Sad news. Thank you for the music Gary.
― Hinklepicker, Saturday, 15 March 2014 07:23 (ten years ago) link
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Saturday, 15 March 2014 08:50 (ten years ago) link
Most recent post on The Monks' message board is kind of poignant
― I Forgot More Than You'll Ever POLL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 15 March 2014 12:37 (ten years ago) link
This was one of the albums Henry Rollins reissued on his short-lived Infinite Zero imprint...1995-ish I guess? Anyway, it was a revelation to twenty-something me.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 15 March 2014 16:34 (ten years ago) link
That documentary is really great, too. Nice to revisit all those guys when they are older and they are totally the most normal, nicest people just living in their little towns maybe singing w the church, etc. They are so humble and chill and yet the music they made in the 60s was just sooooooo off the leash, just wild, wild stuff. They combined punk, industrial, alt country, krautrock, and genres into a rad electro-acoustic minimalist garage rock stomp that no one has come close to topping.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 15 March 2014 16:43 (ten years ago) link
i meant "and genres yet undiscovered"
Yeah, I tracked down the Infinite Zero reissue in Mondo Kim's. That's what New York is for!
― Mark G, Saturday, 15 March 2014 20:35 (ten years ago) link
Missed this until now. Gary was so hugely generous and kind, and amazing live. When I saw him with the "Mock Monks" at the Bryant-Lake Bowl circa the Iraq War he growled "George Bush, who the hell is he?" This was after my article came out about them, and when I shook hands with him before the show, he smiled and said, "I have something for you," and gave me an honorary noose, which I put around the collar of my black shirt.
― Peter Scholtes, Thursday, 7 August 2014 20:41 (nine years ago) link
THIRD MAN RECORDS ANNOUNCESTHE MONKS' HAMBURG RECORDINGS 1967FEATURES FIVE UNHEARD TRACKSAND NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS
NEW TRACK "I'M WATCHING YOU" PREMIERED VIA DANGEROUS MINDS
HAMBURG RECORDINGS 1967 TO BE RELEASED JUNE 23, 2017
Third Man Records is excited to announce The Monks' Hamburg Tapes 1967, featuring five unheard tracks from the legendary group. To ring in the announcement, Dangerous Minds has premiered the new track "I'm Watching You," noting that "these songs aren't just some forgotten cast-offs, they're as vital and as punchy as everything else the Monks recorded." The album will see a vinyl and CD release on June 23.
The Monks - a strange, rare group with a story that sounds like a drunk friend's generous hyperbole. A group of American G.I.s stationed in Germany on the precipice of Western cultural revolution starts playing music loosely connected to the rock n' roll craze, contrastingly incorporating a critical and often offensive avant-garde edge. Nothing was off limits - screeching vocals, dark aesthetics, staccato-strummed banjo, sardonic lyricism, critiques of the Vietnam War and full monk costuming down to the tonsure. When viewed on the whole, it seems like an art school student's senior thesis on what the craze means and its future possibilities. Due in large part to original Polydor vinyl collectability and years in the word-of-mouth hype machine, their legend and cult status has steadily blossomed since their last shows in 1967.
Fast forward to 2017, the crew at Third Man, already huge fans, are presented with an honest-to God treasure trove of original Monks photos, newspaper clippings, business cards, letterhead, contracts, postcards and, yes, analog tapes, containing trailblazing, wild compositions completely unheard by public ears.
"I'm Watching You" would have been recorded on February 28th, 1967 at the same sessions that would produce the Monks' final single "Love Can Tame the Wild" b/w "He Went Down to the Sea." The remaining four songs were recorded after hours in the Top Ten Club later that year, just prior to the break-up of the band.
These songs have been unreleased for 50 years and are quite possibly the last music left to be heard by this legendary band. Hamburg Recordings 1967 track list:
1. I'm Watching You2. Julia3. P.O. Box 32914. I Need U Shatzi5. Yellow Grass
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 19:31 (seven years ago) link
http://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1purPOW-3L._SL1500_.jpg
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 19:38 (seven years ago) link
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1purPOW-3L._SL1500_.jpg
Absolute capital C-classic! Thank whomevers responsible that the Beat Club footage of them is still around. They were a very charismatic and entertaining live act. And prolly thank my beloved Fall for helping repopularize them in the 90s. And that one album BMT is a stone avant garage groove from back to front. Addendum re: pic above, wow! Gonna have to get that. Thanx for the tip, NYCnative.
― VyrnaKnowlIsAHeadbanger, Wednesday, 10 May 2017 19:41 (seven years ago) link
Yeah!
― Mark G, Wednesday, 10 May 2017 22:43 (seven years ago) link
thank the germans for not being the bbc! _all_ the beat club stuff still exists, afaik, including unbroadcast material.
― increasingly bonkers (rushomancy), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 22:52 (seven years ago) link
by the way, has anyone actually heard dave day's "don't ha ha" that he released as a 7" at some point?
― increasingly bonkers (rushomancy), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 22:53 (seven years ago) link
Was the Rollins reissue of Black Monk Time before the Fall cover?
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 10 May 2017 22:56 (seven years ago) link
nah, extricate was 1990, infinite zero issue was '97. apparently the first cd issue of it was an israeli pirate on israphon in 1990.
― increasingly bonkers (rushomancy), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 22:58 (seven years ago) link
I believe its a version of "Don't you just know it" with 'authentic' laughing in the chorus.
― Mark G, Thursday, 11 May 2017 06:28 (seven years ago) link
What?
― Trelayne Staley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 May 2017 15:19 (seven years ago) link
Oh i see
pretty psyched for this tbh. just curious about the cover art. i thought by these final sessions they had ditched the haircuts and uniform.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 11 May 2017 18:44 (seven years ago) link
Never knew about this Raincoats cover single until just now.
― Some Dusty in Here (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 4 February 2018 21:50 (six years ago) link
Also can’t remember if I commented on this thread that Eddie seems to have been named after Lawrence of Arabia
― Some Dusty in Here (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 4 February 2018 22:20 (six years ago) link
it's from the tribute album "silver monk time", has some good stuff on there including gary burger with faust (not sure which faust). there's also a nice live show from around that time (2006 or so) of the monks in berlin with the raincoats, the recently departed mark e. smith, etc., guesting.
― Arnold Schoenberg Steals (rushomancy), Sunday, 4 February 2018 22:53 (six years ago) link
It’s BEAT time, it’s HOP time, it’s *BUMP* time!
― Quit It And Hit It Sideways (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 8 September 2020 16:49 (three years ago) link
Just watched the doc with my mother- and sister-in-law. Both loved the band so much.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Tuesday, 13 October 2020 04:48 (three years ago) link
HI DERE!
― Gary Gets His Tonsure Out (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 1 March 2022 17:24 (two years ago) link