It’s beat time, it’s hop time,
it’s Monk time!
The Monks were five American soldiers
stationed in Germany during the early 1960s who formed a band to pass
the time. Their sole album, released in 1966 after they were
discharged, is a doozy: eleven songs of brash grooves and unearthly
garage rock that show no signs of hobby or pastime. The Monks devoted
themselves fully to their musical—rather than military—enterprise,
even shaving Franciscan bald patches into their hair. Their infamous
debut, Black Monk Time, has long been a collector’s item, and Light
in the Attic has put the album back in print, with bonus tracks
culled from the even rarer Early Years 1964-65 comp. In the ensuing
four decades, these songs haven’t aged a bit: “Boys Are Boys and
Girls Are Choice” and “I Hate You” remain as unruly, ferocious,
lusty and hilarious as ever. The Monks were all rhythm section, with
every instrument clicking into a tense lockstep punctuated by Gary
Burger’s wild-man yelps and Dave Day’s electrified banjo—an
instrument as distinct as the Thirteenth Floor Elevators’ electric
jug. In their lusty frivolity, The Monks find a measure of gravity
and outrage: On opener “Monk Time,” Burger leers at Pussy Galore
one moment and protests Vietnam the next. That war may be over, but
it’s still Monk time.