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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The Monks - Black Monk Time (1966)

The Monks - Black Monk Time (1966)
Released 50 years ago this month...
The Monks - Black Monk Time

The Monks were aggressive, grade-A weirdos.  Dressed in all black, with short monk tonsure haircuts and nooses for neckties, they went completely against the grain of the flower child looks and attitude of the time.

The Monks: Roger, Gary, Larry, Eddie, and Dave
Their album "Black Monk Time" follows suit. It has pounding drums, repettive rhythms, chanted or shouted vocals, and dadaesque lyrics that are anti-war, anti-establishment, and just plain antisocial, it sounded like nothing else in 1966, and is still unique to this day.  This music was completely uncommercial, and left audiences in the 1960s confused and upset, prompting one audience member to attempt to strangle guitarist/vocalist Gary Burger at a show in Hamburg, Germany.

The Monks
Over the years the band has gained a dedicated cult following, and they are now one of the most influential and respected bands of the 1960s garage rock genre.







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