The Beloved

The wistful electronic pop duo the Beloved (Steve Waddington and vocalist Jon Marsh) released a moderately successful debut album Happiness in 1990. Following the lead of successful European dance-pop bands like the Pet Shop Boys and American dance divas like Paula Abdul, the Beloved capitalized on their initial success (which was greater in Europe than in America) by releasing an album of remixes. Blissed Out, also released in 1990, is made up almost entirely of remixes of tunes from the first album, though it does contain two tracks ("Pablo" and "It's Alright Now") that didn't appear on Happiness. Since the new songs are far from spectacular, most of Blissed Out's appeal comes from the new mixes of the Beloved's dancefloor hits like "Hello," "Your Love Takes Me Higher," and the rave classic "The Sun Rising." Blissed Out isn't the best introduction to the music of the Beloved (Happiness fits the bill just fine) and the group's fans might find the album redundant, but Blissed Out is a decent collection, and the remixes are interesting. Fans of the genre should find it appealing. ~ William Cooper, All Music Guide