Black Monk Time

Monkey time!

Probably avant-garde at that time and the story behind this band is interesting but I'm probably too young to enjoy it. Might revisit it one day, why not...

Wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It is raw and experimental for the time, but didn't have anything I want to listen back to.

Funny, funky, rock'n'roll. Lyrics again ... 2,4

Only a few of these songs were available on Spotify and the few that were there weren't great. 2.4.

If the Doors were on more german and on drugs…

A pretty strange album that certainly shows it's proto-punk age. Would be curious if this album was ever remastered or remixed, since the production is pretty rough. Some interesting things going on and props for almost inventing a new genre, but a rough and raw listen that didn't really hold my attention. Top tracks: I Hate You, Complication

More organ and repetitive riffs than I was expecting based on the Wikipedia description. Very swinging 60s sounding to me. Meh.

Had to go via YouTube and sound quality wasn’t great, but I can dig it.

Not sure what album this is gonna be based on the cover, though it's funny that some editions of this album have the record label aligned with the off-center text. I know rock albums enjoy their fair share of black album covers with minimalist designs, so I'm hedging my bets on that. This is likely to be hard rock, based on the decade of release. Not available in my country. Hmm, well played. Garage rock, ey? I've never cared for this genre of music and have disdain for the hipsterisation of it during the mid-2000s, but this isn't too bad. The melodies are solid, though there isn't too much going on here which woos me. The organs are pretty droll, too. They detracted a little bit from the listening experience. Still, this was a decent ride "Boys Are Boys, Girls Are Choice" has a good sound going for it. Not sure whether it's the organs, but that one tone which appears in the beginning of the song gives the track a fun, campy energy. "We Do Wie Du" is another decent cut. The songwriting is decent - big fan of the vocal melody, and the guitar solo near the end of the track is pretty cool. "Drunken Maria" also has a good sound to it. The campy sax is pretty fun. Book time. "...first punk album". Nothing in there beyond that tidbit. Moving over to Wikipedia reveals that this album found critical acclaim over time, but that's about it. Being a seminal punk album is a pretty good qualification for making it onto this list, so I can cosign this inclusion. Good pick.

Given that this was a YouTube-only listening experience, and that I didn't find out about the YouTube option until after I was done with work, this album had a very limited opportunity to grab my interest and make me either sit in front of my computer or with my phone open to listen to it. It failed. Cool story about the band, but this project is hard enough to keep up with as it is. And it's so easy to put music on the streaming services. I'm deducting a star for inconvenience. So, that's a . . .

Fun listen

Kind of a funny mismatch between the lyrics and music. And some texts are dark funny, or about serious stuff, and ... 'cruel funny' But I don't the instrumental Part... 2.89

Psychedelic proto-punk/garage rock that just isn't really for me. It's fine and an interesting mash up of genres, just isn't scratching my brain right.

I think the Spotify link might be broken. I got one, under three minute song by this band, and then some seemingly unrelated tracks that sound like the background music for a corporate recruitment video. I didn't hate the one track but I guess this gets 2 stars from me.

German Garage Rock from 65

2/5 proto punk

Could only listen to 3 of the 18 songs. Spotify did not make the others available

Vale como curiosidade/ excentricidade: órgão e um banjo elétrico feito à mão.

1.91

Umm some of this was okay and then it started getting kind of weird and uncomfortable. It turned me off, but it was okay.

Some ok rock and roll, nothing mind blowing, but a decent listen. Best song: Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy

For a second you're like "wow this is ahead of its time," then you remember The Velvet Underground was a thing and they were good and this is bad. 4/10

Pretty good for a bunch of army guys blowing off steam. My main criticism is a question: was this guy the best singer they had in the group or was that the style they were going for? A couple of good songs on here but nothing that is going to make me come back to this. Highlights: I Hate You

This sounded muddy.

pretty vanilla old rock

we do, wie du, we dubi dubi dooo! ich verstehe nicht wirklich, wieso dieses album auf irgendeiner liste gelandet ist .. vielleicht war in den 60ern einfach nicht mehr da?!

There was a couple songs I like, but most of it just seemed pretty dull to me.

One's not at all invested in the question of whether or not this is the first punk record, so one doesn't care and finds little musically to engage with. It sort of sounds like someone's antique roadshow sort of find, perfectly fine, but really who cares?

1. Monk Time - a little repetitive, wasn't completely for me but I liked the guitar in the back at least. 2. Boys are Boys - I can't help but feel like it's taken something from rocksteady and more poorly executed it. The backing music is good but the singing and lyrics are a little obnoxious to be honest. 3. Higgle-dy Piggle-dy - This song is better! I like the guitar solo, although repetitive, I think we can just assume that this type of music isn't for me. But I did really like the guitar solo a lot! 4. I Hate You - This song was actually a lot more fun, I did enjoy it a bit more for certain! It's got a fun rhythm! (⌒0⌒)／~~ 5. Oh, How To Do Now - Alright, good, okay 👍 6. We Do Wie Du - also just okay. I feel like I'd just rather listen to Desmond Dekker or The Ethiopians if I wanted to listen to this type of music though. It feels like a poor imitation and has been a hang up for me the whole time I've been listening to this album to be honest. 7. Love Came Tumblin' Down - also just okay. 8. Pretty Suzanne - also just okay. Overall, none of these songs will be added to any of my playlists and this was overall a meh album. It felt like a poor imitation of rocksteady and wasn't that enjoyable to me. All songs were just okay, and although some songs had some fun parts in them, it still is nothing to really write home about. I'd give this album a 2/5. It just wasn't for me if I'm going to be honest.

The story of the Monks is really interesting. Their music, not so much.

When this linked to my Spotify , it took me to an album called Black Monk Time, which only included 3 tracks, so I found the whole album on YouTube. While it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve heard, and it did go quick, I can’t see myself listening to this again. Pretty much the whole album sounded the same, there was nothing that really stood out to me. Rating: 2/5

Only one of the 18 songs on this album was available - psychedelic Beatles sounding, unremarkable.

This was OK. The history behind the group was the most interesting thing about the album, unfortunately.

Second album I had to source from YouTube. I recognize context matters and this was influential for its time. But I never want to hear anything from it again.

Lite knölig att hitta. Inte så bra faktiskt.

2.5

I guess it sounds a bit ahead of its time for 1966, but I don't get the sense they have a vision for themselves other than what they are not. The music sounds partly there but the vocal is just too off-putting though for me to give the music a chance to engage.

Hockey arena organ player on acid

Can't say I'm a fan, and the fact it's only really on Youtube means I absolutely won't listen to it again

Best Song: We Do Wie Du Gotta say, I'm not a fan. I can kind of hear where there is some very early punk in here but that gets overshadowed by either boring or irritating songs. FYI, as of July, 2025 this isn't available on YouTube Music.

The release date for this is sure respectable, but I found no joy in this outside of historical perspective.

2.3 So torn. On the one hand it's shit. It's not enjoyable to listen to, even the 25 minutes that exist on Spotify was far far longer than I wanted to listen to it for. On the other hand, it's possibly the first pisstake, critique at modern rock. I get why some might view it as the first true punk album. A middle finger to 60s pop bands, just as they were conquering the world. I think with better musicianship it would have landed better, but maybe that's the point. Drums and bass just far too simplistic to even partly enjoy. Can see why it should be included though.

The warning that I received, you may take with however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us is specifically not too good. It's suggested that you do stay away from that; of course, it's your own trip, so be my guest.

Interesting and great back story. Not much substance to the songs.

I enjoyed the music and the variety of instruments!

The Cuckoo song sealed their fate.

2/5

This was very intriguing - has shades of all kinds of rock sub-genres; garage, alternative, psychadelic, punk, and all in 1966. It must've sounded very out there and been ahead of its time. Not sure I enjoyed listening to it that much but definitely see the artistic merit

“Guys, wouldn’t it be hysterical if we all shaved our heads like monks and put the powers that be on blast through rock‘n roll music??” In other words: Black Monk Time is what you get when a high school inside joke goes way too far. The music isn’t exactly accessible with its nails on a chalkboard vocals. It’s all fairly raw and immediate for its era, and it feels a little bit like ground zero for the 70’s punk acts that followed - so I am willing to extend a bit of grace to a group that dared to put out something other than sugary harmonies. However, for me, it just doesn’t add up to a smooth listening experience. ⭐️⭐️

Not my kind of music

Nuggets style garage psych rock.

2.75 Man, I really tried to like this, but it followed Captain Beefheart and I've already had my fill of kooky for awhile.

I wasn’t prepared to scour Spotify for all the album tracks, so listened to two and that was quite enough.

I have a lot of respect for bands like The Monks, for experimenting and trying to create a new alternative sound. We wouldn't have many different styles of music today if there weren't pioneers out there trying new stuff. That being said, I did not care for any of this lol.

Probably groundbreaking at the time, but I dont like it right now. 2.8

The track that the Spotify linked to sounds fun, but it wasn't the full record. So, who knows if the whole record is any good, cause it seems extremely difficult to find, at least on Spotify.

Never heard of this album or group before which isn’t surprising as there appears to have been no official UK release. Consequently it wasn’t easy to trace and listen to over the streaming services. Only managed to find it on YouTube. Quite enjoyed it although it is of its time but nevertheless must have been considered an experimental and ground breaking back in 1966. Enjoyed the keyboard work on the album reminding me of The Doors. I detected a reoccurring riff which in itself is quite memorable but I couldn’t help but think it was nicked from an English football clapping chant popular at the time. You know the one… Clap Clap Clap,Clap,Clap, Clap,Clap,Clap,Clap Clap Clap “United” (or City or Town or colour of teams shirts etc) 2/5 5/6/25

avg

This album felt like chore to get through

this was not a very fun listen. the whole time it just reminded me of other music that I'd rather be listening to.

Okei jes a-puoli, ihan turha jumitus-ska -b-puoli. A kuulosti melkein livelevytyksellä ja hauskaa oli - ja taitavaa laulua. B:llä mun korviin oli vain yhtä asiaa 25 minuuttia, huono juttu. Vahva 2,5.

Felt very uninspired by this, just about as generic and standard as 60s rock gets.

Ripping garage psych with a prominent organ and a weird approach. Lots of people did the same thing not too long after so it's kind of a tired sound, but credit for being ahead of the pack.

2.5/5

Kinda weird and unique, not unamusing but hard to see going back.

Im not going to chase these down, sorry

Psychedellic shovelware. Move on, nothing to see here. 2/5

I'm all for pushing boundaries and trying new things, but not all of that experimentation needs to go into your album

2 Stars (5/15)

Quite liked, He Went Down To The Sea. More of a diverting, inoffensive listen. Quite enjoyed the musical decoration of use of twinkly bells on half the songs. Don't really know what to make of it otherwise.

Neat

Ascoltato molto in sottofondo. Quasi non mi sono accorto. Non è male ma non fa per me.

1. Shut Up 2. We Do Wie Du 3. I Hate You 4. Drunken Maria 5. Monk Time 6. Oh, How to Do Now 7. Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy 8. Complication 9. That's My Girl 10. Blast Off! 11. Boys Are Boys And Girls Are Choice 12. Love Came Tumblin' Down

It's alright. Won't be listening to it again though

An obscure 1966 album from an obscure German-based American garage rock band. Spotify would only play 2 tracks unless I upgraded to a paid subscription. Probably best forgotten.

Fun album. Familiar throughout although I don’t think I’ve heard them before. The guitar riffs were classic sounding and I enjoyed it.

Only had two songs from the album on Spotify. Both were forgettable.

It was ok

It was so promising for the first 30 seconds until the vocals came in. I dug the 60s kind of raw, surf rock inspired style, but the shrill vocals and bizarre lyrics were a turn off. I am happy I listened to it, but was also happy when it was over.

Couldn't listen to it in full on the Spots, but the playlist of most tracks was pretty cool. High 2s

campy and cheesy - not that great for me. Have to admit I was definitely not in the mood for this one and another listen might leave a better impression. Although this isn't really my thing anyway so maybe not.

I had to find this one on YouTube as it didn’t seem to be on Spotify anymore. Safe to say, wasn’t really a fan. Some parts of it sounded okay but to me, it was mostly just noise

Like the kinks but terrible

What I start composing on day 6 in the padded cell

I can see how this would be considered early punk. Being released in ‘66, definitely some pioneering thinking and adventure in rock style. That said, not much that I would need to come back to.

It’s pretty insane that this came out in 1966. Definitely way ahead of its time, and easy to hear how this could have been massively influential. Sort of a Marty McFly in Back to the Future moment. That said, it was be a case of “just because we can, should we?” Honestly it’s pretty hard to listen to at points, so it’s one I’m okay with leaving in the past.

Sirkusmusikk fra en alternate reality Tarantino-film.

Couldn’t hear it

Found on YouTube. Pretty fun, shades of the Stones and the Doors, but overall not something I’ll particularly remember or revisit.

Some interesting arrangements, but gets a bit screechy and messy in a lot of places. Certainly can hear how influential it was, but it's not really a record for me.

Not available in my country on Spotify, but after listening through the album that doesn't sadden me one bit. This really wasn't particularly good. Very messy overall, and it made me really dislike electric organs. It does remind me a bit about The Doors at times, but that's probably due to the organs. And they manage to pull that off way better than these guys. Was quite surprised by the amount of fairly straight blunt sexual language and references they used. Bust certainly have been frowned on in 1966. I read on Wikipedia that this paved the way for Punk rock quite much. While that may be true, it's not anything I will be revisiting any time soon or recommend to anybody, really. Weak 2.

Really rough amateur stuff. In 1966 it may have taken a lot to produce this but not by today’s standards

Not very inspiring but some solid 60s rock

basic unadorned rock - not enough complexity for me. it just bores me.

Oldies but baddies. It’s like if you took normal sixties toons and kept giving them acid till they went insane. Unhinged at times. It’s kind of a bad trip. 3/10

I get this is a very influential album... but it just stinks. It's creative but so so so grating. Genuinely unenjoyable. The weird vocals and the use of the electric keyboard bothered me a ton. I'd say I can't get over you is probably my favorite track, but it was hard to pick even one.

I ... did not like this album very much. It may have some kind of pre-punk roots or IDK, something that makes it special somehow, but the issue, for me, is that it doesn't really do anything in particular very special. It wasn't really punk, it was not charming, it wasn't even classic rock or 60's pop... Instead of defining some alt genre (which is great!) it sort of sat at the edges of a lot of stuff. I don't hate on it, but it is not ... I don't know where or when I would recommend it, so I probably wouldn't.

Well, yeah, interesting, but I don't see myself listening to their whole album.

Vissa helt intressanta grejer på den här plattan särskilt med tanke på när den är gjord.

They don’t do anything that their contemporaries didn’t do better. I can hear how they might’ve been influential but there are many influential bands, especially in the sonic space that The Monks seemed to occupy, that have been rightfully overshadowed by their successors.

What the everlasting fuck?

Meh classic 60s happy music that I don’t really like 4/10

no idea how to rate this one. its kinda brilliant but also i definitely didnt enjoy listening to it again

Nicht schlecht aber keiner erwähnung wert Nett!

I’m thankful that there were only 2 tracks listed on Spotify, because I didn’t really enjoy either of them. Usually I would seek the complete album to make sure I was judging it fairly, but I just couldn’t be bothered. Merry Christmas 🎄

There was only 2 tracks (3mins) of this album on the linked Spotify - it was ok, but not enough to make me want to seek out the rest of the album if it means listening through YouTube - it’s Christmas Day and I’m too full of pudding to be dealing with that kind of bullshit

This album's production is both creative and influential. The vocals align with the creativity of the production, but their harshness affects the overall listenability of the album.

Black Monk Time by The Monks If only they’d taken a vow of silence. Unfortunately, this album just wasn’t for me. Black Monk Time is a very experimental and abrasive listen, and while it’s hailed as a precursor to punk, I couldn’t really get on board. Wikipedia describes it as a precursor to punk, a genre that I’m not particularly fond of. Pop-punk, sure, but classic punk often feels more like something I tolerate than something I enjoy. The chaotic sound and the repetitive nature of the music made it a challenging experience for me, and the vocals—delivered with a lot of aggression and a certain strangeness—didn’t help matters. That being said, I did listen to the entire album, and I can at least appreciate the raw energy and rebellious spirit of the Monks, even if it wasn’t something I personally connected with. While I understand the significance of this album in the context of music history, it’s not something I’ll be revisiting anytime soon. Score: 2/5

That's not my taste in music.

Erm, wouldn’t listen to anything again

This album sounds very much from its time. It has more of a novelty vibe than anything else. It has hints of directions that rock would soon go, but this just sounds dated. The instrumentation is better than the vocals, but even then, it's very simplistic as is typical of garage rock. There are some good moments, but overall it's kind of a throwaway.

Je peux comprendre l'inclusion de cet album comme il semble avoir eu un impact considérable sur la scène punk, mais je trouve que ça a quand même mal vieilli. Je respecte le statut, mais pas tellement ma tasse de thé. 4/10

eh

Not available in Canada so what do you want from me. I’d I had to guess based on this book so far it’s probably guys playing ‘Summertime Blues’ and they played it heavy and people said this was the start of punk.

Pretty impressive for 1966, good band name, simple cover art, not a lot to dislike here. I had to listen to it on YouTube so I couldn't follow along with the song names but there were def a few I enjoyed. 2.25

Not worth the effort it took to find

I started this list fully intending to listen to all albums in full. I now see that is futile. This was certainly interesting, but I don't want to listen to the whole thing, so from here on I will forgive myself for the albums I gave up on in the past and give myself permission to abandon future albums if they aren't working for me.

This had some early Black keys and Jack White sounds going on. That dirty garage rock stuff. But it wasn't that great. At least not what i want to listen to. Forgettable but tolerable.

I couldn’t find this album, but there earlier‘s album had some weird stuff on it.

In a nutshell: wild noise. Cool guitars, obnoxious organ, sweet drum rhythm. Think MC5 meets Devo. It’s surreal garage rock with a avant-garde twist . A YouTube user described it as “Dadaistic rock” (accurate). Perhaps the album could be proto-Krautrock as well as proto-punk. It won’t be for everyone. I can see why it’s on the list though. Overall: 4/10

This is like Black Midi in the 60s

This album is unavailable on Spotify in my region, except for a few songs. But it's old-timey punk rock. It's not something I'd listen to myself, but it would work well in some OSTs for sure.

I don’t care

The only thing good about this is the album length

I understand the historical significance of this album. That being said, my reviews on here have always been about my own personal feelings about the music, not why it’s important or anything like that. So while I get why this album is on the list I did not particularly enjoy it. It was kind of annoying. Although I did like some of the keyboard parts when they got all sloppy and noisy.

5/10 This was fine - but incredibly rough around the edges and a bit same. Can’t really blame it for that, it is 60s garage rock. Does what it does well, perky guitars and rhythm, the whole thing succeeds or fails on the vocals. On some songs they are OK, on some they are grating So a very mixed bag. Best: Higgle-dy Piggle-dy

having to listen on youtube with a minute of adverts per song probably didn't help. 47/100

Unavailable for streaming, so I listened to the “early years” album. Didn’t grab me.

Punk is van allen tijde. Weer een band die volgens mij prima weet wat ze doet. Maar het allemaal expres verpest met overstuurde instrumenten en stembanden.

Grondleggers. Ik heb er allemaal niet zo veel mee. Maar dit zal niet de laatste grondlegger-plaat zijn waarschijnlijk. Ik had vooraf denk ik toch wat meer popmuziek in de lijst verwacht, type Phil Collins en Duran Duran enzo. Ondertussen draait K!NK radio hun top1000-albums lijst. Dat staat dan weer vol met 'lowlands'-muziek van de afgelopen jaren. Zijn dat allemaal albums, die je ooit gehoord moet hebben? Ook niet per se. En dan is het juist wel weer leuk om er af en toe een grondlegger-plaat tussendoor te hebben, om die muzikale geschiedenisles van de bovenmeester in je op te nemen. De drums, of het getrommel, klinken wat blikkerig. Er zit heel prominent een orgel in. Het doet me wel denken aan wat andere muziek van iets later, ik weet alleen even niet wat. Soort boze Beach Boys of Beatles, of Focus ofzo (als ze gaan jodelen, dan weten we het zeker). Iets in die hoek is het wel. Folky Cuby and the Blizzards. Alleen is het nog niet echt muzikaal. Het is meer herrie maken (in de brave 60s tijd dan wel, niet zoals Napalm Death herrie maakt). Ik moet zeggen, ik had er vooraf echt hele lage verwachtingen van, maar het valt me nog alleszins mee. Zet ik het echt voor mijn plezier op? Nee, dat ook weer niet. Maar het is nog wel te doen.

Not my cup of tea, but also not the most horrific music I’ve subjected my ears to.

I enjoyed this album but I don't really get why some people were raving about it. I can sort of see the super early punk starting to emerge but it was mostly just kind of a straightforward rock album from the 60s. Nothing that would make me even really think to look to see who it was if I heard it randomly somewhere. 2/5

Couldn't find this anywhere so I can't really rate it.

Just that tiniest little bit of psychedelia to make the rockabilly stand out from the bunch.

Album not available on Spotify or Apple.

Black Monk Time sounds like so much average 60s rock really, apparently it was quite different and interesting at the time but I don't really feel that 60 years on, it's got some good stuff, I liked the singer's style and voice which is a good mix of playful and belligerent, and I liked We Do Wie Du quite a bit, but it's mostly quite samey the whole way through and is a high 2, we've had loads better.

oh geez this is a fine little curiosity but i’m not going to sit through it again

Not pleasant to listen to. Not awful. High 2.

#219. Like with Neil Young, I'm not going to go scouring the internet looking for somewhere I can listen to this. There was only one song on Spotify, I listened to it, it was terrible. Moving on. 2/5: shit

Had to go to YT for this one. Based on the description I wasn't expecting much, but it sounds very clean and better than some other pop 60s album I've heard on here. It's ok, 2*, nothing outstanding. Just another album that is the precursor to bigger and better things. Cuckoo came out of nowhere.

The story behind the band is more interesting than the music itself

I wanted to be more excited about this album, as it is supposed to be very proto punk. But by proto punk, it seems to be more "DIY" than anything else. It doesn't mean that the songs themselves are overly catchy. Some of them got a bit annoying more than anything else. (Looking at you, "Cuckoo".) So yeah, the songs themselves were not that good for me. Next.

Not for me

Had to listen on YouTube. I think if everyone is really honest we know this is not a very good album. The story behind the band is more interesting. Nothing wrong with some buddies jamming out but to call it great music is baffling to me.

I liked the concept of this. Two American army men meet in Germany. Have a band. I just didn’t love the music.

This album isn’t available in the US. Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music didn’t have it. I listened to The Early Years instead.

Interesting but not great. A concert would have been cool!

Don’t really get what’s special or significant about this. It was ok, similar to much other 60s beat pop. Maybe I’m missing something.

I could see this being some sort of cult favorite, especially among friends and family of the band, but I just couldn't get into it. The songs were too similar and not very good.

Album isn’t even available on Spotify; how am I going to rate it then! At least YouTube has it.

Didn’t really like it.

meh

i hate "i hate you" some of this is just noise but it's not entirely unpleasant noises i hate "that's my girl"

A few tracks in and this is sounding like a Hurdy Hurdy Carnival opening with ott Wurlitzer. That being said, I hear echoes of the sheer fun and expression of the early 60s. I half enjoyed the opener...'The Monk', but very quickly got bored with the monotony of the sound. 'I hate you' ... deliberately the anti-thesis of the peace and love era where every song is 'I love you' For being avant-garde they get a 2

tolerated 2 cuts

Short protopunk, twas ok

Could only listen to one so g

While I don't necessarily dislike this album, I don't really get it either. It may deserve a place on this list based off of influence alone but from a pure enjoyment perspective it was just ok.

Weird, kind of psychedelic rock music. At times reminded me of the Doors, at other times the Who, overall not similar to anything I've heard before. It definitely sounded like the 60s. I'm not really sure what to make of it

this project excels at including protopunk albums, especially by the early artists whose names are not well known to the common listener. the monks fall into that group real easy. their sound is weird and unrefined--and they certainly go really fast, very much like the ramones a decade and a half later. the album's leading track, in the first verse, shows what the monks are all about. i love them not being afraid to put their politics out there as young men in 1965 in germany. indeed, it is monk time. the fact the monks created a song titled "monk time" is terribly cute; i'm reminded of other sixties artists, like the monkees, who created songs to introduce themselves.

This was a really strange album, bordering on bonkers. It is definitely a product of the 60s, but not quite anything I have heard. You can really hear the rumbling and stirring of the beginnings of proto-punk and psychedelia in here. I didn't really enjoy the album a whole lot, but it was an interesting history lesson.

I can appreciate what this album is, but it’s hard for me to enjoy the music, good for a listen through. 2.2

Didn't hate this album but I can't say I enjoyed it. There was a couple of songs I liked, just not really into the punk genre.

Only 2 tracks on Spotify. 1 star each.

For very specific vibes and situations

Not going to lie, this album left me confused

Fine

classic youtube only shit album

Album is not on Spotify. It is on YouTube though. 2/5

It's loud, noisy, silly, and a little edgy. It's worth a listen if you like early garage rock, but I don't think I need to go back for another go around. Best Songs: Love Came Tumbling Down Listen Again: Probably not

Bonkers

I was really relieved I didn't enjoy it that much when I found out it wasn't on Spotify

Jazzy blues songs Reducing by a * because they didn’t have all their songs on Spotify, so I just went on their “best”

This album is weird but not in a way that's particularly interesting to me. I was trying to like it but it just wasn't very easy listening. The singing is pitchy. The blend of instruments is unrefined and feels like they are clashing instead of working together most of the time. I didn't hate it but I don't think I'll be revisiting this one.

5/10 Highlights: Drunken Maria

I can see where this album might be considered ahead of its time and a harbinger of punk. Whether by accident or design, I'll give them credit for that. It's not their fault they were born 15 years too early.

Protoshite

"Pussy galore's comin' down and we like it. We don't like the atomic bomb" This album wasn't on spotify, so I had to listen to it through youtube, and leave my phone on. not a huge deal but that was kinda annoying. The album was fairly annoying, and I think that's the best word to describe it. The instrumentals, and rhythms between them, all felt elementary and repetitive. T14 - Cuckoo drove me insane. T4- Higgle-Dy Piggle-Dy was silly because of the language, and T3- Boys... is going on the playlist because it's the only song on spotify. lame album, gave me a little headache 2/5

Started out charming, became grating. I can see this being the jumping off point for a lot of very fun bands, but this was not a great listen.

I was hoping to like this since garage is a genre I enjoy, but this was disappointing.

Nope

Unfortunately Apple doesn’t have the album so I listened to as many songs off it as they had. Sounds Beach boys/esque but with more organ 4.8/10

3/5 back story for a 2/5 record

Not a fan. The vocals are at times distorted or repetitive and/or screaming at me, and a lot (not all, but a lot) of the instrumentation lacks melody or sounds choppy. It’s just a lot of noise.

I thought this was streaming at the wrong speed at first. It was also really short - Spotify only served up two tracks. Not sufficient to form an opinion. Harmless, but not exactly life changing.

It’s almost a 3, but the vocals… not my fave.

I liked it, didn’t love it. Fun hearing music that influenced the punk scene.

It’s actually not bad but every song sounds the same to me.

Without a doubt ahead of it's time... doesn't stop it being irritating as fuck in a lot of places though

This didn’t do anything for me at all. Seems all a bit average to be honest. I must’ve missed the boat on the “novelty” of them?

Alright, I'm gonna start being harder on the generic 60s/70s classic rock shite. There's way too fucking much of it on this list. Just go listen to Deep Purple, they did all of this better.

An album that is definitely proto-punk from the mid-60s. Sadly, it doesn't nail either side of the coin, just leaving no impression. Some of the lyrics are kind of funny, and the instruments at times nail that intensity that punk has, but its pretty forgettable all things considered. I can see why I had to hear this, but it isn't going in my musical rotation any time soon.

kinda sucks

Cool story, shite music

I have respect for having achieved a sound like this in 1966, but it's not my type of music. A few tiny parts here and there were something I'd like, but they are not the focus in this album. My favourite song was Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice.

I feel like this is a great example of what punk is supposed to be about, so I can respect it, but the problem was I just didn't like it musically. Every song was just a little too unpleasant or had some unpleasant parts. Glad they put this out there though. 2.5 stars

Sort of thing I can imagine being pretty ground breaking at the time but it’s aged like milk.

While I understand the historical significance of this record, it honestly bored me and most of the tracks just have too much going on.

Some of this album was OK, it was of that 60s era where all songs were to a recipie for the labels and radio. There is nothing significant, all very beatles reminiscent... but they were really trying to be Jimorrison and the Doors, but the strangulated screams of the lead singer fall a long way short of audibly acceptable. Music has evolved more cleverly and accomplished by so many other artists of that era, so for me this album just didn't even warrant a middle of the road scoring.

It was okay, never heard these guys before.

Ok and not much more

Some GROOVY sounds here but overall not a very polished album. I feel like this band has the potential to make a decent rock album, but a lot of these songs just ascend into mindless chaos.

I’m good on most of this one but then I got to the end of the bonus tracks and now it’s funny to me. Some of the songwriting is kind of low effort and then some of it is novel. Consistently MONKS.

The non-tradition song structure and the tonsure look is interesting, but every track sounds very similar to the last, and the sound itself is quite repetitive.

This album oscillates between interesting and awful.

Interesting album. It’s loud and abrasive for 1966. Appreciate its significance in musical history. It’s not for my ears though. Probably would not revisit.

Some more 60's rock, alright!! German-based American rock band hm!

This was so irritating to listen to. Just all over the place. 3/10.

This is a ludicrous album. Not really saying it’s bad but it’s weird. It’s goofy and for the 60s this seemed unlike a lot of the pop love songs. This is music about nothing really. It’s the Seinfeld of music. Except this isn’t as enjoyable and also German. The cuckoo song really gives that away but it’s also pretty annoying. Overall the uniqueness does not make up for how annoying some songs are. 4.6/10

Meh

this album has NO business being on this list but there were a couple catchy songs

I didn’t know anything about this group before today. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into any of the tracks. It just was not good. Not for me.

Weird, wild, and frantic. This feels like a predecessor to punk. A bit cheesy in 2023.

It was very unique. Definitely have to be in the mood for this one. I did like a few songs and will probably revisit this.

munkit...heh...hauska gimmikki...hidden gem no joo aikaansa nähden aika progressiivinen, nostetaan kakkoseen heh. 19min albumi..snao spotfy...uskon..heh yellow grass

Started off strong with some angular guitar work that reminded me of some modern-day Dwyer projects a la Damaged Bug, but quickly sloughed off into annoying 60s tropes. Repetitive surf guitar, one-hook structures, and cloying vocals made this a journey I increasingly wanted to end.

Ok but really odd. Feels like the evil twin of a different 60s band… like the evil version of The Monkees… See what I did there… Monks. Monkees.

One knows one should like this more for reasons of being on right side of politics ... er, history, but musically it's a struggle, close to a dental appointment at times. Definitely has that '60s consciousness-raising-hootenanny feel, but it's just too droney-bangy to inspire much outrage or admiration, and the zany-wacky factor doesn't land nearly 60 years on. One finds it mostly tiresome, honestly, though recognizing it might be energizing to some.

Meh

I can see how this album was pioneering at its time, but in this time it sounds almost comical. I liken it to the late 70s/early 80s adopters of electronic synthesizers. It was other worldly at the time and nearly a parody now that the approach has been fully fleshed out. Kudos to The Monks, but the sound belongs in a museum.

3 if im generous but probably a 2. really dreary. It's like if a word could rhyme they would try to rhyme it.

Evidently a song from this album is featured in The Big Lebowski. I've seen that movie at least 27 times, and all I recall is the Credence, a funky Kenny Rogers song about checking his condition, a Bob Dylan album cut, a nice Nina Simone song, and a cab driver who liked "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" by the Eagles. Oh, and ZZ Top's cover of Viva Las Vegas. And John Turturo's character bowling to a Spanish language version of Hotel California (maybe I've seen the movie more than 27 times). But I don't recall hearing "I Hate You" by The Monks at all. Which tells you how forgettable it is. Just like most of this album.

I really wasn’t receptive to this due to circumstances whilst listening so it’s going to be an unfair judgement 2*

Obnoxious and impossible to enjoy.

Oh good, 1966. This can only be good... NOT! There was only one song available on Spotify and I'm just not fucking looking for anything elsewhere anymore. I used to think I owed it to bands to track the full album down at all costs. At album 801 I'm just fucking glad I don't have to sit through more than 4min of utter shit this morning. It was boring nonsense 60s shlock regardless, from the song I heard. 2/5.

Crap time

As with the other punk albums, I wasn't feeling this one. I enjoyed it a bit more the others, but overall still doesn't seem to be my jam. Favorite song: Pretty Suzanne Worst song: That's My Girl

quirky, but I didn't hate it.

This is a tough listen...

Not that good. Just weird/bad instrumentals and vocals.

Strange

Not sure why this is an album I needed to hear before I die. Sounds like a group of kids messing around. Not saying it's terrible, but it just kind of reminded me of my own high school garage band. I'm left wondering what the musical significance of this is.

Music 3.5/5, Lyrics/Singing 1.5/5 => 2/5

Kovin epätasainen kokonaisuus ja hetkittäisiä väläytyksiä laskematta ei toiminut.

Alkupuoli oli viihdyttävän menevää, mut loppua kohden hiipu fiilis

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Love Came Tumblin' Down (10) 2 - We Do Wie Du (8) 3 - Oh, How To Do Now (6)

Some good guitar work here and there, but otherwise I found this to be too jarring and crude, and not offering anything interesting musically.

Never heard this one before. The track that stands out the most is "Compilation". 2.5/5

Couple of bops but overall pretty forgettable

It was annoying

I back milkmen to deliver, unlike this album.

What is this? It isn't good

Wasn't a fan

Man, I've become really jaded with these '60s rock albums. There are so many great ones out there, most of which are on this list, but there are so many on here that feel like scraping the bottom of the barrel. Maybe not fair to the Monks, they do have a bit of a unique edge to them but damn if I haven't heard four or five albums that sound just like this by now. Very little on here to distinguish it from the pack. Sorry gang. Apparently this is proto-punk rock? I didn't quite hear it. I'll trust the word of others that it's influential, but it's doing nothing for me. Favorite tracks: Shut Up. Album art: Adding insult to injury here. Nothing good to look at while I struggle to enjoy the music. 2/5

Rolling Stones C-side rarities, but I suppose that's still a compliment.

Interesting enough album. Not exactly what I want to hear though. Odd psychey... something music.

I really wanted to like this at first. It started off feeling like some kind of proto-punk rock. But generally devolved into... something else. Meh

Black Monk Time seems VERY unique and ahead of its time in a way, but I didn't get much enjoyment out of it in the long run. It is very punk (possibly one of the earliest forms of it), but is is also still clearly from the 1960's through its psychedelic feelings and overall recording style. It felt like it had an anti-war tone to it all, but the lyrics didn't really fit with this outside of a couple of moments. It might have just been the overwhelming sense of rebellion present that made me feel this way as The Monks were definitely trying to do their own thing. In a way, this feels like a "hidden gem" of sorts in that it comes from a band that only created one album and comes from an era where this music really didn't fit in with the norms. I can see why someone might think this makes it worthy of including on the list, but I just didn't get as much out of it as someone else might. The idea of it being creative/innovative was more interesting than the album itself IMO. I didn't hate it, but I'll probably forget it by the end of the day. 2.5/5.

ehhh pretty boring

I was expecting to hear Drugs in my pocket when I saw that today’s album was by the Monks. But alas this is the 1966 Monks (US soldiers stationed in Germany) not the 1979 Monks (The Brit group Strawbs). This proto punk band must have been pretty rad in the 60’s as their sound is pretty unique and they feature a Hammond organ no less! I’ll give them credit for being groundbreaking.

I'm unsure about this one. I don't think I'll remember it

I saw the band name and was expecting UK Punk rock before realising this was, in fact, a different band called The Monks. For the first few tracks I thought I was going to quite enjoy this one, even though it was absolutely not what I thought I was going to be listening to but oh boy does this one take a dive off a cliff about 1/3 through and the bonus tracks at the end are, frankly, dreadful.

Punk got better

First Listen. I don't get it. 2/5

Genre de rock punk. Pas mauvais, mais pas si bon. Ca demenage en tout cas. 2.75

Ecléctico. Muy de la época. No me ha llamado la atención

Jam band shouting

In short, sounded like a less musically talented version of the Doors. Started with a war time political message followed by okay music.

I respect Black Monk Time for it being one of the first albums in the Punk Rock genre, but if you are looking for in-depth criticisms that go further than: "We don't like the atomic bomb"... you will not find it here. What you will find on here sounds like the first Beatles records, with way worse lyrics: "Boys are boys and girls are joys. To you and me they're more than toys". Really? Because everyone that came after the Monks did it better in almost every way, a 2/5 should suffice.

Confusing entry but not the worst

Not too bad... interesting, but might not be something that I'd listen to a lot.

Bit Psychedelic for my tastes.

Can't deny the influence but not really all that enjoyable to me. Pretty repetitive.

It was ok

I fucking hate hippies

I do not know this band or any of their music. A couple of times the music tempted me to like a track, and then the lyrics would kick in. The subject matter and the delivery of the lyrics keeps this album in the "dis-like" category.

mostly very horrible, but a little fun. bonus tracks are better?

It was okay. Not really anything interesting

Best vaag, ik denk dat ik deze nog eens moet gaan luisteren

Leuk voor 1x,

Ik raad vooral iedereen aan het verhaal van deze van deze band te lezen. Mooi verhaal over 5 GI's die in Duitsland een band beginnen en daar nooit buiten gekomen zijn. Muzikaal is mijn standpunt over punk bekend. Na een paar nummers exit ;)

Its okay but the repetitive sections very quickly become grating and knocks off most of the bright spots about the album

Never heard of them

started listening to it but it was a work day where I needed modern day pop

Chatinho, esquisito demais

weird 60's music

Cuckooooo.

this was an interesting listen, but this band (having looked it up) has a pretty interesting story to go along with their music. That being said, this....wasnt good. I can see where their sound for 1964 was different, and i'm sure inspired some bands out there, but yeah, definitely not my thing.

Nothing impressed

I’m sure when this came out it was ground breaking but it is a product of its time.

Cliche 60’s rock sound. Reminiscent of the Beatles or the Doors. Tons of keyboard!!

I'm struggling to guess why this album made it on the list. Because they recorded it while in the service? It isn't unique enough for any other reason.

This album is widely regarded as kind of the grandfather of punk music. I don't get it though.

1.5/5 An interesting listen..some cool ideas and beats but not my style of music.

Solo había 3 canciones en Spotify de las cuales 2 no eran de esa banda. 1

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.

No words for this one. If they are not on Spotify or Deezer without a manual search, how obscure are they?

I'm not sure why it is on the list

Malísimo y creo que no existe

The Monks was the collective noun Len Houmous used for his wives 21-25 1.0 1/12 Monktime

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

Not sure the link from here was right, didn't seem like the whole album

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.

I don’t like this. Just normal people trying to sound out there

Maybe some hidden gems should stay very very hidden.

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.

bof bof bof 1/5