Send "The Monks " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Prefixmag |
 Do you only need three chords and the truth? In the case of the Monks, five ex-G.I.'s and four svengalis complete the picture. The short-lived band -- the uninitiated can consult the internet's Bible -- quickly flared up and fizzled out in the mid-'60s, but left an indelible impression on generations of musicians with its seminal and sole album, Black Monk Time. Celebs like Mark E. Smith of the Fall,the Beastie Boys, Jack White of the White Stripes and Colin Greenwood of Radiohead have heaped praise upon the record, thus extending its mythology. In spite of such high-profile praise and periodic reissues over the last three decades, the album has circulated mostly among die-hards because of its limited pressings. Seattle-based Light in the Attic (the fine company behind a myriad range of reissues, such as the Free Design and Rodriguez) continues to spread the gospel to yet another generation by making this album, along with a handful of latter-day cuts, available again.A-list endorsements and decades of mythologizing invariably color a current listening of Black Monk Time. However, The Monks were unmistakably radical in contrast to their generic beat-music contemporaries. Instead of living their on-stage dreams through familiar rhythms and melodies, The Monks injected brute, mechanical speed into its beats and manic, critical energy into its anti-melodic vocals....full text |
| The-monks |
| Review of BLACK MONK TIME by Tad Hendrickson from CMJ New Music Report Issue: 513 - Mar 17, 1997 Jaded by life as a hard touring rock 'n' roll band of ex-army serviceman living in the Germany of the '60s, the Monks were a big fat bummer amidst the onslaught of crazed '60s German beat music. Wearing black monks' robes and shaving bald spots into the top of their heads, they just didn't fit in with the German scene. They did, however, take inspiration from fellow miscreants the Pretty Things and The Who to try to do something different. Their solution was to explore the darker, more primal, side of life. Wanting their music to reflect this, the Monks made their songs short and very direct, often with just a couple of lines of lyrics. Similarly primal, the sound was a menacing combination of volume, fuzzboxes and tribal-like drums. This disc compiles the highly-sought-after Black Monk Time LP and two singles, which represents the entire discography for their two-year existence....full text |
| Popdose |
| Perhaps you’ve heard their story. A bunch of GIs find themselves stationed in Germany in the mid-’60s. They decide to form a band, which they call the 5 Torquays. The Torquays are really nothing special, playing covers of Chuck Berry songs and other popular music of the day in rowdy German clubs. After they are discharged from the Army, they stay in Germany, hook up with a couple of wacky guys from the West German avant-garde movement, and the Monks are born. The two West German managers, Walther Neimann and Karl Remy, set out to position the Monks as the “anti-Beatles,” as they are not fans of the British band’s lightweight pop sensibilities. They dress the Monks in black, with long capes, and ropes around their necks serving as ties. Musically, a crucial change is made when guitarist Dave Day moves to electric banjo, in search of a more percussive sound. One day, on a lark, drummer Roger Johnston and Day get their heads shaved into monk’s tonsures. The other members follow suit, and the look is complete....full text |
The Monks lyrics
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