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The Beloved (band)

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This article is about the English electronic music group. For the American rock band, see Beloved (band).

The Beloved
OriginLondon, England
GenresAlternative dance, house, synthpop, post-punk (early work)
Years active1983–present
LabelsFlim Flam Productions, Atlantic Records, Warner Bros., EastWest, WEA, New State Music
MembersJon Marsh
Past membersSteve Waddington
Tim Havard
Guy Gausden
Helena Marsh
Websitewww.thebeloved.com

The Beloved are a British electronic music group best known for the singles "Sweet Harmony", "The Sun Rising", "Hello", "Your Love Takes Me Higher", and "Satellite".

Originally a post-punk/new wave band formed in 1983, they underwent a change of direction in the late 1980s to a house/alternative dance sound and experienced chart success in the UK and elsewhere.

Formation

According to a commonly known account of the band's formation, Jon Marsh placed an advertisement in the music press in 1983, which read as follows:

"I am Jon Marsh, founder member of the Beloved. Should you too wish to do something gorgeous, meet me in exactly three year's time at exactly 11am in Diana's Diner, or site thereof, Covent Garden, London, WC2."

[1]

However, Marsh confirmed in 2017 that this was a story made up for a press release.[2]

Marsh first met Steve Waddington when he joined the band Twelfth of August as an additional guitarist. Within a few months, Marsh suggested they leave and start their own band. Calling themselves The Journey Through in 1983, they recruited bass player Timothy Havard[1] and began writing and rehearsing; occasionally playing live, with keyboard player Bill Anderson. Waddington was singer and principal songwriter. By early 1984 they were The Beloved; Waddington still the frontman, but Marsh singing on several songs and Havard and Marsh beginning to take over most of the songwriting.[1] By the autumn Marsh was the lead singer, still drumming on demos and in rehearsal. He waited outside the BBC, Portland Place one night and gave a demo tape to John Peel. Within a fortnight they had been booked for a session. Marsh's school friend, Guy Gausden, had played drums with them at a couple of gigs and they persuaded him to join as a permanent member. Having barely rehearsed, and with two brand new songs out of four, they debuted as a four-piece on BBC Radio 1 on 8 January 1985.

Initial indie success

A second Peel session followed in October 1985 and soon afterwards their first single, "A Hundred Words", was released in April 1986. A summation of this stage of their career can be found on a compilation album, Where It Is, which is a compilation of previously released material, consisting of singles and related B-sides, pressed onto one individual long playing work. The record includes all the early singles, "A Hundred Words", "This Means War", the double A-side "Surprise Me" / "Forever Dancing" and the EP "Happy Now", all released throughout 1986 and 1987, all making the Top 30 in the UK Indie Chart,[3] and all failing in the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Change in direction and Happiness

Havard left the band in July 1987.[1] The remaining three members began work on a new album. However due to a lack of money to produce the album, it was shelved and Gausden departed in late 1987.[1] After slimming down to just Marsh and Waddington only, The Beloved began to embrace a dance sound more wholeheartedly.[1] In October 1988, the single "Loving Feeling" was released. It did not fare very well in the charts but its B-side "Acid Love" garnered moderate success in clubs. The single "Your Love Takes Me Higher" was released in January 1989 and did not chart but was more successful than "Loving Feeling", peaking at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart. In October of the same year the single "The Sun Rising" was released and became a club favourite, crossing over to the UK Top 40,[1] peaking at number 26 in November 1989.[4]

This was followed in February 1990 by their first studio album, Happiness, the first and only album the band released as a duo,[1] and the first consisting wholly of previously unreleased new songs, from which the hit single "Hello" was also released. "Hello" became The Beloved's first international hit, and reached number 19 in the UK.[4] This song's lyrics mostly consist of names of real or fictitious people, groups and institutions, representing the band's wide-ranging selection of heroes, villains, and a few of their friends. Saint Peter and Saint Paul, house music with Kym Mazelle and Paris Grey; literature with Jean Paul Sartre rhymed with the writer and disgraced former politician Jeffrey Archer; talk radio with Brian Hayes and Marsh's childhood hero, Crystal Palace FC football player Vince Hilaire. The LP included two more singles, a re-release of "Your Love Takes Me Higher," which this time made the UK Top 40,[4] and the final cut, "Time After Time", which was only a minor hit in Great Britain, reaching number 48.[4]

A brand new song, "It's Alright Now", which also failed to make the Top 40, stopping at number 46 in the UK,[4] was released to promote a remix album, titled Blissed Out, released in November 1990.[1] Almost all of the songs from the Happiness album were featured on Blissed Out in one or more remixed versions, along with another mix of "It's Alright Now," and some previously exclusively non-album tracks. The work was released in three different editions, varying in length and track listing, depending upon the format. The vinyl LP, the shortest, includes 8 tracks; the CD version features 11 tracks; and the MC edition contains 16 tracks.

Further success: Conscience and X

"It's Alright Now" and Blissed Out were the last works made by Marsh with Waddington at the time. By 1991, Waddington had left the group, and they re-emerged in 1993 with Jon's wife Helena involved as co-writer and co-producer for a second studio album, Conscience.[1] The band received airplay with the video of the first single, "Sweet Harmony," despite the entire cast being naked (shot and edited showing nothing that might cause it to be censored). One of the models in this video is the television presenter Tess Daly. "Sweet Harmony", which was originally used to promote the second season of the popular American soap opera Melrose Place in several European countries, has since been used in advertising for British home improvement chain Homebase as well.

While "Sweet Harmony" went on to become their biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 8 in 1993,[4] the other two tracks taken from the Conscience album, did not achieve the former's success. The double A-side single "Celebrate Your Life" / "You've Got Me Thinking" peaked at number 23, and "Outerspace Girl" peaked at number 38. "Rock to the Rhythm of Love" was also released as a single, however, only in the US. The album itself reached no. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.

After Conscience, a third studio album entitled X was released in 1996.[1] Though the record peaked at number 25 in the UK Albums Chart,[4] and three singles were released from it, only the first, "Satellite", made the Top 20, peaking at number 19;[4] while the second, "Deliver Me", failed to chart and was withdrawn shortly after release in the UK because of a lack of radio play[citation needed] - and the third, "Ease the Pressure", did not enter the UK Top 40, stalling at number 43.[4] To date, X is the last original album from the group. This album includes soundscapes by Robert Fripp.

Later activity

After X, the compilation Single File followed in 1997, promoted by a re-release of "The Sun Rising" (which reached number 31, only five positions lower than the original 1989 release) which included some new remixes.

Jon and Helena released several underground 12" singles in the following years under different names, including: "It's A Universal Thing" / "All That Jazz", "Stella Does Tricks" and "Density" (1998, 2000, 2001, as Adam & Eve); "Ride With Me" (1998, as Lucky Hole); "Baby Sheik" (1998, as The London Authority); and "King Of Deep" / "Peking Dub" (2003, as Deepo King). Jon also released two further Beloved singles in 2000: "With You", a cover version of Sparks' 1981 song "When I'm With You", which was originally recorded for a tribute album, and "Timeslip".

Marsh later became a respected club DJ, holding monthly residencies at Ministry Of Sound between 1994-1998, and Fabric 1999-2004. He played all over the UK and Europe on a regular basis until he stopped to focus more on his family. He has also collaborated with original band member Steve Waddington and others on new material, most of which remains unreleased.

Digital releases and Special Editions

Marsh has been uploading the band's discography on streaming services such as Spotify throughout the late 2010s, including rare remixes that were previously only available on limited edition 12" records. In April 2019, the first single released under the Beloved name since 2000 was released for Record Store Day, "Your Love Takes Me Higher (Evil Mix)" / "Awoke", released by the band's new label New State Music. The first track was a previously unreleased remix of "Your Love Takes Me Higher" from 1988 and the second, "Awoke", was a previously unreleased and unnamed song from late 1990, intended for use on a direct follow-up to Happiness which was shelved. The single was only physically released on 12" vinyl and only had 1,500 copies pressed.

On 31 January 2020, a remastered re-release of Where It Is was released both on streaming platforms and as a 2-CD physical set. It contains 31 total tracks, with bonus demos and alternate versions of tracks, along with an extensive booklet containing previously unseen photos of and in-depth information on that incarnation of the band, written by Tim Havard.[5] This re-release peaked at number 88 on the UK Physical Albums Chart.[6] A similar re-release of Happiness was also released on 7 August 2020,[7] this peaked at number 77 on the UK Albums Chart,[6] number 8 on the UK Physical Albums Chart[6] and reached number 1 on the UK Dance Chart.[8]

Collaborations with other artists or bands

Both Marsh and Waddington have collaborated with other artists or bands. Waddington co-wrote, co-produced, and contributed guitar to the System 7 track "Habibi". Marsh has contributed vocals to tracks from Laid and Luke Solomon, as well as remixing other artists including Depeche Mode. He also worked with Bent on Beautiful Otherness from their 2003 album The Everlasting Blink and We Watch the Stars, which was released in 2013.

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Work Category Result
1991 Brit Awards "Hello" Best British Video Nominated
1993 MTV VMA "Sweet Harmony" Viewer's Choice (Europe) Nominated

Discography

Chart placings are from the UK Singles Chart and UK Albums Chart,[9] except those marked *, which are from the UK Indie Chart.[3]

Albums

Singles

Year Single Peak positions Album
UK
[4] 		UK Indie
[3] 		AUS
[10] 		AUT
[12] 		BEL
(FLA)
[16] 		FRA
[17] 		GER
[18] 		IRE
[19] 		NED
[20] 		SWE
[14] 		SWI
[21]
1986 "A Hundred Words" — 15 — — — — — — — — — Where It Is
"This Means War" — 22 — — — — — — — — —
1987 "Surprise Me / Forever Dancing" — 15 — — — — — — — — —
1988 "Loving Feeling" — — — — — — — — — — — Single only
1989 "Your Love Takes Me Higher" 91 — — — — — — — — — — Happiness
"The Sun Rising" 26 — — — — — — 28 — — —
1990 "Hello" 19 — 94 — — — — — — — —
"Your Love Takes Me Higher" (reissue) 39 — 148 — — — — — — — —
"Time After Time" 46 — — — — — — — — — —
"It's Alright Now" 48 — 150 — — — — — — — — Blissed Out
1993 "Sweet Harmony" 8 — 147 3 40 16 6 14 21 14 6 Conscience
"You've Got Me Thinking" 23 — 200 — — — — 21 — — —
"Outerspace Girl" 38 — — — — — 76 — — — —
"Rock to the Rhythm of Love" (US only) — — — — — — — — — — —
1996 "Satellite" 19 — 116 — — — — — — — — X
"Deliver Me" — — 198 — — — — — — — —
"Ease the Pressure" 43 — 204 — — — — — — — —
1997 "The Sun Rising" (reissue) 31 — — — — — — — — — — Single File
2000 "With You" — — — — — — — — — — — Singles only
"Timeslip" (white label) — — — — — — — — — — —
2019 "Your Love Takes Me Higher (Evil Mix) / Awoke" — — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Music videos

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 32/3. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  2. ^ Radio, Soho. "Pete Paphides (06/06/2017)". Mixcloud. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Official Charts > Beloved". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  5. ^ The Beloved (Artist). "Where It Is (Special Edition) (2CD): Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  7. ^ "NEWS: The Beloved announce 30th Anniversary Edition of 'Happiness'". God Is In The TV. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  9. ^ Strong, Martin C. (1999). The Great Alternative & Indie Discography. Canongate. ISBN 0-86241-913-1. Exact dates of single releases from the Happiness album can be found in the 9th edition of The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 1993. ISBN 0-85112-526-3. As for the dates of further album and single releases, please see The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and Albums.
  10. ^ a b c d e Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  11. ^ "Billboard > Artists / The Beloved > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  12. ^ a b "austriancharts.at > The Beloved in der Österreichischen Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > The Beloved – Conscience (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  14. ^ a b "swedishcharts.com > The Beloved in Swedish Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 > Darren B – David Byrne". zobbel.de. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Ultratop > The Beloved in Ultratop Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  17. ^ "lescharts.com > The Beloved dans les Charts Français" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  18. ^ German singles chart peaks:
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'The Beloved' (from irishcharts.ie)". Imgur.com (original source published by Fireball Media). Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  20. ^ "dutchcharts.nl > The Beloved in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  21. ^ "The Beloved in der Schweizer Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2016.

Further reading

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