The Monks'
Let's Start A Beat!
HOW TO BREAK UP FOR THIRTY YEARS, GET BACK TOGETHER FOR A WEEK AND SOUND LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN AWAY AT ALL . . .
A Review by Todd Lucas

Ordinarily, when a band reunites after three decades of inactivity, the results are spotty at best. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some bands manage to produce a sound that rises above the mere nostalgia associated with the occasion, a triumph for most. But bands just don't split up for 30 plus years and then get back together for a week, only to sound like they were never apart at all...ordinarily.

Were the Monks ever an ordinary band? Five American GI's stationed in Germany during the height of the beat craze? Five guys whose music was always a couple of notches beyond unique to begin with? A rock and roll band that used a banjo and generous amounts of organ? Hell, there was next to nothing ordinary about the Monks to begin with. Why shouldn't I believe this disc sounds so damn good? Their entire repertoire, plus a bonus jam and it all sounds magnificent!

Those at Cavestomp '99 got a real treat. Now, I'm especially sorry that I missed it. As great as Let's Start A Beat! is, I can't imagine it compares to having seen this performance first hand. The songs herein are every bit as intense as on the original recordings and these guys only practiced a week before their Cavestomp appearance! Okay, so rock and roll is obviously in their blood.

It's hard to pick favorites here, though I've always been partial to "Blast Off!" for its near Nuggets sound. And that improvised "Monk Jam" is as good as anything here. I just can't believe how well these guys played after all those years. Time stands still for the Monks, at least for one weekend in 1999. I'm truly sorry I missed it.