Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Not on Apple Music
Nice little album with raw, rude, wacky-sounding songs incorporating elements of blues (the best parts of the album, really) and that punk-like kind of singing which contributes much. The last few tracks with the vocals missing for half of the track or so show that, for the most part, their music is simple and cannot work well on its own. Notable tracks: Shut Up, Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice, I Hate You, Complication, Love Came Tumblin' Down. The first one being my fav but that is debatable.
Had to listen to this one on YouTube because Spotify didn’t have it available. Their sound is very basic and garage band sounding but I like the intro speaking their truth about it Vietnam war and it’s interesting it was put together by some American GIs based in Germany
Too much organ.
Interesting
Crap
I didn't like it and it sounds samey.
I particularly liked the drums on this album. The music itself can be a bit rough at times. I liked this protopunk more than a lot of actual punk, although I still didn't like it all that much.
So incredibly repetitive and boring. Vocals suck.
Really good punk but it sucks it’s not on Spotify.
Number: 220 Familiarity: Extremely (5) Rating: 5 Before: ======= I'll probably rate this a 5. I think it's going to be hard to listen to though because the last time I checked, it had been removed from my streaming services library. But I can see from my favorites lists that I have this ranked as my number 1 album from 1966, ahead of Pet Sounds, and Revolver. During: ======= My favorite band of all time, The Fall, covered 5 tracks from this album. After : ======= So, I managed to listen to different versions of about half the songs on Spotify and original versions on YouTube for about half. And yeah, I still rank it a 5.
01) Monk Time - 7,5 02) Shut Up - 7,5 03) Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice - 8,0 04) Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy - 7,5 05) I Hate You - 7,5 06) Oh, How to Do Now - 7,0 07) Complication - 7,0 08) We Do Wie Du - 7,5 09) Drunken Maria - 7,5 10) Love Came Tumblin' Down - 7,0 11) Blast Off! - 7,5 12) That's My Girl - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,42 (74/100) Current ranking: 428/1001 So, how much more? :-P Ah, never mind... Bring 1002nd on!
I just don't care about this type of music. and I honestly don't know how to rate it.
garage rock zoals we het graag hebben... wat rammelen aan allen kanten,, een stem die alle kanten uitschiet....
Though I am not much a fan of garage rock and what would involve into proto punk, I have to admit this IS one of the better examples of wild 60s garage rock/surf rock/ uber beat. One of the more pleasant discoveries through the list! Only essential from an academic point of view of punk and for percussionists and rhythm lovers like myself. I find it hilarious that like just most of the genre of rock and jazz, Americans invented it first (despite what the British think), and then everyone else eventually jumps in a decade later. So it went with jazz, big band, be-bop, cool jazz, R&B, soul, doo wop, standard pop rock, punk, metal, and hip hop, among countless others. Merseybeat and Industrial are probably among the only genres that genuinely originated elsewhere and was imported back into the U.S. Though it has nothing to do with their sound, it is hard not to appreciate how committed they were to the visual gag, even going so far as to have the tonsure haircuts. Faves: "higgle dy pigge dy", "oh, how to do now", "we do wie du", "love came tumbling' down", "that's my girl", "I can't get over you", "he went down to the sea"
Very fun and interesting album Definitely want to come back at some point 3.5 or 4/5 Favorites: boys are boys and girls are choice,
Not necessarily my thing, but it was still pretty good and at least felt unique and not just another similar sounding album like too many on this list.
Too weird for me. Hard to say it was even influential if I’ve never heard it mentioned ever.
It's an alright extremely early punk sounding record. Definitely see how this was influential at its time, odd sounds and at times politically charged lyrics that must have been crazy to hear at the time. Honestly, I'm impressed by how early this was released more so than I am interested in listening again.
Couldn't listen
I want to love this album more than I can
Probably well-intentioned, but unlistenable.
Inoffensive nonsense
Wow! I am blown away. What a great album, it so far ahead of its time and quite unlike anything else from the mid 1960's. It surprises me that I have never listened to this before. I guess it was the perennial problem with availability of getting hold of a copy before the rise of digital streaming. That said. I had to go to get a copy of this from one of my shadier places on the Internet, as it was not available for streaming on Apple Music. With this in mind, it shows I had no chance of discovering them in our pre Internet days. The repetition built into the song structure throughout this album made me think of one particular modern band, then 'I hate you' came on, causing a sudden realisation of why their strange repetitive style was familiar. This song had been reworked by The Fall into 'Black Monk Theme Part I'. The puzzle pieces had fallen into place. It seems this band is another missing link of influence for several other bands I love. Just when you think The Fall were masters of originality, you peel back another layer and find this, a bunch of GI's in Germany, making such an original and unique album. They were too far ahead of their time. I'm glad I had time enough at last to discover this now.
A groovy, garagey good time with a bunch of weirdos way ahead of the curve. Proto-punk is definately retroactive but I love how weird and varied it was- no rules, no scene, no playbook.
Ein ruppiger, schräger Proto‑Punk‑Brocken, der mehr Attitüde als Abwechslung bietet. Die rohe Energie ist stark, die Songs stolpern bewusst durchs Chaos, und genau dieses sperrige Konzept macht das Album „gerade nicht schlecht“.
Meh, I didn't need to hear this.
This is garage rock? Something mysterious about this album. I will not be looking into it as of now
pretty awesome... you can tell how influential this was but something about the guy's name being gary just isnt sitting right with me
For whatever reason the album shows up on my Spotify as four songs, two of which are by different and unconected artist; after a wiki search i believe i have found some of the songs. The few songs that i could listen to have been quite something. Very nice overall.
No estaba disponible pero pude escuchar 2 o 3 canciones, una me gustó.
This album rips. I knew nothing about it, but it was on a heater from start to finish. Great find from this list.
5/10
Influential and unlistenable is about right
haven't heard of this one before just sounds like some old school punk rock, was a nice listen, nothing really grating or not enjoyable and nothing spectacular just a straight forward punk rock record, just some well executed playing pretty basic but fun
Black Monk Time - The Monks (1966) I give psychedelically music a chance but this one was very unsettling. There's a thin line between music and anti-music and that line was this album. Apart from not being on Spotify, it was unlistenable to me. Too experimental, but I get the vision... at least
... and so it came to pass that garage rock was born... Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆☆(6/10) Total reviewed : 395 Already owned : 88 Purchased : 21 To buy : 3 Nope : 283
It wasn't bad, but it was weird in a way that wasn't very interesting to me. Probably pretty revolutionary for its time, so this is perhaps just my loss
It was just awful
This album was incorrect on Spotify but what I heard wasn’t bad
Fun
interesting music and back story
There's only one actual song from this album on Spotify & a few scraps of other songs. It's odd. It's like punk rock was born, premature. Marty McFly: I g-guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it. That quote was just running through my mind the whole time.
Staat nie op spotify :/
This is a great little nugget, something that I’m surprised by, that’s different and weird, and it’s definitely worth listening to. I can’t quite give it 5 stars, but I’d defend its place on a list of 1000 must-listen albums.
Now THIS is the kind of thing I came to this project hoping to discover… I’d literally never even heard of these guys before, but I like their story and I like their sound. I only wish this album was on my streaming service of choice so I could more properly add it to the rotation but I know I’ll be back to it on YouTube every so often…
First listen
When I can’t find your American album easily, then you likely should not be on this list and that was the case here. Another why on this list album.
Regrettable
I don't get why they're here. They made one mediocre at best album and they get on the list cuz they're weird? Excuse me?
So this is considered part of the development of punk???? How? It’s boring & repetitive
Very peculiar, even by the standards of 1966. Not an album that is easy to listen to all ths way through but certainly has a few decent tracks. Pet Sounds or Revolver this not.
I respect the album for its historical significance and for pushing boundaries during the midst of the Vietnam War, however the album is very repetitive and not really for me. Very interesting to learn about the creation of this collective and I can understand why people appreciate what they have brought to music.
I dont see the revolutionary point, but I see the good enough point
You know, I really like the energy, the sound and the attitude, as well as the story behold the band. More so than the songs, unfortunately. Would have been insane to see them live in the 60s, though
Huh
Reviewing the wrong album, but I liked two songs out of four ahahahah
This is reminding me a lot of Piper at the Gates of Dawn but still sounds very different. What an interesting and unique listen
It's Monk Time!
this is so dope and i cannot believe they recorded this in 1964
Pretty bad. Hard to find and even harder to listen to.
I actually found this pretty enjoyable. Would listen again.
This is one of those albums where reading the reviews beforehand really impacted my perspective. I think for me, it's an album I can't authentically rate anymore, so it gets a 3.
Favorite Track: I Hate You
Weirdly enough, I only had access to four songs in this album, but that was great because it allowed me to listen to everything pretty quickly. The first song was pretty bad, the fourth one was alright, but the middle three actually weren't awful. Overall, I guess not really too bad, leaving in the background or listening to back in the day, and the song "I Hate You" kind of even had a modern vibe as well.
Initially, I thought this album was just alright to have in the background. I was completely neutral, a bit bored honestly. 😴 "We Do Wie Du" was a bit catchy and I thought it might get stuck in my head. I feared the same may happen with "Cuckoo", but only because it was repetitive and annoying. 😅 A surprise! I wasn't bored anymore. After 14 out of 17 tracks, the only good song "Love Can Tame The Wild" played. A bonus song! It wasn't even close to good enough to warrant the wait. I had to sit through 14 songs to reach a mediocre one?? 💭 I'm usually a big fan of growls and screams in music, but I began to understand how awful those types of vocals sound to some when I heard the grating voice one of the members does. 😳 Despite all my criticism, I must admit that I had a good time. 😊 This deserves 1 star, but I'm considering bumping it up because this is the first time an album made me feel both boredom and irritation. 😂 The Monks enlightened me... They opened my mind to new viewpoints and experiences.. I am grateful. 😁💛🖤
I couldn’t find this particular album on either Spotify or Apple so I didn’t actually listen to it but I did listen to some of their earlier music. Interesting, but not my jam. 2
I like punk, I really do, but I’ve always struggled to connect with the big proto-punk records, whether it’s The Monks or The Modern Lovers or Patti Smith or even The Stooges. I respect all of these artists and I think it’s cool they were making music like this at the time that they were, but eventually you gotta be honest with yourself, throw up your hands, and say “I don’t get it.” There is no band that sounds like The Monks, true, but the combination of those yelps and that electric banjo and those cymbal-less drums just gets exhausting over a full album’s runtime. Truly a fascinating record but unfortunately not for me.
Only one song on the sp0tify, so will need to revisit or do a YouTube search.
Something weird is going on with this album on Spotify; nine tracks are missing and two of the ones present have been replaced by another artist's works. Headed to YouTube for the actual songs.
3.3/5
Ahead of its time
I watched a YouTube video on this band which explained the significance of the album and the band, but I still can't decide if it's any good. There's something here, but I mostly hear noodling on a psychedelic organ
Insane that this exists at all, especially from 1966, such a frantic and unique experience. Sounds like some sort of psychotic break soundtracked with punk rock, which isn’t what I’d necessarily consider to be "good music" but is still an entertaining listen regardless.
Subpar 60’s pop rock
Sounds like a wilder Rolling Stones
Life if Robert Dimery removed 70% of pyschadelic rock albums from the list: *insert that one futuristic city photo*
I can hear proto-punk elements, and yeah, it is very experimental, but man, does it sound like a precursor to the Doors with the organ. I guess it doesn't sound that mindblowing because it was innovative at the time. Whatever, it sounded decent.
Don't have a lot to say just didn't really like it.
Pre-Punk…err…Punk!
I'm glad to have heard this on the list of 1001 albums I must hear before I die, since it clearly is punk nearly a decade before punk existed in the collective consciousness. That said, it has a lot of the weaknesses of punk: self-indulgence, noise for the sake of noise, an intentionally grating quality that was seen as a feature, but mostly just makes the experience less enjoyable.
Well ahead of its time. Not my cup of tea and there's definitely a sense of making music for fun rather than fame here and have to appreciate that.
1.5/5 An interesting listen..some cool ideas and beats but not my style of music.
Quiet something given the time it was released 3*
meh
I hated this. Drums were excellent though.
I think this is best described as ‘interesting’ - proto-punk / garage / lo-fi / noise rock, enthusiastic and chaotic. The current (June 2026) link to Spotify is completely wrong - only 4 tracks from 16, and two are EDM from a completely different artist.
Not on Spotify, and if I had been still would fine it meh
A must listen for all fans of punk
I had not previously heard of this group as they are a fairly niche but oddly influential band from the 60s. It was surprisingly listenable and revealed sounds and concepts that you can see as influences to later movements.
this was pretty interesting actually…. i thought it was kinda cool
In my context of it being 60 years later, I just don't get this album. Maybe this is on the list because of some fundamental new thing it was doing, but it doesn't strike me as unique or cool. The voices bugged me, and the instrumentals felt relatively generic.
Thoroughly enjoyed this album! These guys are way ahead of their time. Pre-Punk at it's finest. 5 stars!!
HELLO, 1966 Nice culture-shock inducing snapshot of music back then. It's so distinct. Not my style, but I do suspect people had some really fun times in '66 in a wooded clearing having a little party listening to this with tight tie-dye shirts and frayed jeans.
The album got old really fast. Every song was the same minuscule motif repeated for 2-3 minutes. The lead singers voice scraped over the top of it. Garage rock never did anything for me. The Monks haven't changed that.
the Monks stand out from other weirdo garage rock of the era with their insistent pounding sound. besides just being notable for the time, Love Came Tumblin' Down, He Went Down To The Sea, and Pretty Suzanne are excellent excellent songs. I'd heard the Monks long before I heard the Fall but somehow didn't make the musical connection until now this rocks and if you don't like it you're a loser. so there.
This is what it’s all about isn’t it. Bunch of weirdos freakin out.
These guys' persona is very weird. One of the guys one day decided to get a monk-like haircut just for jokes and then the rest of the bandmates and management thought it was a brilliant idea. So, they got referred to as the anti-Beatles, which adds up I suppose. These guys are pretty snotty, noisy proto-punkers, they have the correct spirit. The lead and backing vocals are completely feral, like they've come into society from extreme isolation in the jungle and don't know how to act properly. The lyrics were pretty shocking, especially in the first track "Monk Time." Straight up saying how the U.S. kills innocent children over in Vietnam. For a 60s album they tended to be a lot more subtle about the anti-vietnam war views. Yet on here, they just say it how it is. No sugar coating to be found here. It is also understandable why this album was never promoted or got released in America. Just doomed from the start, I guess. These guys are the epitome of proto-punk, just all around rambunctious individuals. A solid 3 album. Highlight Song/s: "Monk Time", "Shut Up", "Complication" and "Drunken Maria"
raro, no me hizo formar una opinión sólida y aparte el álbum en spotify está mal subido
No idea what this was
#418 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ✅ Very strange to hear the echoes of what came later in a album released in '66. While not glaringly obvious, there are Stooges and MC5 vibes going on here, but also some of that krautrock magic/weirdness. Proto-punk is weird term, because punk is very different to Europeans than what it is to the US, but yeah I can hear some of that on this one. I especially like their mangling of the sound, not even trying to be musically coherent all the time, that must have been very strange at the time. I took an instant liking to their "disruption techniques". I liked this way more that I thought I would! Hard 4/5
This is a hell of an album for a one and done group.
Solo había 3 canciones en Spotify de las cuales 2 no eran de esa banda. 1
I like the message to the music but not my type
Fun album and definitely ahead of its time, but weirdly (presumably) not influential given how few listeners they have. I'll usually bump an album up a star if it's hugely influential, but this album just foreshadowed punk, rather than influenced it. 3.5/5.0: Very Good
i enjoyed this but i was a bit ambivalent toward it until i saw when it was released. this album was incredibly ahead of its time coming out in 1966. knowing that ive got to give credit where its due and bump my score to a 5 for being almost a decade early to the punk scene.
That was interesting. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for it, otherwise I would have given it a three
While I appreciate the proto-punk era and the artists doing interesting things, this album had a strong start and then fell off. Definitely some cool moments but other than as a historical artifact, it doesn't necessarily hold attention.
Interesting. Jerky at times. But a good listen.
No confundir con los Monkees. Estos son germano-americanos. Ahora se entiende porqué Alemania fue capital en la música y no solo por los Beatles. Garage sesentero, proto-punk, proto- Krautrcok, proto muchas cosas. Imagen impactante, frente al flequillo y colorido del Swingin London: pelo rapado, ropas negras, sotanas y peinado de fraile, música oscura, distorsión... Un descubrimiento. Shut up anticipa a MC5, con ese órgano descarriado. No hay tema inocente, por muy pop que parezcan B oys are boys girls are choice o oh, how to do now en seguida vuelven por sus fueros. I hate you y Complication son sus temas más conocidos. Otros ilustres olvidados, que ni siquiera están en el listado son los peruanos Los Saicos, también imprescindibles.
Don't like it
Mostly neat how early this is. 1966 is super impressive.
Only 4 of the original 12 tracks are actually available on Spotify. This happens reasonably often with 1001Albums, and the reason is usually that the corresponding artist isn't popular enough for the album to have any substantial commercial demand. And I can see why. These guys' most popular song is called "Nice Legs Shame About the Face". Damn. Negging at its finest. I can only imagine this song got any traction because of its bizarre, objectifying title. Regarding the music on Black Monk Time: Yeah, pretty much what you'd expect if you forced punk musicians to try their hand at creating 60s psychedelia. The best part of the music, easily, is the organ. We first hear it at full-blast in Shut Up, then in a scrambling, hurried manner in Boys Are boys and Girls Are Choice. (Quite the punk title there.) The sophomore track, Shut Up... yeah, I know, it's terrible. But something about it is oddly catchy. One of the better songs for sure. Higgle-Dy - Piggle-Dy is not only pronounced incorrectly, but involves a positively terrible performance by every instrument involved. I Hate You is a little better, though that vocal needs some work. "Untrained" does not equate to "good" (at least not until the mid-to-late 70s, when everyone changed their minds about that for whatever reason). The title of Oh, How To Do Now is nonsensical, as is that insane falsetto vocal delivery and unhinged skiffle-esque guitar. The lyric "Complication! ...Constipation!" is pretty hilarious. I'll let that track slide. The little keyboard solo works wonders here too; I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of playing inspired Ray Manzarek's material in the Doors' output. Drunken Maria is even better. (Dang, that intro.) The last few tracks of the main album release are pretty bad and extremely forgettable. Listeners will inevitably have a headache after about 30 seconds of That's My Girl, and (understandably) switch off the album before the bonus tracks. Myself included. Pretty funny that this made it onto a Sunday Herald list called "The 103 Best Albums Ever, Honest". Almost as if the author knows how terrible those 103 entries really are. 2/5 Key tracks: Shut Up, Complication, Drunken Maria
4 out of 5. Now this is some rock music history I can get behind.
Monk Time Oh, How to Do Now
Unexpectedly brilliant! Never heard about them before!
Groupe inconnu. L'album me laisse perplexe : il propose un rock certainement très original pour l'époque, mais qui ne m'a pas vraiment touché. La batterie répète le même type de jeu tout au long de l'album, la basse est parfois saturée (plutôt sympa), le son du clavier me parait typique des années 60 (ce n'est pas forcément une bonne chose ...), le chant m'irrite beaucoup, et le banjo+guitare n'apportent pas grand chose. Le groupe a dû bien s'amuser lors de l'enregistrement. Mais ... je n'ai pas du tout envie de l'écouter une seconde fois =>2/5
Solid. I’m surprised it has a relatively low rank worldwide. Maybe I should ln’t be surprised. Whatever.
Dope
1966. Wild. It's incredible this album came out in 1966. So transgressive for its time, and so punk. Other than the organ, which does root it firmly to its decade, parts of it feel like a record that could have come out ten years later. Not only that, but it sounds like the band was having fun, not taking themselves too seriously. I suppose that's a prerequisite to wearing your hair like that though...
1960’s psychedelic noise rock. I mean, it’s alright. I guess I can appreciate it for what it is. 2.5 stars but I’m feeling generous this morning. DNF (3)
Psykadelisk konceptuell garagerock. Man har lite svårt hur man ska förhålla sig till det. Ska man se det som garagerock eller ska mer se till det konceptuella? Jag väljer nog det senare. Tror det ger mer rättvisa. Soundet är gôtt om än möjligen lite väl snällt och för mycket hammond, man vill ju ha ännu mer skräp och fuzz. Sångaren är rätt hemsk. Låtmaterialet är ojämnt, högt och lågt mest lågt kanske och det är här man får vända sig åt konceptet mer. Det finns nåt i det konceptuella som påminner mig om Devo, arty och tramsigt fast ändå bra och underhållande på nåt sätt. Tvåa i övre skicktet trots allt
Spännande skiva. Men mer intressant att lyssna igenom en gång än bra.
Garagerock gillar vi ju. Men här är det inte Sonic-nivå precis. Soundet är relativt okej, men låtarna är inget vidare. Mer än en tvåa blir det inte.
Det här tyckte jag var rätt så underhållande garagerock. Lite tramsigt men rätt gott stök överlag. Saknar starka låtar.
does not exist on spotify, weird ai music comes up??
This is some proper sicko shit - being introduced has made this whole 1000 album exercise more worth it.
Well. I'm glad to participate in this album challenge because I never would have been exposed to The Monks before. Proto-psychedelic which is my jam for sure but this was so-so at a 2 star.
Absolutely worthy for the history lesson this is. Honestly wow'ed just by how proto-punk this is. Doesn't mean it's all good, but very cool.
Not my cup of tea, some good surprise though
Обожнюю гурти з одним альбомом) Дуже цікаво)
*I had never heard of this band as a a punk fan, this rocks. *Some songs are a little unrefined but the garage rock production and the organ for 1966 was so ahead of its time.
what one night in berlin does to a man
Hard to find, think I listened to the right version from YouTube. Not bad, nothing remarkable.
Could only find on YouTube.
The Anti Beatles! Spotify link doesn't work - try this instead: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8F5DB6F54A8ACB74&si=JXu612PLpBkE4df0
Interesting step into the eventual sound of punk. Solid 4 Stars.
I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5 just because I had some fun with this one. Look, if you hate repetitive instrumentals (and I mean, REALLY hate repetitive instrumentals), this will feel like an exercise in listening to the same style of song for 30 minutes. Even if you do like them, it’s still kind of an exercise, since this album loses some of its touch in the back half in a very noticeable way. Normally, I’m a bit of a hater, but I’m giving this some grace for 2 reasons. Firstly, for 1966, I love the way they layer their intros to naturally build up a lot of these tracks. It’s not like it’s super innovative, but it’s the same sort of layering that you’d more commonly find by the mid-70s & with early 2000s garage rock revival bands. Hearing it in 1966, executed this well, is just cool to me. Secondly, I just appreciate how quickly this album establishes its more manic tone & just how blunt the lyricism is as a result. “Monk Time” has a sort of Ren & Stimpy vibe to it that immediately establishes that these guys fucking hate Vietnam, hate the government perpetrating it, and that it’s Monk time, motherfucker. The instrumentation & vocal energy set the tone that persists throughout this album, making some of its weirder choices far less jarring, as it’s sort of expected. The blunt lyricism feels fresh for 1966, and is probably the most “proto punk rock” of anything here. Look no further than “Shut Up” or “I Hate You” for key examples of that. Like I said, this does lose some of its touch in the back half of the album, with the repetition being more apparent & a distinct lack of extra instrumentation that doesn’t alleviate the stagnancy that comes up. It’s the key reason I’m just at a 4.5 here. Nevertheless, I was rocking with a lot of this album. There’s just something punchy & defiant about it that was working for me. The only track that stepped a little too far for me was “We Do Wie Du”, which is still really enjoyable, but just has so little substance to it that I never really vibed with it. I suspect that, for most people, the constantly strange keyboard work & the lack of bigger substance underlining these tracks is what’s leaving them hovering around a 3, and I think that’s totally fair. This just happened to catch me in the right mood on the right day, and I think it does a good job of being a high energy album. It could go down to a 4 someday, but right now, I feel inclined to bump it up to a 5. I think it’s worth being on the list.
A super fun (way) early punk album. I thought the stooges were ahead of their time with the raw sound, but it was these guys. Such a cool, fun and gritty album.
Diferente, bom.
Apparently this band were hugely influential but it's hard to even find the album and I suspect their legend has grown and been exaggerated as it's nowhere near as exciting as billed.
The perfect album to put on while you kill yourself by overdosing on phenobarbital, featuring some guy screeching in your ears via a tin can about how much he hates you, the same drum beat over and over again, an organ because why not, and unless you happen to own this record at home, you have to jump through the unnecessary hoop of finding it on YouTube, where the two unskippable adverts that play before it are more interesting and enjoyable.
Not good.
Essential proto-punk from the 60s, very underrated and not talked about enough or at all, really. Great screams and songs, more resembling of rock and roll. Recommended!
Interesting album. It has one foot in the 1960's - some parts remind me of early Beach Boys or The Doors (e.g. organ sounds). But it has another foot way out in the 1970's or even later, sounding very much like later punk music. The singer reminds me a little of AC/DC's Bon Scott.
This is the type of thing I thought I'd see more of on this list: A critically beloved American proto-punk band from '66 based out of West Germany and known for their electric banjo. I ended up enjoying it, but I tend to gravitate toward noisy bands that are precursors to larger genres. And moogs.
Kind of punk rockabilly ... with way too much organ. Veered between kind of timeless sounding and also pure, unenjoyable noise. Not an album you need to hear before you die.
3.5
Actually jammed with it a lot. Chaotic jazz fusion
Won’t lie. Was confused with this one…/ But, hold on there a minute. Complication is a banger.
It's fine. Nothing special. A bit of a pain to have to listen on YouTube because it's not on Spotify in full, but I enjoyed it enough to not turn it off
Täysin tuntematon nimi. Aikaansa edellä
A bit to long. They could have cut the silly songs, atleast it sounds like they had fun making it.
4/5
i was kinda bored
6.5/10
This entire album is amazing start to finish. I've never heard anything like it, yet I hear it in every punk/post punk album I listen to. Stars infinity.
I don't like it but I get it
gotta be honest I respect this more than I actually enjoy listening to it but I went in expecting to hate it and didn't so that was nice
An interesting curio, and obscure enough to not appear on Apple Music. I could hear its influence and it was nice to have something different but it is not something I am eager to listen to again.
Had to listen to this on YouTube and wonder if that dampened the experience somewhat (adverts following a song doesn’t let an album flow in quite the same way…). Decent enough, and can hear the proto-punk vibe that likely gets this featured on a list like this. As I often feel with punk though, got tired of it rather quickly and couldn’t tell you much about the songs in retrospect. A shame, as I was interested in listening to something a bit off the beaten track.
weird!
Monkmonkey
album #63 i can see how this eventually influenced some of punk rock, to be fair! it holds up well as an album, and i appreciate its weirdness. that being said, lots of the songs were too similar or just plain not my thing. ꩜ average track rating: 2.2/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): monk time, blast off ꩜ least favourite track(s): we do wie du, higgle-dy-piggle-dy ꩜ album rating: ★★☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,026 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 31 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 12 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 51
No words for this one. If they are not on Spotify or Deezer without a manual search, how obscure are they?
Definitely manic but not horrible. Interesting backstory.
This was weird. Not bad, but not memorable. Here for its place in history more than its place in great music. Probably won’t do it again.
Didn’t expect to see the Monks on here, I’ve loved this album since listening to the No Dogs in Space series. A very 60s/midcentury pop feel to the record but with a proto punky weirdness thats decades ahead of its time.
I'm not sure why it is on the list
Malísimo y creo que no existe
Half the album was not working but not great, 4/10
First, whatever the Spotify link leads to its not this album. Search it up on Youtube. Falling somewhere around the intersection of The Velvet Underground, The Shags and Surfer Bird, The Monks were a bunch of discharged US Soldiers in Germany who thought they'd form a band. Let's assume they could play their instruments, but the instruments they played - an organ with one finger chords, an electric banjo, some drums but no cymbals, rhythm guitars - didn't seem all that promising. They started out playing pop covers, buy then discovered feedback and got angry about Vietnam. The result is this one album. They whale away at their instruments with everything played in sync as a rhythm instrument while the lead singer gives it plenty with yelps and screams. With 12 songs on the album and the longest at 3½ minutes, they're like a proto-Ramones With songs like "Shut up" and "I Hate You" and lyrics that just come straight our with "Why are you killing babies in Vietnam?" this isn't The Archies. But they were adored by the Punk Scene and kind of invented Krautrock. Is it a good album? Well, no. Is it full of great performances? Well, no. Great songs? No. Well recorded? No. Is it an absolute treasure and kindnof wonderful? Absolutely 100% yes! You could give it one star or five stars and no-one would argue either way.
In den 60s war das sicher cool und bisschen radical. Heute find ich's ok
Couldn’t get this so can’t rate it!
The Monks was the collective noun Len Houmous used for his wives 21-25 1.0 1/12 Monktime
interesting
What a fuck ass album.
Unfortunately this album was broken for me on Spotify. It only showed 3 songs out of 18. The first song was by the monks and awful, and the second and third songs were by entirely different people and were actually super chill cool beats. Not sure what happened here :(
This album is rough, and really feels like unpolished and unfinished early rock. Say what you want about its legacy, this is not a pleasant listen at all.
Trailblazing unrefined sound from a gaggle of US GI's stationed in Germany who wore the outfits and haircuts of monks. Every instrument is a rhythm and the vocals are grating.
Ahhh... the spirit here is so beautiful and strong. A band I feel I should have heard properly in my 20s. I would have been obsessed.
If you were to tell me that the song "Monk Time" was from a late 70's early 80's punk band I would have believed you. Floored was I then to find out that this album released in 1966; this is punk before punk. I've never really got on with this genre, honestly, finding it too erratic and non-sensical in a "for the sake of it" way in both it's musical arrangements and lyrics. The more I listen to, the more it is clear that it is a product of the 60's, as there are things going on with the guitar and vocal recordings that are definitely indictive of that time. 60s Punk works for me mor than more contemporary stuff does and I don't know why. The slightly gravelly vocals, fuzzy guitars and screechy keyboards on "Boy are Boys, Girls are Choice" was really fun. The same could be said for "Higgle Dy Piggle Dy". That fat as all hell bassline at the start of "I Hate You" was also just incredible, then with the cut in from the electric organ and the backing singers. This quickly became one of my favourites. Around the 2:30 mark, I couldn't help but think that the song had grunge feel to it too. Then came the heavy riffs and the shrill crys of something bordering some metal/punk/grunge fusion in "Complication"; this was way more enjoyable and refreshingly surprising then I first thought it could be. The bass on this album slaps so damn hard throughout the whole thing and is supported amazingly by that electric organ. Other songs I loved: "We Do Wie Do", "Drunken Maria", "I Can't Get Over You", "Cuckoo".
Call me old-fashioned but I think these albums that people consider deeply influential in the development of some genre of music or another really ought to be capable of staying in the catalogue. Unlike this one which has been deleted. The only things available on any of the streaming sources is a greatest hits album and some songs on compilations. I was forced to piece together the original track listing as best I could from those. Musically, it's okay. I can't see I hear the future of any kind of punk rock in it though.
This is an astounding album, particularly for 1966, and I can't believe I've never heard it before. The songs are somewhat familiar to early rock music, but it is full of surprising moments and just outstanding experimentation. In some ways, it reminds me of The Doors, which came immediately after, but I'm surprised that The Monks was considered too experimental for the US until 1994, when The Doors were doing a lot of crazy stuff just a few years after this came out, and the whole psychedelic movement brought many other bands that did outlandish things. Also, a lot of this music reminds me of the work by Daniel Smith (Danielson), who I have to imagine heard this Monks album.
Looked good the few ones
Only three of tbe 18 songs that make up this album are available on Spotify. Based on this brief sampling, I think I'd like this.
Righteous anger at the Vietnam war is a reasonable way to start your album. Unfortunately I don't much gel with what they're doing musically. Some of their bass playing is ok, but it's drowned by a lot of noise "Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy" is probably my favourite song, but I think that Hammond organist needs to pipe down a little I can unfortunately see why this one is relegated only to Youtube: it's a bad sign that the comments on the copy I found talk about this book Apparently this didn't get released in the US until the 1980s, which is insane
WTF was that. Was some guy screeching about his problems over a basic beat on repeat for 2 mins, times by 10. Strange and not in a good way. Thank god the songs were really short
I dont care I didnt like it Such a bunch of WHATEVER
# In-Depth Review: *Black Monk Time* by The Monks (1966) ## Background & Context *Black Monk Time* is the sole studio album by The Monks, five American GIs who, after being stationed in West Germany, chose to stay and make music rather than return home. Originally performing as the 5 Torquays, they were reconceptualized by German advertising executives Walther Niemann and Karl-H. Remy into "The Monks" — complete with robes, tonsure haircuts, and a deliberately confrontational image. The album was recorded in Cologne in November 1965 and released in March 1966 on Germany's Polydor label. --- ## Lyrics The Monks' lyrical approach was deliberately minimalist and direct, shaped by their experience of playing rock'n'roll in a country where English was not the first language. As guitarist Gary Burger explained: *"Editing is the key to anything... we were in a country where minimalism with a lyric was important to us from the point of view that 'let's make everybody understand what we're saying.' If we had too many lyrics, we'd lose that understanding and the ability to bridge some of those language barriers."* The lyrics oscillate between dark social commentary and juvenile provocation: - **"Monk Time"** opens the album with a fiery anti-war, anti-commercialism free association: *"It's beat time, it's hop time, it's monk time now"* — functioning as a mission statement for the entire record. - **"Complications"** delivers a chilling chant: *"People cry / People die for you / People kill / People will for you / People run / Ain't it fun for you / People go / To their deaths for you"* — a stark meditation on human sacrifice and manipulation. Burger confirmed: *"We did mean it. They weren't just words, they were words that we meant."* - **"I Hate You"** is a paradoxically catchy breakup song where Burger screams *"Hey, well, I hate you with a passion baby, yeah I do!"* only to have the band echo back *"But call me!"* - **"Drunken Maria"** commemorates real people — *"We knew several Maria's and they were all drunks!"* — Yugoslavian women the band members had met. The lyrics are often childlike in their simplicity ("Boys are boys, girls are joys"), yet this naivety is weaponized into something feral and unsettling. There's no poetic abstraction here — just raw, declarative statements that hit with blunt force. --- ## Music & Sound The Monks' sound is defined by its rhythmic intensity and unconventional instrumentation. As Burger noted: *"Roger's drums and Dave's banjo defined the Monk sound. Incredible."* Key sonic elements include: - **Electric banjo** (played by Dave Havlicek), which replaced rhythm guitar and provided a percussive, non-melodic attack that reinforced the band's rhythmic focus. - **Farfisa organ** (Lawrence Spangler), adding urgent, stabbing textures. - **No cymbals on drums** (Roger Johnston), creating a martial, hypnotic pulse rather than a swinging rock beat. - **Angular guitar bursts** and confrontational vocals from Gary Burger. The songwriting was built around tension. As Eddie Shaw explained: *"We started playing with tension. Actually, that was the basis of our writing. You could find the tension point in an audience; you could watch them getting nervous... we became very aggressive and demanded attention, somewhat like a small child."* The result is music that is simultaneously primitive and sophisticated — repetitive grooves that morph into something hypnotic, with the band's limitations becoming assets. As one reviewer observed: *"The drumming is so rudimentary that it morphs into something quite hypnotic and almost martial in its simple insistence."* --- ## Production The album was produced by Jimmy Bowien, who faithfully translated the band's live sound onto vinyl with no overdubbing. Burger recalled: *"Our producer was an absolute jewel of a man. We trusted what he was trying to do. Black Monk Time is exactly what the Monks sounded like live. No overdubbing. Very energetic, very precise and, of course, very loud."* This live-to-tape approach gives the album a raw, unvarnished quality that predates similar techniques used by producers like Don Gallucci on The Stooges' *Fun House* five years later. The production captures the band's pile-driving energy without sanitizing it — every instrument is a rhythm instrument, and the mix prioritizes impact over polish. The album was recorded in a German studio where, as Julian Cope noted, *"there were no artistic constraints in a country that liked the sound of beat music but had no idea about its lyric content."* This freedom from American commercial expectations allowed The Monks to create something that would have been *"horribly mutilated by arrangers and producers had they been back in America."* --- ## Themes 1. **Anti-war sentiment**: Written by soldiers who had narrowly avoided being sent to Vietnam, songs like "Monk Time" channel genuine anxiety and anger about militarism and commercialism. 2. **Anti-establishment / anti-purist ideology**: Bassist Eddie Shaw articulated their philosophy: *"We were the reaction to the moment – the anti-anti... We became the anti-purists. There is no purity in rock music."* 3. **Confrontation and audience engagement**: The Monks viewed their music as a weapon against audience complacency. If people were talking or not paying attention, the band would escalate the aggression until they demanded attention. 4. **Sexual frustration and desire**: Tracks like "Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice" and "Drunken Maria" channel primal urges with a bluntness that was shocking for 1966. 5. **Dehumanization and alienation**: "Complications" and "Shut Up" explore how people use and destroy each other, delivered with a detachment that makes the message more disturbing. --- ## Influence & Legacy Despite being ignored and *"quickly buried"* upon release — Burger admitted *"I can't remember that there was much response at all"* — *Black Monk Time* has become one of the most influential albums in rock history. Its impact spans multiple genres: - **Proto-punk**: The album's stripped-down aggression, confrontational attitude, and anti-establishment stance directly prefigured punk rock by a decade. Artists from Henry Rollins to the Beastie Boys have acknowledged their influence. - **Krautrock**: The Monks' rhythmic, repetitive approach and their position as American ex-pats in Germany helped shape the emerging German rock scene. The album was even illegally broadcast on radios in East Germany, where oppressed audiences *"appreciated this music even more."* - **Post-punk and indie rock**: The Fall covered "I Hate You" and "Oh, How Do You Now" on their 1990 album *Extricate* (as "Black Monk Theme Part I" and "Part II"). Jack White has praised the band, and their influence can be heard in everything from Devo to Queens of the Stone Age. - **Garage rock**: The Monks are frequently cited alongside The Sonics and The Stooges as foundational texts of garage and proto-punk. The album has been reissued multiple times, most notably in the late 1990s when the band also reunited for performances. It was not even printed outside Germany until the late 1990s, making its rediscovery feel almost miraculous. --- ## Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Ahead of its time** | Released in 1966 — the same year as *Revolver* and *Pet Sounds* — yet sounds like it could have come from the punk era a decade later. | | **Unique sonic identity** | The combination of electric banjo, Farfisa organ, no-cymbal drumming, and tonsured monk imagery created something genuinely unprecedented. | | **Raw energy captured perfectly** | The live, no-overdub production preserves the band's chaotic power without dilution. | | **Influential beyond its sales** | Shaped punk, krautrock, garage rock, and post-punk despite being a commercial failure initially. | | **Lyrically direct and meaningful** | The minimalist approach cuts through language barriers and delivers genuine emotional and political content. | | **Catchy despite the chaos** | Songs like "Drunken Maria" and "I Hate You" are genuinely hooky and party-ready, balancing experimentation with accessibility. | | **Historical significance** | One of the great "one-and-done" albums — a complete artistic statement that never had a chance to be diluted by a sophomore slump. | --- ## Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Inconsistent songwriting** | Not every track reaches the heights of "Monk Time" or "Complication." Some songs feel more like sketches than fully developed compositions. | | **Rough edges can be abrasive** | The intentionally primitive musicianship and repetitive structures can be grating for listeners expecting conventional 1966 pop/rock. One reviewer called it *"unlistenable"* to modern ears. | | **Limited emotional range** | The album operates at one intensity level for most of its runtime, which can be exhausting. Tracks like "Love Came Tumblin' Down" — an attempt at doo-wop harmony — feel somewhat flat and out of place. Burger himself admitted: *"I've never been happy with that song. I felt it was a little flat in one spot, a little sharp in another."* | | **Production limitations** | While the raw production is part of the charm, it also means some tracks lack sonic depth and can sound thin compared to contemporaries. | | **Not easily accessible** | The album has been notoriously difficult to find on streaming platforms, forcing listeners to seek out vinyl reissues or YouTube uploads. | | **Gimmick vs. substance debate** | The monk costumes and tonsures sometimes overshadow the music, leading some to dismiss the band as a novelty act rather than serious artists. | --- ## Final Verdict *Black Monk Time* is a singular achievement — an album that should not have worked but absolutely does. Five American soldiers, bored and stationed in a foreign country, created a record that predicted punk rock, influenced krautrock, and remains startlingly modern nearly 60 years later. It is primitive yet sophisticated, childlike yet deeply cynical, aggressive yet undeniably catchy. The album's greatest strength is its authenticity. The Monks weren't art-school graduates playing at rebellion like the Velvet Underground; they were working-class guys who had served in the military and channeled their restlessness into something genuinely dangerous. As one reviewer put it: *"Sometimes dumb circles around all the way and becomes genius."* While it is not a perfect album — its rough edges, inconsistent songwriting, and limited emotional palette are real drawbacks — its imperfections are inseparable from its power. *Black Monk Time* is less a polished gem than a raw diamond: flawed, sharp, and impossible to ignore. It stands as one of the most important "one-and-done" albums in rock history, and a testament to what can happen when artists are given the freedom to fail spectacularly — or succeed beyond anyone's expectations. **Essential Tracks:** "Monk Time," "Complication," "I Hate You," "Drunken Maria," "Shut Up," "Higgle-dy Piggle-dy"
Kind of interesting. A bit repetitive, but not terrible.
Enjoyable and fun again, shouldn’t have taken him so long to realise that was his girl in the last song
Weirdly abrupt transitions between stanzas. Nice to hear an organ though!
A thrilling racket, magnificently primitive and direct! Wonderful garage rock / proto-krautrock.
Musically strong, but not particularly unique. I wonder if bands like this end up on the list simply because they are more obscure. A name drop album for your friendly discussion of the 60s. You don't even have to hear the music to have the conversation.
Kind of a strange but verbose album. At times, it’s simple. Other times, complex and interesting. The vocalist is pretty talented and I can hear faint echos of future Robert Plant on a couple songs. 3.5/5.0
only 4 tracks available on Spotify so listened to the earlier and rare album. some good sound
music is great but it's just too silly. Not my bag.
Caught a couple of songs. Cool!
For me I feel like the backstory to this record has pushed the reputation farther than it deserves. It's ok.
3 out of 5.
Not sure the link from here was right, didn't seem like the whole album
Psychedelic. This seems very much like a go-between of early 60s rock and late-60s psychedelic rock.
This album is so fun! Some of the music sounds like it’s from the 1990s not the 60s. A mix of punk, rockabilly, folk and psychedelia all in easily suggested bite-sized morsels. I’m so mad the whole thing didn’t seem to be on Spotify- had to listen on YouTube and put up with ads. Would consider looking for this on vinyl so I can listen properly. It’s probably 4 stars enjoyment wise but I may give them all five for being so far ahead of their time music wise. One album and done for them, but what a contribution! Great discovery!
3 short songs good classical for 1966 but not special very simple songs maybe if we consider its time its a okay classic but nothing special at all about this album 3/10
וואט. דה. פאק. איך הם גרמנים ולא בריטים, למה זה כל כך מוקדם (יותר מעשור לפני הקלאש??) ולמה בחיים לא שמעתי עליהם
Bien.
Fuck any piece of shit who thinks they’re too good and too clever to make music that sounds good. God fucking forbid if you get off your sarcastic fucking soap box for one measly second and get your head out of your own ass long enough to smell how bad your own shit stinks. You’re not nearly clever or as edgy as you think you are. My day aside, I also didn’t like this album very much either.
Cijeli dan pokušavam skontati šta mislim o ovome i ne ide mi.
Banjo punk
Bonkers and I'm all in.
Very annoying that not all of songs where on Spotify. Not sure if I like this, but too experimental for my taste. Stand-outs - Boys Are Boys And Girls Are Choice
Odd, but decent.
3 The only two ways I could find to listen to this album were a YouTube playlist complete with ads for online casinos and cat food, or an Internet archive recording intercut with commentary in Spanish. I wasn't sure which of these was closest to how the band originally intended.
Great, great album. Funky, vrolijk, 60s muziek
Great album from start to finish. I love that 60s organ and it was all over this album. What a great listen.
145. interesting
Full album not on Spotify. What I heard was dope
Not terrible, but not my style.
Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Monk Time, Shut Up, I Hate You Damn. This is exactly why I'm taking this journey. For these gems. This was a really cool album. Unique, proto-punk-y and genius. Interesting songs. Anti-war sentiment is always a plus. Why would I listen to the Beach Boys when I can listen to this banger. This album basically didn't exist in any meaningful format I could consume besides a shitty Youtube upload, which I ultimately tolerated, because I was kind of hooked after the first listen. It's seemingly out of service on YTM, Amazon, Spotify (partial). I admit, I liked this album so much I actually did a piracy, in 2026.... You know, with boats and peg-legs and eye-patches.... Well, technically, a buddy did a piracy for me but still... While I couldn't really find anything digital, I do see that it's available on Vinyl for $35. I will be strongly considering this, to show my support.. to the music labels.... ugh.
Very interesting and I guess very 'punk' for a 1966 album. Not one to listen to every week,but I guess one of these albums for which I started with 1001 albums to begin with. Liked 'Boys are boys and...'
60 years old is crazy. It's a fun album
Enjoyed reading about their origins more than I enjoyed listening to them. It was a pulsating listen, and although their style would have been innovative and influential at the time, it doesn't stand out so much now. Enjoyable but forgettable
I love the dirty and chaotic 60’s production here. I was totally expecting some bubble gum shit but I was totally surprised. There’s actually a ton of modern themes and elements that I would never have expected. It’s really a bummer this isn’t on streaming. I feel like I won’t get to revisit it much and really take it in properly as I do other records. Listening on YouTube sucks. The fact that this is just a bunch of dudes from the military is hilarious. The lead singer was even the mayor of his town.. what the fuck is this lore?
This has the modern pyschedelic sound in the 60s package. Seriously listen to Diamond Jubilee by Cindy lee, I literally hear the influences its nuts. It’s good songs are short not really one I would come back too I’ll leave a more extensive review later
After a first quick listen, I found this one kind kind of average (???). Well...I was wrong. After a couple more listenings, this has really grown on me. Songs like "I Hate You", or "Complication" are really enjoyable.
Pretty cool listen. I guess you’d call it surf rock on acid maybe
Sometimes dumb circles around all the way and becomes genius. Recorded in 1966 by some American GIs stationed in Germany, it’s sixteen songs of primitive fuzzed out garage rock, sometimes about more serious topics (in this day and age it seems wild to have soldiers on active duty writing and recording anti-war songs), but often about girls in a way that recalls the bubblegum pop of the day. It’s loud and obnoxious, the musicianship is amateur, they sound like they’re having a blast, and the whole thing is glorious. Kind of inconsistent but the great parts are truly great. When I started all of this, this is the kind of album I hoped to come across far more often.
I really enjoyed the simplicity of pounding drums, chugging guitars and fairly minimal lyrics. Makes bands like The Sonics feel overproduced in comparison. Shame they didn't make more music.
I enjoyed the garage feel of this.
What a great record, another new one to me but well worth the wait. A lot of great songs on here and a couple that I couldn’t believe were made in the sixties as they sounded much more modern. Nice that this project can keep throwing up bands and albums I’ve never heard of but are also very enjoyable.
Another gem from the list from a band I had never heard of. Difficult to describe but they are sort of a Doors/Monkees/Hives crossover! Top stuff and a fun listen.
I bloody loved that. Even by contemporary standards that bass is filthy. The drums are hypnotically simple and intense, alongside the Rythm banjo (why had no-one else done this), just give a crazed power to everything. The organ and vocals then become the variation in non-typical structured songs. It feels of its time, but at the same time completely not, but always just teetering on the edge of unhinged mania. Fuck yeah. It’s also amusing that this should have, and feels like it influenced loads of things. But no one ever heard it, so clearly it couldn’t have. It just sits there as a beautiful thing in its own. Which is nice.
3 stjerner alene for den interessante baghistorie men så heller ikke mere
Sjovt lyt, lyder temmelig forud for sin tid!
Surprisingly great!
Highlights: Shut Up, Oh How to Do Now, Drunken Maria
Fine
It’s the La Croix of 60’s music. It almost has flavor. It plays more like the backing track to a summertime pool scene set in the 60’s than actual music by an actual band.
Well, that was weird. I think this ultimately ends up as another album where I appreciate the creativity but I can't genuinely say I liked it. Rounding up slightly for coming out in '66. 2.5
This album is amazing. It is raw, aggressive and punkish before that was a thing. Musically it reminded me of The Velvet Underground. I did a little reading up on the band and the story is great. Despite them being American soldiers (stationed in Germany) the lyrics are quite anti-war. I love the outfits. It is a shame this album is not on Spotify, because then I definitely would come back regularly.
staat niet op spotify womp womp, maar te experimenteel. 1 nummer is beatle achtig en wel leuk
Fun album
Important more than strictly enjoyable. Could be a grower.
Really just like most of the other 60's British stuff on here. 6/10
That was a pleasant surprise. I've never heard of this band at all and had no idea what I was going to find. For some reason half the album is missing on Spotify but it's all on YouTube. This is good mood music and very much 60s rock sounding, in a good way. A fun listen.
Old but not bad. They tried to be creative and uniqe back in 1966 and they succeeded.
9/10
I know they are called The Monks but their haircuts are actually killing me rn. Please look up a photo. Music is about what you would expect but haircuts are incredible. 2/5
This slaps so hard
Enjoyed it, never heard of these guys so I am going to dig more
I don't think I had ever heard of the band or album. I like the drums. "Blast Off" is very space-age! There's some very silly mid-sixties stuff here, entertaining.
hell yeah. tonsure time.
HECK YEAH! I love this album. This might be one of my top 25 albums or even top 10. I received this album as a gift circa Y2K from one of the people I’m doing this 1,001 project with. This album makes me want to play bass.
Great time fun time monk time
It is, indeed, Black Monk Time. This is so good.
3.5. I'd never heard this before but it's good proto-punk / garage rock.
Feels like a whole lot of trial and error. Results in a couple cool moments, but it's only a couple. Genre is somewhere between The Doors, The Beach Boys, and The Velvet Underground - which sounds like it could be cool except it comes across as pretty amateur here. Like... you get to a song like Blastoff and it has this awesome start like it's gonna explode into something epic and then it's just this cacophony of elementary button presses that does nothing for me emotionally. Just doesn't feel like it was intelligently composed. Bonus points for the handful of cool moments that I genuinely enjoyed but I can't give it much. 2.1/5
metade tá banida do spotify parece meio cômico, rock meio descontraído mas ruim de qualquer forma i hate you tem outra música completamente diferente virou copyright music kkkkkkk caralho nunca tinha visto isso n dá nem pra avaliar essa bosta
Full marks for effort.
5/10
An attempt was made to be quirky and different from other 60's bands, but they forgot to actually make their sound unique or distinguishable in any way
Couldn't find album on Spotify, but having heard a couple of tracks it sounds just like 60s Garage
So obscure that Spotify only has a playlist, not the real album. Talk about a dated sound. Layered group vocals, heavy organ use, jangly guitars, limited/odd lead vocals, surf music jams, repetitious drumming, chanting, etc. I gather they are from a different country and must have a story to get on this list, or maybe not since I don't agree with 50% of the albums included so far. I hear a little bit of the Doors in there, maybe that's the influence and why it's on this list of Top 1001 Albums? The Doors debuted the following year. "Oh, How To Do Now" bordered on annoying as hell. Honestly, every track sounded like a rough draft, there isn't a track on here I'd ever listen to a second time. 2 stars since I didn't hate it but I sure didn't enjoy it.
I don’t like this. Just normal people trying to sound out there
Pretty good this, I like it. Feels ahead of its time. Does seem to lose the plot a bit in the second half and go all over the place, which I didn't enjoy as much.
One had 1 song on Spotify
Maybe some hidden gems should stay very very hidden.
First half of the album: ugh its the 60s 😔 Second half of the album: YEEEEEEEOOOOOWEEWWWWWW!!!
I’m surprised this came out in 1966, feels very ahead of its time. It didn’t blow me away though.
Couldn't access all the songs, but what I heard sounded a bit dated.
This was fine. Nothing too crazy, but was some solid rock music.
Funky Monks. Unfortunately hard to listen to in Australia, with the full set not available on either Apple Music or Spotify - had to listen to it off Youtube which is always a bit of a pain....... Anyway, worth the hassle! Great garage/early punk, with ramshackle musicianship, attitude and rough production. Loved it. Get this onto streaming so that I can listen again more easily!!!
Thank Lights In The Attic Records & Distribution for being the reason so many old hidden gems are being unearthed for new generations of people. This may just be one of the earliest instances of Garage Rock and it takes place in 1966. This definitely has that 60s twang to it all but I am also impressed with how zappy it all sounds too. It sounds like if The Doors and Sonic Youth mixed together to make some noisy punk that was way ahead of the punk movement by nearly a decade. I can't even lie for as weird as this is there is a lot to like here, but it may take a bit before it clicks properly.
It’s ahead of its time for sure…but that doesn’t mean it wears well as an album outside of its time
Veldig før sin tid vil jeg si! Artig historie rundt bandet og kul sound.
Energisk og gøy.
Kult og gøy.
Veldig underholdende! Synd at plata ikke ligger ute for strømming.
p87. 1966. 3 stars. Booker T meets The Stooges. Appreciate that it was ahead of its time - but really this is an average 60s garage band with some decent songs producing a half decent album. Point docked for not being on Spotify and having to listen to this on YouTube and multiple fucking adverts.
I'm not really sure what I listened to here, only that it probably wasn't the album as it was released. It wasn't terrible, but hald little of real interest for me I'm afraid.
Not bad and very innovative for the time, but didn't grab me massively.
This album was not a good album. I'm clearly missing something with these guys - they seem to appear in lists like these and I've tried them before and ... I'm not even close to getting it.
- so, let's get something out right from the jump: This album is NOT that inventive and it's certainly not that influential. No one heard of it until it was dug up and reissued DECADES later. That's cool and thanks for getting it out there so we can hear it BUT, don't try to claim that it carries more weight than it really does. Another reviewer on here writes that there was a ton of this stuff happening in Garage Rock which is exactly what I thought while listening to this. That review is spot-on so I wont say more on the subject other than do your self a favor and find a garage rock streaming channel somewhere and you'll get it. Now, is there some interesting stuff happening here? Sometimes; it's okay and I actually found the later things on the reissued extended versions a bit more exciting but even that went only so far. These guys are closer to maybe the Fugs who were, admittedly, later but more interesting, even more troll like with a much more biting wit. I really can only go 2 ...... -
Fun!
Not on Apple Music as album. Need to piece together this album.
My rating 3.4. It’s Monk time! Garage rock tgat you didn’t know you needed!
I had a hard time finding this album so I'm not sure I got the full experience but this didn't really grab me in any real ways.
I am nothing if not a sucker for proto-punk and avant-garde music of any type and this is absolutely fantastic! It's wild to think that these guys were making such experimental music at the same time as the Velvet Underground, but completely isolated from each other on different continents.
Never heard of them. It is not the type of music I usually listen to. An OK album.
Interesting album. i never heard of them before (google the band photo. they dress as monks with Friar Tuck hair style. it's almost like a punk album before there was punk. proto-punk if you will (if it's not a word, i get the patent). while the first half of the album was a great listen, the second have kinda went off the rails.
Oh my goodness YES! This is what this 1001 albums to listen to before you die is all about! 99% of people including myself would have never heard this album. This album was super cool. I LOVED the uniqueness of his singing style and lyrical composition (if you can even call half of what he says lyrics). His voice was AWESOME. I absolutely loved the organ, and I enjoyed the occasional guitar solo. I loved that the songs stayed upbeat and you could stomp your feet to just about all of them. My only critique is that none of the songs ever felt like complete songs. It's fun for a bit, but then I'm like, is this just a 40 minute long improv / jam session? But you know what, maybe!! Who cares, just GREAT 60s garage rock through and through.
Don't have anything really positive to say other than i understood most of the lyrics
Not my cup of tea.
This coming out in 1966 is wild. I liked the quip I read that basically said it was the lineage from The Beatles to the Velvet Underground. A forerunner of punk and avant garde.
I mean, this kind of album is the point of the list: an obscure album I’d never find on my own with an interesting story behind it, that kicks ass in its way.
Not for me
bof bof bof 1/5
Dit is één van het handjevol albums dat ik regelmatig check of het zijn herintrede heeft gemaakt op Spotify, samen met albums als 'Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein' en toch stiekem ook wel 'Trout Mask Replica'. Om uiteenlopende redenen, natuurlijk. Maar 'Black Monk Time' is echt een verborgen sieraad, die door z'n absentie op streaming platforms meer in de obscuriteit blijft dan het eigenlijk verdiend. Als liefhebber van punkmuziek is dit een fundamenteel monument waar je zo nu en dan je respect voor moet tonen. Ik moet het muzikaal niet groter maken dan het is, maar deze plaat raakt de bijzondere sweetspot van catchy en grimmig. Sommige nummers maken gebruik van de poprock-blauwdruk die in trek was halverwege de 60s, maar weten het net een maniakale draai te geven (That's My Girl), en andere songs gooien dat draaiboek volledig overhoop (I Hate You). Het rommelt, de zanger klinkt als een bezeten priester, en het heeft zo nu en dan ook gewoon een vooruitstrevende boodschap, zoals de opmerkingen over Vietnam, zo'n 10 jaar voor die oorlog echt ten einde kwam. Het middenstuk is ijzersterk, maar het einde levert wel wat in aan kwaliteit, maar god wat houd ik van deze obscure parels die naast een fascinerend verhaal ook nog eens goeie tunes in petto heeft. 8/10 Highlights: I Hate You Oh, How to Do Now Complication
Net in de periode dat ik -buiten deze generator- me wat verdiep in de inspiratie bronnen van de Punk, komen the Monks langs. Als geroepen. Want hoe avant-garde waren zij wel niet voor hun tijd. Tuurlijk klinkt er de 'klassieke' beat/rocknroll wel een beetje door. Maar de nummertjes zijn vuiger, zijn onvoorspelbaarder en zijn anti-establishment. The Monks zijn Punk voordat er Punk was. Heerlijke ontdekking. De plaat wel tegen beter weten in op mijn Discogs-wantlist gezet. Je moet heel wat knaken ofzo zetten om dit album te scoren helaas... 8/10 Monk Time Complication