Delirious?
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- This article is about the Christian rock band. For other uses, see Delirious (disambiguation).
Delirious? are an English Christian rock and worship band, featuring Martin Smith on vocals and guitar, Stuart Garrard (a.k.a. Stu G) on guitar and backing vocals, Jon Thatcher on bass guitar, Tim Jupp on keys and piano, and Stewart Smith on drums and percussion. Stu G is the only member not related to the others by blood or marriage. Martin, Stewart, and Tim are each married to one of Jon's three sisters.
The question mark is part of the official name. On their early albums, the final s before the question mark was rendered as a 5. Therefore, the band's name often appears as Deliriou5? in some circles. This was purely an artist's concept and wasn't reflective on the band's true name. The band's logo changed in 1999, and the glyph was replaced with a character that could be an s or a 5. It should be noted that the name has always been spelled as Delirious? in official, non-graphical literature. This is consistent with the band's record company (Furious?) and publisher (Curious?).
Contents |
History
Cutting Edge (1993-1995)
Delirious? began life as a worship band for a youth outreach event called "Cutting Edge", instigated by the Arun Community Church in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England. Popularity of these events increased, and the band also played at other "Cutting Edge" events along the South Coast, reaching as far as Southampton.
The music became well known in Christian circles, and demand grew for recordings. Four EPs were released under the "Cutting Edge" name before the group made the decision to turn professional and change their name to "Delirious?". By that time, they had already sold over 70,000 EPs by mail order.
Many of the band's most famous songs were written during this era, including "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever", "The Happy Song", and "Lord You Have My Heart".
King Of Fools (1997)
Delirious? gained success in 1997 following the release of King of Fools, the first album released under their new name. King of Fools eventually went silver in the United Kingdom, and Delirious? became one of the most popular and well-known Christian rock groups both in the UK and the United States. Songs such as "Deeper", "History Maker" and "White Ribbon Day" gained anthemic status and still surface regularly at Christian youth events. Delirious? also released three singles to the mainstream UK Charts - the aforementioned "White Ribbon Day" and "Deeper", as well as "Promise". The last two both reached number twenty with very little radio airplay; Deeper remains the band's best-selling single, with over 30,000 copies sold.
Mezzamorphis (1999)
The 1999 album Mezzamorphis attained number twenty-five in the album charts (number two in the independent section), and soon became certified silver in the UK. The band found resistance in the mainstream due to their "Christian" label, despite generally positive reviews in the music press; at the same time, many former fans shunned the "secular" album, claiming that Delirious? had "sold out". Singles from Mezzamorphis gained some British chart success - for example, the first single, "See the Star", peaked at number sixteen on the charts, and its successor, "It's OK", reached number eighteen - but a refusal by UK pop station Radio One to playlist the band arguably hindered their attempts to break the mainstream.
Glo (2000)
In 2000, the band released a worship-oriented album, Glo (short for glorious). This album was the number one Christian seller for eight months. Several songs from the album, whilst not being released as actual singles, gained immense popularity in the Christian music world, most notably the guitar-driven "My Glorious" and the more introspective "Jesus' Blood". The track "Investigate" eventually became a favourite concert closer for Delirious?.
Audio Lessonover? and "Waiting for the Summer" (2001)
The second attempted mainstream album, Audio Lessonover?, released in 2001, faced the same opposition that Mezzamorphis had, although the single "Waiting for the Summer" managed to reach number twenty-six on the charts. The album was later released as Touch in North America with some significant edits.
World Service and "Inside Outside" (2003)
In 2003, Delirious? released World Service. Although this was more of a worship-oriented album, as was Glo, Delirious? released two singles to the German market: "Inside Outside" and "Every Little Thing". The former sold over twelve thousand copies, was number one in German radio station SWR3's chart, and spent seven weeks in the German singles charts, peaking at number seventy-two. Delirious? also released two free mp3 downloads on mp3.com, both topping the Guitar Rock charts (the first for a full month). The first mp3, "Majesty (Here I Am)", hit number fifteen on the worldwide charts; the second, "Rain Down", reached number twenty-eight. The two together had amassed over 500,000 listens/downloads after fifty days.
The Mission Bell and "Paint The Town Red" (2005)
The latest Delirious? studio album, The Mission Bell was released in the UK in 2005. "Paint The Town Red" was released as a CD and iTunes single in the UK, entering the charts at number fifty-six.
Delirious? Live
Delirious? regularly play at Christian events, such as the Greenbelt festival in the UK, as well as mainstream festivals such as at Glastonbury. In the USA they have played at such events as Acquire the Fire (an event hosted by Teen Mania) and Spirit West Coast. They have also been the support act for several notable bands/artists, such as Bon Jovi in 2001 and Bryan Adams in 2002. In 2003, they joined with the Hillsong worship team at the Hillsong Conference to record the live album UP: Unified Praise and at the Singapore Festival of Praise in 2005. In 2005 they helped lead worship at Soul Survivor and also took part in the Youth Day organised by the Pope in Germany.
Discography
Albums
- 2005 - The Mission Bell
- 2004 - Unified Praise - with Hillsongs
- 2003 - World Service
- 2002 - Libertad
- 2002 - Access:d
- 2002 - Touch
- 2001 - Audio Lessonover?
- 2001 - Deeper
- 2000 - Glo
- 1999 - Mezzamorphis
- 1998 - d:tour 1997 Live At Southampton
- 1997 - King Of Fools
- 1996 - Live & In The Can
- 1995 - Cutting Edge 3 and Fore
- 1994 - Cutting Edge 1 and 2
UK Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
| UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1997 | "White Ribbon Day" | #41 | King Of Fools |
| 1997 | "Deeper" | #20 | King Of Fools |
| 1997 | "Promise" | #20 | King Of Fools |
| 1997 | "DeEPer EP" | #36 | King Of Fools |
| 1999 | "See The Star" | #16 | Mezzamorphis |
| 2000 | "It's OK" | #18 | Mezzamorphis |
| 2001 | "Waiting For The Summer" | #26 | Audio Lessonover? |
| 2001 | "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever" | #40 | Deeper |
| 2005 | "Paint The Town Red" | #56 | The Mission Bell |
German Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
| German Singles Chart | German SWR3 Chart | |||
| 2004 | "Inside Outside" | #72 | #1 | World Service |
| 2004 | "Every Little Thing" | - | #2 | World Service |
| 2005 | "Paint The Town Red" | - | (iTunes only) | The Mission Bell |