The Beloved (band)

The Beloved are a British electronic music group formed in London in 1983, best known for the singles "Sweet Harmony", "The Sun Rising", "Hello", "Your Love Takes Me Higher", and "Satellite".

Originally a post-punk/indie band, 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.

History

The band was founded by Jon Marsh (vocals, keyboards, programming, drums), who remains the sole constant member. He met Steve Waddington (guitars, keyboards, vocals) in the band Twelfth of August, and the two left to form their own group, initially called The Journey Through in 1983, before becoming The Beloved in early 1984. Early members included Tim Havard (bass, 1983–1987) and Guy Gausden (drums, 1984–1987).

The Beloved debuted on BBC Radio 1's John Peel show in January 1985. Their early singles—"A Hundred Words" (1986), "This Means War" (1986), "Surprise Me" / "Forever Dancing" (1987), and the EP Happy Now (1987)—all charted in the UK Indie Chart top 30 but failed to enter the UK Singles Chart.

After Havard and Gausden departed in 1987, Marsh and Waddington embraced a dance-oriented sound. Signed to WEA, they released the singles "Loving Feeling" (1988) and "Your Love Takes Me Higher" (1989), the latter reaching number 91. The breakthrough came with "The Sun Rising" (1989), which peaked at number 26 in the UK. Their debut studio album, Happiness (1990), produced the international hit "Hello" (UK number 19), which lyrically lists names of real and fictional people. A remix album, Blissed Out, followed in 1990.

Waddington left the group in 1991. Jon Marsh's wife, Helena Marsh, joined as co-writer and co-producer for the second studio album, Conscience (1993). Its lead single, "Sweet Harmony", became the band's biggest UK hit, reaching number 8. The album itself peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. The music video for "Sweet Harmony" featured the cast entirely naked but edited to avoid censorship; one of the models was television presenter Tess Daly.

A third studio album, X (1996), reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single "Satellite" peaked at number 19. X remains the group's last original album. A compilation, Single File, was released in 1997.

Later activity

After X, Jon and Helena Marsh released underground 12" singles under various aliases (Adam & Eve, Lucky Hole, The London Authority, Deepo King). Jon Marsh also worked as a club DJ, holding residencies at Ministry of Sound (1994–1998) and Fabric (1999–2004). The Beloved released a Record Store Day single in 2019, "Your Love Takes Me Higher (Evil Mix)" / "Awoke". Remastered re-releases of Where It Is (2020) and Happiness (2020) were issued, with Happiness reaching number 1 on the UK Dance Chart.

Members

• Current: Jon Marsh (1983–present)
• Former: Steve Waddington (1983–1991), Tim Havard (1983–1987), Guy Gausden (1984–1987), Helena Marsh (1992–1997)

Discography (studio albums)

• Happiness (1990) – UK number 14, BPI: Gold
• Conscience (1993) – UK number 2, BPI: Gold
• X (1996) – UK number 25

Notable singles

Awards and nominations

• 1991: Brit Awards – Best British Video for "Hello" (nominated)
• 1993: MTV Video Music Awards – Viewer's Choice (Europe) for "Sweet Harmony" (nominated)