The Beloved is a British electronic music group. In 1983, Jon Marsh placed an advert 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.
At the meeting in 1986, Cambridge graduate Steve Waddington was present and the two formed the core, with Tim Havard and Guy Gausden completing the lineup. The band originally had a guitar orientated sound, but soon began using drum machines and dance elements. They sounded at times like New Order, and a summation of this stage of their career can be found on the compilation "Where It Is". After slimming down to a two piece consisting of Marsh and Waddington, they began to embrace a dance sound more wholeheartedly, and in 1988 the single "The Sun Rising" became a club favourite. "The Sun Rising" featured a sample of "O Euchari" by Emily Van Evera, a sample also used by Orbital on their tune "Belfast". This was followed by the album Happiness in 1990, from which the hit single "Hello" was released.
By 1993, Waddington left the group and was replaced by Jon Marsh's wife Helena, who was working as a purchaser for the Parisian fashion house Comme des Garçons, for the album Conscience. The band faced some controversy for the video of the single "Sweet Harmony" which consisted of a naked Marsh among a group of women, also naked (although it was shot and edited so as not to show anything which might cause it to be censored). One of the nude stars of this video is British television presenter Tess Daly. By this time the project had dropped the definite article from its name and was now simply called Beloved. "Sweet Harmony" has since been used in Homebase advertising.
Beloved singles continue to be remixed and the band has not been formally wound up, but Jon Marsh has for some ten years been concentrating on his flourishing career as a club dj, as well as the raising of his young family. Although Jon collaborated with Steve Waddington on new material and completed an album, he seems to have abandoned this work now, and these tracks will never see the light of day.
