The Beloved – Happiness

I’ve always loved the beloved..thirty years on,this cd,or lp sounds as relevant,and as fun as when I first bought it…one foot in the indie pop,and head first into the dance,house sound of the time..but doesn’t sound dated…it sounds timeless.the sun rising is a classic.,setting a standard for the progression of the next decade of dance,and still a dance floor filler…I’ve always thought they didn’t get their due,especially in America…one listen to any of their tracks or remixes,it really hits hard that their sound is very much their own…and in dance,or indie that’s really hard to do..their remixes are unique.their sound doesn’t get lost in the remix…a unique band,with a world view…this reissue is a long time coming,and worth every penny…I can hope that Conscience,and X will get the same treatment…thank you Beloved!

hmm, why is the new remastering of "Happiness" vinyl not contain all the new stuff demos, or the brilliant track "Paradise ("my darling, me angel")?

Sounds pretty damn fine on my system. Not sure what all the bitching is about?

What's going on with the beginning of the remastered "Up, Up And Away"? Some kind of error? A couple seconds of something before the track starts. On the original version, too, it seems, although I never noticed it before. This is a great release though, and I'm sure it has made many people very happy. Acid Love!

I have a test pressing of this for sale anyone interested - PM ME (note i cant seem to add test pressings - or else i would list it!)

I agree with GDJS. Spreading this album over 2LP's should have meant an amazing sounding record.

The reissue has taken one of the best ever recordings and squashed/compressed it way too much which has reduced overall dynamic range.

Everything is now LOUD and forward with very little ambience, space and depth that is on the original Euro German pressing.

It still sounds good, but could and should have been so much better.

The beautiful synth sound that flicks in and out about 5 feet above the speakers on Time After Time in the left channel is now just buried in the midrange.
The upper frequencies on Scarlet Beautiful have been squashed so now they are in your face, not extended like on the original pressing.
the Sun Rising has incredible depth on the original pressing, everything is in your face on the reissue.
Wake Up Soon has incredible keyboard dabs shooting around like shooting stars in the upper frequencies - in this reissue, they are just shoved into the midrange again so all the subtlety is gone.

Either my press is different or people are not listening.

What on earth has happened with side 3, it's been destroyed.

foobar2000 1.3.1 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-02-08 04:32:39

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Analyzed: The Beloved / Happiness {2020 EU}
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR10 -1.69 dB -14.27 dB 4:20 01-Hello
DR9 -2.03 dB -13.15 dB 3:40 02-Your Love Takes Me Higher
DR9 -2.45 dB -13.33 dB 4:14 03-Time After Time
DR10 -2.56 dB -14.14 dB 3:52 04-Don't You Worry
DR9 -2.39 dB -13.14 dB 4:41 05-Scarlet Beautiful
DR10 -2.30 dB -13.75 dB 3:56 06-I Love You More
DR7 -6.22 dB -14.00 dB 5:06 07-The Sun Rising
DR7 -5.37 dB -14.76 dB 5:05 08-Wake Up Soon
DR9 -2.44 dB -13.40 dB 6:03 09-Up, Up And Away
DR9 -2.56 dB -12.77 dB 4:26 10-Found
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Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR9

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 3030 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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This is a terrible press. All sides were recorded and raised the same.

Was a great idea to spread it over 4 sides, but somebody messed up badly.

Just got the full release version of this on CD [New State Music P&C 2020] - The demo's of the tracks are SO much better than the one's that ended up on the Album and over produced to the point where their Shoom club honesty and E-vibe was lost. I am only reviewing disc 2 because the existing album is already well known. I love you more (demo) has a baseline straight out of chicago which is joined by a ringing indie guitar line that captures the unholy indie/dance marriage that permeated through the UK underground music scene. Everyone it seemed was under the spell of ecstasy at that time so the normal influences of rainy cobbled northern streets and standard black clothed gothic infused angst got totally swept away. This opener could well be a New Order track of the same vintage and it sounds just like their club/indie collisions. Jackie won't you please come home is a downtempo chugger that is more like their pre-E-iphany stuff and mostly forgettable. Sally on the other hand has a much better song underneath it but is still a long way from the eventual sound of the Beloved that emerged on the album. The cut my hearts desire is another forgettable indie-by-numbers-cut... Then it all changes - the thumping 909 intro of the demo version of your love takes me higher leads us into a tough club track with and indie vocal over it - I could play this out at any house club and it would still do the damage. I can only imagine what the record company thought had gone in the water upon hearing the pain/303 demo version which is straight out of a Chicagoan basement sweat box - Brilliant stuff. Wake up soon's wah wah infused downtempo groover and dubs demo is SO much better than the eventual album cut, more minimal, more funky and more credible. Acid Love could have come from TRAX or DJ International. Jon Marsh is channeling E-washed mantras and Jamie Principle Vocali delivery and it sounds bloody brilliant. Oh if only this had been released instead of that "Aciiiiiieeeed" D-Mob track we might have had a more credible Shoom anthem in the charts. Acid Love (Acid Dream) is less tough mix but still a quality track. Paradise (My Darling, My Angel) is a great Acid House croon choon. "I will show you paradise" - no doubt with a dove imprinted pill - breathes Jon Marsh to his intended initiate he has seen through the smoke and strobe lights of the Shoom dance floor. The time after time demo is close to the eventual album cut but its lower-fi sound is more in keeping with its timestamp than the eventual version. I would play this one in preference at a Pikes Hotel afternoon session or Cafe Del Mar Sunset Set. The extended demo dub has a brooding cello line and lighter synth melody which gives way to an instrumental mid section that builds its layers into a nice Ibizan poolside comedown song. I like to think Jennifer Smiles is written ironically about the infamous Shoom Club doorway gatekeeper - of all the indie sounding stuff on this disc this is best of the bunch. Pablo that follows is a straight up Piano House track that will raise hands in the right club and morphs into a late set chugger that wouldn't be out of place in the right clubs today. Love it and can't wait to play it out. The Evening session remix of the seminal Sun Rising track toughens up the beat and tempo of the classic chill out classic.
All in all an amazing time capsule that freeze a band mid-way through one of the best metamorphosis in pop history. Recommended

I have to agree with the other comments on this, the re-mastered vinyl is epic and puts the album in a whole new context. I liked the original issue all those years ago but it comes alive on here....amazing sound quality, really beautiful.

This is absolutely fantastic.
The mastering and pressing are both second to none. There's nothing about this release that I can fault.
One of the best I've bought this year.