Lemme guess, these guys are not related to Thelonius?

Monks inna nutshell: Coupla GIs in Germany, mid-60s. Decide to stick around and move into music scene. Beat act, touring all of Germany. Especially beloved in Hamburg, where they played the Star Club (the Beatles started there...). Dressed and hairstyled like - monks. One LP out on Polydor, never released in the US (until recently a CD was issued, 35 years later...). Broke up before leaving to tour Vietnam... Went back statesside after living in Germany for around ten years. Got forgotten. Beat/trash-idols of much obscurity, Eddie Shaw wrote his side of it down, and got it published. There's a movie being made of this now, and also a documentation filmed. The British MOJO magazine just ran a full page-story on them...

...and German music magazine superstar will have an article in 1/2000 issue, in which Swiss guitar slinger/songwriter Guz (solo artist & frontman of Swiss-based-but-Hamburg-signed-act Die Aeronauten, and a great Monks fan) writes about their only record, Eddie Shaw writes about Guz' latest release and answers some questions.

(Actually, I wondered if John had some knowledge about them, and this could, uh, drag him out... How about it, mate? Know these guys?)

I shall ask him and repost back to you.

John Burnett's Reply: Never heard of them until this (spent my GI days in Asia and the Pacific, where I heard great Filipino bands like "Friction"). The Monks Polydor album is out of release but my research shows that they were critically acclaimed by those who were exposed to them.

Black Monk Time is reissued in Germany through Repertoire/Edel, and available through amazon.de - and through amazon.com as import! Black Monk Time [IMPORT] Monks Our Price: $16.49 Availability: This title usually ships within 24 hours. Audio CD (June 30, 1995) Reper; ASIN: B00000729S Amazon.com Sales Rank: 8,142 Avg. Customer Review: Number of Reviews: 9 Customers who bought this title also bought: Bad Habits [IMPORT]; Monks Psycho-Sonic [IMPORT]; Sonics Silk Torpedo [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]; The Pretty Things Get The Picture [ECD]; The Pretty Things Auctions and zShops sellers and our other stores recommend: THE MONKS Bad Habits RECORD LP 1979 (Current bid: $3.50) Track Listings 1. Monk Time 2. Shut Up 3. Boys Are Boys And Girls A 4. Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy 5. I Hate You 6. Oh, How To Do Now 7. Complication 8. We Do Wie Du 9. Drunken Maria 10. Love Came Tumblin' Down 11. Blast Off ! 12. That's My Girl 13. I Cant Get Over You 14. Cuckoo 15. Love Can Tame The Wild 16. He Went Down To The Sea Customer Reviews (9) You absolutely will NOT regret getting this CD! Reviewer: Jason Bunke from Winona, MN, USA November 29, 1999 This is one of the best albums I've ever heard. It reminds me at various times of the music that Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, the Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd were putting out at about the same time ('66 - '68), but it is truly original and still sounds cutting-edge today. If you like danceable anarchy, your eardrums will be forever grateful to you for this one. 3 of 3 people found this review helpful. black monk time Reviewer: A music fan from new york city November 21, 1999 it started out slowly . First I just loved the album BLACK MONK TIME then I started to realize that almost nothing else is comparable . Really it is such a masterpiece that it deserves to be on any top ten albums of all time list, and I'm not ashamed to say so . Thank you Monks . Also FIVE UPSTART AMERICANS is really fun too . 2 of 2 people found this review helpful. Oh, to have seen them live... Reviewer: Jennifer (We2Shadows@aol.com) from Detroit, Michigan November 5, 1999 These guys make the thrash-punk bands of today look like clowns doing a really bad job. This has the spirit that founded the punk scene and had lyrics that were understandable instead of a lot of fast screaming into a cheap mike. Check out "Suspended Animation" (just released in Aug. 99) it has been my favorite for years. 1 of 2 people found this review helpful. Very Sadistic Reviewer: KUHN IS HERE AND THINGS ARE JUST GREAT (JUSTICE@aol.com) from Hamburg October 22, 1999 Buy it now before before they all leave. Bergeeee. 0 of 4 people found this review helpful. Customers who bought titles by Monks also bought titles by these artists: The Pretty Things The Shaggs Sonics Guitar Wolf Pebbles

I have been made aware by Eddie Shaw, the Monks' bass player, that the Repertoire Release seems to be not authorized. There is an American release available somewhere, too. The band has a great website! Check out http://www.the-monks.com , they have a chat forum there, you can download Black Monk Time, the only LP's title track, and listen to two more tracks via RealAudio. Also the old promo fotos, the stories as seen through each members eyes, current pics. I would like to do something that used to be considered a highly cultivated form of art at this here Spring, namely the aptly called "stating the obvious": THAT SITE ROCKS! Do you think like I think?

Feeling a little on the cynical side today, Alexander?! In Geo we do not state the obvious, but since you do not go there, you would not know that. *grin* Cool site. Love the black background and the retro black and white photo on the front page. Will listen as soon as I catch up with posts and get a moment, then I will try to not state the obvious...!

See? I even split an infinitive for you!

Great! And, the Monks themselves frequent the chat-thingus attached to the website occasionally... At least a couple do. And! I got a Black Monk Time-CD at last... Incredibly good.