Beyond, a Rock Band from Hong Kong

There are none level with BEYOND...

Because words don't describe Beyond...

Beyond are the best band in the world, not only because of their skill, but because of the massive variety of their style.

When I started at boarding school I recorded a large amount of Cantonese music directly onto tape, many artists and many cds. Recording an odd song from each source - if I liked a song I would record it.

A while later I decided I should find out who the artists were, and the names of the songs. This is coincidental with my learning basic Cantonese. I found that over half the songs I had recorded were by the same band - Beyond.

I realized they use more than one style, they can do rock, love ballad and pop-rock. Wong Ka Kui is the most beautiful singer in the world - his voice is steady, rhythmical and emotional. Even in a foreign language that I could not understand, this voice spoke straight to my heart.

He died in June 1993 after falling 3 meters from a stage on a live gameshow in Japan.

They are not like other bands, and Wong Ka Kui was not like most people.

The right songs from Beyond routinely reduce me to tears, in memory of the band, their emotion and music, and the memory of myself discovering Beyond.

Their new material, with new members and skills, is different. It is equally exciting but harsher and heavier than ever before, Wong Ka Kui's faithful brother, Ka Keung, is carrying the torch on for Beyond, but somehow, without Ka Kui, Beyond's modern albums do not inspire my tears anymore.

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In 1983, Wong Ka-Kui met Yip Sai Wing, and formed a rock band called Beyond. Yip Sai Wing was the drummer of the band and Wong Ka-Kui was the leading vocalist and guitarist. In the same year they won an award for "Best Band" in a competition sponsored by Guitar Magazine. Paul Wong, initially designed posters and record covers for Beyond, joined the band later on as a guitarist.

In 1984, Wong Ka-Kui's younger brother, Wong Ka Keung joined the band as a bassist. Since then Beyond remained an independent band, playing music at nightclubs and schools.

In 1986, Beyond self-published "Goodbye Ideals" on cassette tape. Their early styles were mostly hard rock, new wave, post-punk, experimental and avant-garde. Their later manager, Leslie Chan, attended one of their live performances and was impressed by their unique style. As a result, Chan invited Beyond to sign with Kinn's music. However, their hard rock style was not widely accepted by listeners in Hong Kong. Disappointing album sales presented Beyond with a dilemma .

In 1987, Beyond released their first album Arabian Dancing Girl. Their music began softened with keyboard, but their album sale still couldn't meet the expectations. At the same time, they were constantly criticized by other rock bands about commercializing their original hard rock music.

In 1988, Beyond released album Modern Stage with some pop songs. For the first time, they included some slow-paced, love theme songs as well as songs with satirical lyrics about their Society. Again, their album sale was not successful, and their management company threatened that no more opportunities would be provided to them if they fail again.

First Success
Realizing the situation they were in, Beyond released their next album Secret Police with songs that were more in the popular genre. Songs such as 大地(The Land) and 喜歡你(Loving You)

Wong Ka-Kui
Wong Ka-Kui (June 10, 1962 - June 30, 1993) was a Hong Kong composer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the founder of the Hong Kong rock band Beyond.