down's the word because I didn't expect that much of it but I just felt like it could have been so much more because I think the tone that it strikes right from the start with the sounds that it captures, despite the fact that these are a little bit behind the times that you know were a

little bit a couple of years out of date here I did love the atmosphere that it struck and as things started to build and that drum and bass sound started coming in and it you know had this vocalist who definitely has expression to that voice I thought oh this could be really nice. This could be a real discovery here. It just never really lives up to that start and lives up to the tone that it strikes at the start. I think it's just a bit too loose and free form

and never gets tight enough to really become something special. And I actually found I had a surprising problem which I very rarely had to mention in the 90s but those who listen to the noughties incarnation of our show will have heard me going on about it almost every week towards the end of the noughties which was this problem we had at the time of loads of bass, loads of treble but nothing in the middle so it felt like a sandwich with no fill and it felt really empty and hollow in the middle And that happened with loads of songs in the late Northeast

I think we established it was probably something to do with songs being made to be played through phones on you know on buses But that's not the case for this and I find myself with that problem here that there's a big big bass line to it There's the voice which is usually quite high in the register And there's these quite tinny drums all the way through it needs anchoring in something and you can just about, just just about hear that synth that runs through the whole thing but it's hilariously low in the mix, it's like it's really, really off in the mix and I just think it needs binding together a little bit more, like it would really have made it sing if it had a more whole sound to it and I think I have to put this into the category

unfortunately of songs that are less than the sum of their parts because I think the ingredients here are lovely I think like I said it captures a really nice tone I really like that singer and it doesn't outstay its welcome and it is for the most part well produced I think it just doesn't quite come together in the way that it should part of that is down to the fact as well that I don't think it's particularly catchy in and of itself this is I'm gonna name-check my very dear friend Jay who we did the Now Musings podcast with who always talked about We Built This City syndrome which is a really good example of what it is really, which is songs that everybody knows that one bit, but it's like, yeah, keep going, keep singing the rest.

No one carries on singing we built this city. And same with I come from a land down under, it's like, yeah, keep going, go on. And this is one of those as well where it's like, okay, yeah, it's got that, let me be a fantasy. And then, yeah, I've sort of forgotten the rest, despite the number of times that I've listened to it this week, I have sort of forgotten the rest myself. Smooth Operator, I will always say is one of those as well by Chardet.

And that's just a disappointing thing because I feel like there were really quite a lot of good ingredients on the table for this one and I do enjoy it. It does get a thumbs up overall, but I just think it's undercooked, undercooked and good ingredients have somewhat gone to waste on this one. Can totally tell why it got number one, because it does have a great individual hook

with the Let Me Be Your Fantasy. And like I say, I think it sounds really intriguing. Like it's a million miles away from the last number one we've just talked about, which is always going to get a plus point from me. And it definitely is ethereal and mysterious and all these things that I tend to rave about and really say are good things. But it just doesn't quite come together as anything particularly whole or nuanced for me. I think it's just a bunch of nice sounds thrown at each other that don't coalesce into a whole.

So nice, again, just like, maybe come back from Leonov, nice for what it is. It's not that much there, I don't think. So Ed, what about you? Pretty much I'm on the same page as you, Andy. I think that's a great hook. I don't necessarily need any more hookiness in the song than that.

This also feels heavier than a lot of the other dance pop we've had. You mentioned Andy, that it's got quite a large bass presence. I think a much bigger bass presence than similar examples we've had, it feels like it's a kind of transition between sort of the early 90s techno pop sound and big beat perhaps. Because when I was listening to this, I'm like that sort of sub bass presence

that this has, that those records don don't with the slightly more impactful brutal drums But this sounds like it's heading towards Breathe by the prodigy or something. Yeah, and as a result just in terms of sound terms, I find it quite refreshing because in terms of the sound it has weathered the storm probably better than in terms of the sound, it has weathered the storm probably better than than the dance pop examples we were listening to say from 1993 not that they're necessarily worse songs in fact it might be the opposite in many cases they are as you've kind of implied Andy, a little more catchy

in general. I think the problem here is just that it only has one thing going on effectively. I really like it. I love that hook. I love the way it's delivered and yeah the ethereal presence of the song with that bass you know beneath it it sounds great but it just needs something else a breakdown something to sort of keep it, you know, just to separate it out because otherwise it literally is, you're right Andy, just that that sticks in the head. But that's the thing though, it's so close for me to be something that I think's

great because I like everything that's here, but there's not much. And you mentioned that synth buried in the mix, and it is frustrating. And it sounds undercooked because it sounds a bit like on a keyboard when you combine two voices together. So you can have the piano and the strings playing exactly the same thing at the same time with the one key press. And it sounds like that's what they've kind of done, but they've buried one beneath the other. It sounds a little bit half-arsed, if I'm honest. Would have liked a little bit of independence, a little bit more richness perhaps to that.

It's such a fucking fussy complaint though, because on the whole I think this sounds really good, but it just It is hard to remember anything, but it's overall sound and that hook Yeah for me and that's great those those things are huge But that's it. You know what was the other two and a half minutes. Yeah, it's frustrating It is frustrating because I like it a lot. There's something that Lizzie said about a couple of songs back in the day where she said, oh, this is a sound, rather than a song.

And I would say that about this. That's exactly how this feels to me, that this is a sound. I get what you mean. It's a five-second clip on repeat over and over again in my head where it feels like it's a five-minute, it's a five-second clip on repeat over and over again in my head Where you know it feels like it's a ringtone or a text message tone rather than a song to be honest And that doesn't sound sorry that that's not quite as horribly insulting as it sounds But yeah, I can't quite get away from that to be honest. It doesn't feel like we have a complete song here

Well, I'm a little bit more positive on this I think than both of you. I find this to be really refreshing, just there's a feeling that comes very early on in the song for me, Ed you kind of alluded to it there where it feels like this is pointing towards something like Breathe by The Prodigy and it's just that feeling of the first break beat that we've experienced in this way you know the snare coming back around about two beats before you expect up against that piano you know it doesn't go it kind of goes and it snaps back and it's like oh hey now that's something new that's cool it's like the next decade of dance music opening up a little bit in front of you. You know, beef this up a bit.

I think you could stick this in 2001. Then again, actually, this did reach number 20 in the year 2000. It was remixed and given a bit of a garage flavor around that time. But yeah, I think, you know, it kind of serves my point. I think this is something that actually looks forward, whether it knows it or not. You know, it's immediately got fresh textures, new sounds. It's like everything that was played during the second Summer of Love has finally taken physical mainstream form and reached the top of the charts now. I think this is an example as well of like European house music starting to have an effect on UK chart acts as well,

because Baby D were British. But I think, you know think we've left all the sweat and claustrophobia behind, and now it's all arms reaching out and spirituality and trying to reach a higher plane sort of thing. You know, like, let me be your fantasy and stuff. All the lyrics in this are sort of like, you know, take a breath, reach out, feel it. You know, like all those big 90s rave signifiers feel like we've moved on as well that the rave drugs have changed. We've moved on slightly from MDMA and alcohol and more towards

psychedelics. I wish this kicked a little harder. The extended remix and the video remix actually as well has a great instrumental section that's quite gnarly and shoots for something underground and it appears in the music video Quite late on and it's like oh, this is a bit of a you know, but on the single version That's available on streaming services that doesn't that doesn't come up the single version feels a little timid compared to the The sort of like extended seven minute version But I think as it you, as a chart genre,

this stuff is still kind of finding its feet. It's a pretty solid dose of what it is. I think we get a lot of this stuff from this year onwards, which is kind of remarkable because this song was originally released when End of the Road was at number one, you know? So it feels like something looking into the future from two years ago. So it feels a bit like, you know, when it feels like something looking into the future from two years ago So it feels a bit like you know when we went through the charts last year or the year before and show me love by Robin S had turned up already and it was like whoa

This this early this this feels wrong. This is this feels at least five years premature And this kind of feels the same way to me. I think it's because it lasted throughout the 2000s on a lot of those advert things I don't know you'd get it on some music channels Maybe on some DVDs and stuff like Ministry of Ministry of Sound Club classics 90, you know like 90s rave or whatever and let me be your fantasy Just that that five second clip that we all know very well, that would always play through the advert, like midway through it, you know, you'd get splices of different songs, then every now and again you'd just get the

Let me be your fantasy, and you'd be like, oh yeah, okay, I know this one, and maybe in my head that's why it had, you know, a beefier rhythm section and a beefier backbeat than I thought this did, but it's, I don't know, I've said it's timid, but I don't know if it's timid or restrained. But I think it kind of achieves the same result of just like, I really like this, but I just wish it went one step further. Just like, you know, a bit heavier, a bit louder, a bit, ugh. But yeah, I think, you know, with a slightly more forceful backbeat, I would have been

talking about vaulting this. The lack of backbeat that's solid means that I probably won't be. But it's nice to, after, you know, Pat O'Banton, to look forwards, I suppose, you know? I think that it's a couple of weeks running now where we've just had another little nudge on into the 90s. There was one, there was another one semi-recently where we had like Rhythm Is A Dancer and I think Ebony Is A Good was in that same episode where it was like, okay, yep, just another nudge and this just feels like another step. I feel like you couldn't put Let Me Be Your Fantasy in the 80s really, aesthetically, I feel like its cultural footprint extends

forwards rather than backwards. But yeah, I am definitely, definitely a fan and I can't believe that we're almost at the end of the episode. We've not even touched 50 minutes. Hang on, I've got some facts about Sensible World of Soccer. Yes, go, go. This is partly just a desperate attempt to try and dig myself out of the ridiculous hole I put myself in. It was released in 1994, so there. But yeah, it was a 1994 football video game designed and developed by Sensible Software. It combines a 2D football game with a comprehensive manager mode.

The game includes contemporary season data of professional football from around the world with a total number of 1,500 teams and 27,000 players 1,500 teams and 27,000 players. Done by a small development studio, I should add. In 2007, Henry Lowood, curator for History of Science and Technology Collections in Stanford University, together with game designers Warren Spector and Steve Moretzky,

compiled a definitive list of the 10 most important video games of all time. This list included Sensible World of Soccer. Sensible World of Soccer's inclusion in this list is notable on three accounts. It is the only game in the list developed in Europe. It is the only sports game in the list, and it is the most recent game in the list.

What time are we on? There's a lot more. Do you know the funniest thing though is that like these days I think that if you were to release a football game with the word sensible in it now I think it would sell precisely one copy and that might be you Ed. It's really funny because there was a successor released in 2015 called Sociable Soccer, which was released on Microsoft Windows, mobile and virtual reality games. Wasn't it bollocks? It sounds like it was. It's not encouraging is it? I don't know why I have it in the back of my head that it was kind of a bit of a dud But I might be wrong. Maybe it's terrific. Yeah

Yeah, well to be honest, I think you know the episode coming up this short is good news for my cat Derek because my Partner she is still on her way home from work at the time of recording Which is 10 to 7 on the Wednesday evening. And we normally feed my cat at 7 o'clock and Derek was nearly going to have to have a late tea but he's going to have a tea that's on time. Or he might even get it early. I don't know. I'm looking at him right now. His eyes are closed and he's sleeping.

No, no, no. I've not got through Sensible World of Soccer 95-96, Sensible World of Soccer 95-96 European Championship Edition. through sensible world of soccer 95 96 sensible world of soccer 95 96 European championship edition sensible world of soccer 96 97 I mean you could push the could push it out and pad it out Derek could get his tea on time at 7 o'clock the question to me is are you gonna let Derek realize his dream of achieving an early tea time or you just gonna let it be his fantasy. Oh, thank you for bringing this back round. So, okay, that means that we just have to check, very briefly,

Baby Come Back and Let Me Be Your Fantasy. Andy, where are they going? Are they going anywhere? I'm not going to be shouting Baby Come Back to Baby Come Back because it isn't going anywhere. It's staying right with me. It's not going anywhere, that's saying in the middle. And as for let me be your fantasy, well the thought of it going into the vault is indeed just a fantasy. But it's also a fantasy too, I'm actually putting it in the pie hole. It's absolutely fine. So yeah, both of them staying right in the middle with me this week.

So Ed, Pat O'Banton and Baby D, how are we feeling? Well it may not equal the original, but I don't quite want to wave budda bye bye bye bye to this. It is profoundly fair enough. It's like three stars as fuck really. Baby D I think is a bit too diminutive a description, but it's not a massive cock either. It's more a perch pecker. Not hugely flexible, but good in short bursts. I'm talking about Willys, by the way. Oh, that's great. We should do a full Willys podcast. Yeah, I'd enjoy that. Well, I mean, instead of doing a third... No, that well I mean instead of doing it that no

no definitely not instead of doing a third song no and as for me baby come back by Pat O'Banton that is sat right in the middle it's just yep right as in the middle as it possibly can be let me be your fantasy was inches from the vault but I think that lack of backbeat and that slightly timid air that it has, it doesn't want to fully commit yet that other bands will go into, it just keeps it out. I feel like knowing that Big Beat is there in the future has probably held this back a little but I don't know, I may review it at the end of the decade, who knows.

So that is it for this week's episode, one of our shortest ever. When we come back, we will be covering the race for Christmas number one in 1994. The first Christmas that all of us experienced, including Andy's husband. So we will see you for it. Bye bye now. Bye bye. Bring back me FIFA! Passes to Morgan, passes to Gibson, oh it's in the back of the net, I don't believe in the scores! Thanks for watching!