10 More Rock Music Albums That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time
8. Black Monk Time - The Monks
In 1964, a group of American soldiers stationed in West Germany decided they'd had enough of conventional rock 'n' roll and set about remaking the genre in their own image.
The Monks, as they were known, did everything that we would now associate with the countercultural punk bands of the 1970s. They made their songs deliberately rhythmless, focusing instead on unusual melodies and time signatures. They sang out of key, often employing the use of shrieks and screams to shake things up. Finally, they dressed as actual monks, as one massive middle figure to the Catholic church.
Sounds pretty punk!
The GIs only recorded one album, which was 1966's Black Monk Time. The album made zero impact on the musical world at the time, presumably because everyone was worried that the record had been possessed, but it now stands as a true classic of the '60s underground.
The Teardrop Explodes, Beastie Boys, Jack White, The Fall, and many more have all praised Black Monk Time for proving that there was more to music than 4/4 and singing about girls. It's a strange album, but a fascinating one.