Silver Monk Time: A Tribute To The Monks

2006 release. Silver Monk Time: A Tribute to the Monks was created in support of Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback (PL 004DVD, 2006), the 100-minute feature-length documentary film about the first avant-garde pop band in history. Here, 32 international artists take on the legacy of the Monks. In 1965, the Monks were looking for a new zero-point in pop music and created the milestone LP Black Monk Time. This record accidentally or intentionally predated several genres that were to come, including krautrock, electronic music, heavy metal, punk, industrial, and techno. When the Monks launched their "living (pop) art project" in January 1966 at the famous Reeperbahn Top Ten Club, the largest German tabloid, Bild-Zeitung, wrote, "Noise, noise and no melody -- robot music!" In July of the same year, the Monks presented their record live for the first time on the German music television program Beat-Club. To the surprise of many, they started the show with an improvised song ("Monk Chant") that wasn't even on the record. The song was commercial suicide -- archaic, with one repetitive beat, three monks beating on gigantic tambourines, an organ gone mad, and a guitar on the floor that fed back. Their second (never released) record was to be called Silver Monk Time, which now lends its title to this collection of international efforts to continue the musical journey initiated in 1965 by the seven Monks. Liner notes by Hans-Joachim Irmler, Genesis P-Orridge, Mark E. Smith, Charles Wilp, Kris Cunningham, Jason Forest, and many more. Includes tracks by Mense Reents, Alec Empire (with Monks member Gary Burger), Mouse on Mars, The Raincoats, 27/11 (Graham Lewis and Thomas Öberg), Jason Forrest, Cycle, Fehlfarben, The Gossip, Jon Spencer/Solex, Silver Apples/Alan Vega, Floating di Morel, Gudrun Gut, Nista Nije Nista, F.S.K., The Fall, Die Goldenen Zitronen feat. Chicks on Speed, Barbara Manning feat. The Go-Luckys, PTV 3 (Psychic TV), Doc Schoko, S.Y.P.H., Alexander Hacke, (Int.) Noise Conspiracy, The 5.6.7.8's, The Havletones (with Monks member Dave Day), Singapore Sling, Michaela Melián, Charles Wilp (with Monks), and Faust (with Monks member Gary Burger).