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#58 The Monks - Black Time


Reissue on International Polydor, 2011
60s Garage Rock, Psych Garage

I picked up this album in Toronto - maybe on 2013? Around then, anyway. I was doing a deep dive into early Psychedelic Garage bands and this one came up on some archive, with a fascinating story. Apparently (and I have not done any kind of updated fact check, so I'm going on what I read back then) these guys were American GIs in Vietnam who defected and ended up in Germany, where they shaved their pates and started this rock n roll band.

As far as albums go, it's an interesting piece, but not my favourite record in the genre. I like all the bass and rolling beats, but some of the lyrics rub me the wrong way. I recognize, of course, that it is a product of a time and place. Regardless, I like to spin it now and again, so it makes the cut.


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