The Beloved (band)

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

Formation

In 1983, Jon Marsh (who played drums for Twelfth of August in 1982) placed an advertisement in the music press, 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.

Meanwhile, he met Cambridge University graduate Steve Waddington when he joined Twelfth of August as an additional guitarist (other members were Steve Seale (Barrington) and John Seale).

Initial indie success

At the meeting in 1986, Steve Waddington and Tim Havard were present, and the two formed the core of a band named The Journey Through (the name taken from a line of the song 'Heaven in Love', written by Steve Seale and Jo Caney). When Guy Gausden later joined the band, the group changed their name to The Beloved. The band originally had a guitar-oriented sound, but soon began using drum machines and dance music elements. They sounded at times like post-punk/dance group New Order, and a summation of this stage of their career can be found on their first studio 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", "Happy Now", and the double A-side "Surprise Me" / "Forever Dancing", all released between 1986 and 1987, all on Where It Is, all making the Top 30 in the UK Indie Chart, and all failing in the UK Top 75.