The Monks- Black Monk Time[1966]

The Monks were the kings of cool in mid-60's Germany. Five GI's fresh off of duty, they originally played Chuck Berry covers to young Germans hungry for rock and roll while experimenting with their sound during practice sessions. They "discovered" feedback one fateful day, shaved their heads into tonsures(good luck finding that kind of band devotion these days), started wearing nooses as neckties, and the edgy, proto(proto-punk) sound that characterizes Black Monk Time was born. A combination of a chugging rhythm section (consisting not only of bass and drums, but also of a homemade electric banjo), live-wire vocals, fantastic electric piano, and surprisingly heavy and wild guitar(see "That's My Girl's" distorted whammy freak-out), the Monks' sound here is by turns poppy and aggressive, and always dripping with attitude.

The first minute of "Monk Time," an inflammatory count-off/manifesto, let you know what to expect from the Monks during your time with them: it's going to be on their terms, but that's okay, because "I'm a Monk, you're a Monk, we're all Monks".  "Monk Time" is just the first in a series of varied and, in my opinion, perfect songs, and to expedite things, I'm just going to list some of my favorite parts of the album, excluding the aforementioned "Monk Time":

-The snarling "SHUT UP/Don't cry" call-and-response on "Shut Up"

-The distorted bassline and electric piano solo on "Boys are Boys and Girls are Joys"

-When the vocals finally start on "Higgle-dy-Piggle-dy"("Way down/to heaven/ Yeah!")

-Pretty much the entirety of "I Hate You," a far darker song than I would have expected from 1966

-The bouncy, chugging backbeat and banjo strumming on "Oh, How to do Now"

-Just listen to "Complication"- it's aggressive, it's catchy, it's ahead of its time

-"Drunken Maria"- a pointless little song, but a fun one, with a great chorus

-The members sort of trade off fills on "Love Came Tumblin' Down," some great wah work on there

-"Blast Off" is just awesome. It shuffles along, comes to a countdown, then well, blasts off

-"That's My Girl" is kind of weird(it's probably the sleazy "yyyeaahhhhh"s in the background vocals), but it fits the whole mood of the album. That whammy workout in the middle is pretty awesome, too.

-"I Can't Get Over You" is about as poppy as the Monks get, with clean, call-and-response vocals over a sweet little shuffle. It's still awesome and features more great electric piano

The last three tracks are almost startlingly poppy and bright, but they're good in their own rights. The Monks have been said to have given rise to proto-punk, hard rock, and krautrock, and have been recognized as influences by dozens of widely varied artists. You've probably already heard this, but if this is your first time, then get ready. It's Monk time.