Stream: The Monks, ‘I’m Watching You’

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monks
The Monks (Courtesy of Eddie Shaw)

It seems people just drop off amazing historical artifacts at Third Man Records in Nashville. Luckily, the people at the independent label founded by Jack White are grateful music freaks who probably squealed with delight when someone presented them with a collection of original Monks paraphernalia — photos, newspaper clippings, business cards, letterhead, contracts, postcards and tapes. Among these analog tapes were five unreleased tracks that the label fixed up with Monks bassist Eddie Shaw. Third Man will release these songs as “Hamburg Recordings 1967” on June 23.

And … hooray.

The Monks formed in 1963, first as The Torquays, but it wasn’t until 1965 that they decided to get weird. They were five American G.I.s stationed in Germany when they started. The lineup on their seminal 1965 album, “Black Monk Time,” was guitarist-singer Gary Burger, Larry Clark on organ, bassist Shaw, Dave Day on banjo and drummer Roger Johnston. They were one of the first really avant-garde garage-rock bands, and their use of feedback, distortion and shrill vocals predates and inspired many artists in the the punk movement. They favored rhythm over melody. Their lyrics were menacing. They were unpredictable; at times they would all play one guitar. They wore monks habits and shaved the tops of their heads. But like many great things, their journey was short-lived. Polydor, their label, tried to tame them, saying soft rock was the next big thing and they should settle down. The guys also grew weary of each other.

Their last big gig before disbanding in 1967 was a residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, where the Beatles famously performed in the early days. They played every night from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.. O
One night club manager Ricky Barnes offered to do some recording with the band after-hours. They were often drunk or high on “little pills,” provided by Oma, the bathroom attendant. When Day puked in the middle of song one morning, Barnes decided that was enough, handed over what they had recorded and the tapes went unheard for 50 years.

Four of the tracks on the “Hamburg Recordings 1967” EP are from these sessions. “I’m Watching You” was actually recorded earlier that year at Polydor Studios during the session of their last single, “Love Can Tame The Wild”/”He Went Down To The Sea.” The Monks broke up two months after the Top Ten Club residency. 

||| Stream: “I’m Watching You”