TheCellarTapes

In preparation for my nomination of this marvellous band into the MB Hall Of Fame, I thought I'd create a thread dedicated to them.

The Monks only ever released one album, but bloody hell....what an album. It seems to have influenced quite a few folk, including The Beastie Boys and Mark E Smith. So here's my review of that seminal album, with some live clips from youtube thrown in at the end.

Sooooo yeah......Discuss!

The Monks - Black Monk Time
(1966)



Tracks


The Torquays were formed in 1964 in Germany by five American GIs based over there. They were really your typical bog standard Beat covers act, which most average bands of that period were.

But in 1966 they emerged, no longer in the army, with new monk style bald patches on their heads, all black clothing, a new name and a totally new and unique style all of their own; The Monks were born, with a live act and a sound quite simply in a league of its own.

Their only album, Black Monk Time, was released in 1966 on Polydor after being recorded in the dark nights of November 1965. To say this band and their one and only studio album release were unique, is literally an understatement, with the impact of it still not being fully appreciated by the general public.

This album release as with so many great cult records was a commercial flop, having mixed and patchy success in Germany, but not even registering a murmur in the US or Britain. But as with all great cult records; it will find a way of getting into your life somehow and thank the maker this has got into mine.



The album begins with Monk Time; highlights of this song include the marvellous vocals of Gary Burger and the lyrics which have to be read to fully appreciate what a stunning opener it is….

Quote:

Alright, my name's Gary. Let's go, it's beat time, it's hop time, it's monk time now! You know we don't like the army. What army? Who cares what army? Why do you kill all those kids over there in Vietnam? Mad Viet Cong. My brother died in Vietnam! James Bond, who was he? Stop it, stop it, I don't like it! It's too loud for my ears. Pussy Galore's comin' down and we like it. We don’t like the atomic bomb. Stop it, stop it, I don't like it . . . stop it! What's your meaning Larry? Ahh, you think like I think! You're a monk, I'm a monk, we're all monks! Dave, Larry, Eddie, Roger, everybody, let's go! It's beat time, it's hop time, it's monk time now!

This triumphant opener is followed up with the fabulously named Shut-Up, with its fantastic use of the organ and the almost football terrace rhythm it has to it. This is followed by Boys are Boys and Girls are Choice, which is one of those songs at just over a minute that is very much short and sweet.

Further down the track list is track 5, I Hate You, which is yet another showcase for the marvellous wailing vocals of Gary Burger, as well as demonstrating the sheer ahead of its time nature of The Monks musical output, I really do struggle to believe this song was recorded in 1965.



The same can be said for track 6; Oh, How To Do Now sounds so far beyond the pale and quite clearly influential to later artists, that when it comes to groundbreaking, I’m surprised anyone even bothers mention Revolver anymore as 1966’s finest. You might think that I am just saying that for effect, but seriously, this album is a real surprise.

In subsequent years, this album has been reissued with some extra gems which oddly did not make the final cut; these include the brilliant Cuckoo, Love Can Tame The Wild and Monk Chant……marvellous.

Black Monk Time is an album filled with rhythm, angst and an anger, yet is all wrapped up in a quirky, raw, but catchy package which is rather appealing on the ears. This is punk music in its earliest form, but punk music with an electronic banjo, an organ and a beyond eccentric sound which makes you warm to this band and their music instantly.

An absolutely quality piece of work and an eye opener to anyone who believes that The Beatles' Revolver album was the only landmark album to come out of 1966. A Must


Monk Chant


Oh, How To Do Now


Boys are Boys & Girls are Choice


Cuckoo

Sneer

What else can you say about Black Monk Time? Excellent album, very influential and, at the time, groundbreaking. I Hate You is one of my favourite songs ever. I do prefer The Sonics though.

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Guybrush

I also have this album and the first time I listened to it, I was really impressed that it had been recorded in 1965. I definetly thought it was ahead of it's time. I quite liked it too, but it's been a while so I should definetly give it another spin soon.

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Fruitonica

Sounds very interesting, does anybody have an up?

TheCellarTapes

It was mentioned in The Sonics thread that the drawback to The Sonics was the number of covers, ok The Sonics had seriously injected these covers with steroids, but they were covers none the less.

When you look at Black Monk Time, there is not one cover. Which again for 1965/66 and for a debut, is quite an achievement really

jazzrocks

What do the Monks have to with the Beatles? Why make the comparison? Nothing against the Monks but how do you compare Revolver with the Monks they are different musically. It's like comparing some Motown group with a Country Act.

Basically every modern electronic artist owes something to "Tomorrow Never Knows". The Beatles did more artistically in this one song than currents bands have done (and will do) in their entire careers. It blows my mind that Revolver was done on a 4 track mono soundboard. I'm a musician myself and have some understanding of recording equipment but they did this with 4 track technology. Tomorrow Never Knows they began experimenting with tape loops effects, musique-concrète, backward music, repetition drum & bass sound, and all in one song which influenced modern electronica.

In the television program Howard Goodall's 20th-Century Greats, Goodall says that in mixing pop and classical techniques, and cross-fertilising them with Indian and electronic music, The Beatles refreshed and revitalised western harmony. They also transformed the recording studio from a dull box where you recaptured your live sound, into a musical laboratory, of exciting and completely new sounds.

The Beatles (Revolver) 1966 Revolutionary in early preoccupation with "psychedelic" effects as a studio instrument, including electronic/tape effects, sound distortion, influence of Indian music, and avant-garde. New recording technique inclued Automatic Double Tracking, layered tape looped effects, many kinds of reserve tape effects, and vocals through leslie amps

You can make up your point without bringing the Beatles into it. If you understood what they did for rock music or pop music you would not bring the Beatles into this. Black Monk Time is a great album and it's one of my favorites but Revolver is considered by many the greatest pop album of all time. Black Monk Time and Revolver are different albums go ask what early Progressive Rock artists thought of "Eleanor Rigby" or "Love You To".

http://www.last.fm/user/RadioheadOas...line_1962-1966

Zinnser

Amen to what you are saying. The Beatles wrote the master class in using non rock sources whether it was Greek Folk music "Girl", avant styled tape loops "Tomorrow Never Knows" or the avant orchestration on "A Day in the Life" with pop/rock music. Making strange sounds does not always equal great music. Some people swear by the Red Crayola but to me it's all noise. The Beatles were redefining modern pop music and influenced basically every early progressive rock artists.

The argument can be made the Monks beat out the Velvet Underground to proto-punk. The Monks should be compared to acts the like Sonics and the Velvet Underground. That being said the Monks by this one album were already ahead of the Velvet Underground in many ways.

TheCellarTapes

I think the above and your comments on my journal are slight over reactions, but of course shows music passion so fair enough. But it's really not like comparing Country music with Motown, its like comparing one landmark album which everyone loves from a former Beat group, with a Cult classic from the same year which not everybody knows from another former Beat group.

If there's one thing I've learnt in the last few years, its that nothing in sixties music is cut and dry and as I originally thought. The Beatles at the end of the day were art school students, who as such, were open to new ideas, ideas not neccesarily their own, but when taken on board were certainly taken to new levels, no doubt about it, thats why the relationship with George Martin for example was so important.

But you as a fan of jazz (an assumption from your name) must know that some of the stuff being done by artists in the sixties (including The Beatles and The Monks) had actually been done to some degree all before, just taken by each artist, rejigged and taken up a gear.

The Beatles of course were brilliant, no one really is suggesting otherwise, see my Magical Mystery Tour review if you dont believe me, my Revolver review will indeed be coming up in my journal in the next couple of weeks, as believe it or not I actually value this album too.

But as I stated in my Monks review, you may think I'm using Revolver for effect but thats not the intention. I really bring it up as Revolver I believe is the benchmark for 1966 output to many (as you've proved), but Im attempting to make a reasoned arguement, as much as you can describing music with the written word, that maybe Black Monk Time was just as groundbreaking and just as influential.

One of the whole points of that journal is to highlight some of the acts who may have flown under the radar and broke their own version of the mould......I firmly believe that The Monks were one such act.

Put it this way, it would defeat the object of that journal and my passion for sixties cult records if my views didnt fly in the face of the popular opinions that you have stated above. Sorry if I've offended you for seeming to slur one of your favourite bands, they are actually one of mine too, but c'mon, there's plenty of music love to go round.

cardboard adolescent

we don't like the army WHAT ARMY who cares what army?! you think like i think you're a monk i'm a monk we're all monks!

Piss Me Off

Just got this now and what an album! Absolutely insane for it's time, as if i wouldn't have guessed from the haircuts. The bonus singles are highlights for me, along with the first track which i'm going to be glued to i'm guessing.

I should think they'll have my backing come their turn in the HOF.

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