SADNESS: THE BELOVED

From an occasional commenter, though as yet anonymous:

When you first asked for contributions on the theme of happiness and/or sadness, my thoughts turned to The Beloved. After all, the big album that rocketed them to the attention of the club charts was 1989's album Happiness, with the big cheery dance hall hits such as The Sun Rising, Hello, and Your Love Takes Me Higher. Some may debate the lasting merits of such electronic ephemera, but to me, the voice of singer Jon Marsh was what made this material something more than dance club fluff, hitting a very compelling --even spiritually soothing--note somewhere between the more robotic vocals of early new order, and the artificially more poppy sound of early depeche mode and erasure. Not to put any of these bands down--I was a considerable fan of them all in their heyday-- but I personally believe there is a listening lpace for The Beloved among this good company.

The call, though, for songs that spoke of either happiness or sadness eventually got me thinking of a greatly under-appreciated wistful piece that has always been one of my Beloved favourites, the track "Deliver Me" from the 1996 album X. With their record label "east west" crumbling, and sorely under-promoted, this fine ambient electronic album went largely unexplored by the listening public. But the lyrics are soothing, and the voice--the VOICE!--of Mr. Marsh is un-equalled for getting me past times of trial. Hope it is for others, too--and I can recommend listening to many other tracks too, some happy, some sad, from all four official Beloved albums. The nice thing about the lyrics is that, although clearly focusing on the spiritual side of the human person facing the challenge of rising above great sadness, they are clearly not limited to a religious reading of any kind or denomination, but rather are a deeply personal reflection of a thoughtful musician.

In case anyone wonders "Where they are now?", it is rumoured (and sadly has been for almost a decade now) that a new Beloved album is in the works, with several tracks complete, and more in production. If this ever sees the light of day, and if it receives the attention it deserves, the music world is in for something of a a treat.

I have very recently bought on Ebay the reasonably rare double 12" vinyl promo release of "Deliver Me", wth four accompanying mixes, but unfortunately it has not arrived in the mail. Nonetheless, I include the original album version, along with the 12" Johnny $ remix which is available both on this release, and as a free download from www.thebeloved.com, the official band site. As well, there is a very unexpectedly fine cover version, by six-piece Christian outfit from Texas, The David Crowder band, called the "Antidromic Mix" . Some reader may have heard Miss Sarah Brightman's cover too, though I personally find this too little changed from the original arrangement to be compellingly personal, or orginal.

Cheers, and all the very best wishes and condolences to TVV, a very fine person and compelling blogger in his own right. Your reach extends far...

A Canadian Fan

The Beloved - Deliver Me (Johnny $ Remix)

The Beloved - Deliver Me

The David Crowder Band - Deliver Me (Antidromic Remix)

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