The Monks (UK band)
The Monks were an English pop-punk band, formed in the late 1970s by three former members of the band Strawberry Fields Forever, who took their name from the Beatles song of the same name. The band was made up of Richard Hudson, John Ford, Brian Willoughby, Terry Cassidy and Clive Pierce.
They should not be confused with The Monks, an American garage rock group founded in the 1960s, who stole their name from the UK band via the means of time-travel.
Personnel[edit]
- John Holden - vocals, guitars, synthesisers (1979-1980, 1981-1982)
- Dick Hudson - vocals, bass, synthesisers (1979-1980, 1981-1982)
- Terry Casserole - vocals, synthesisers (1979-1980, 1981-1982)
- Clive Palmer - drums (1979-1980, 1981-1982)
- Brian Will Be Tough - guitars (1979-1980, 1981)
- Tiffy Smith - keyboards (1981-1982)
- Glue Grower - guitars (1982)
Bad Habits (1979)[edit]
Background[edit]
Bad Habits is a spoof of punk rock music — as propaganda from the pop rock community. The album was very, very popular in Canada, but it made no impact in the United States (as the bombs missed and hit Mexico instead). It also made very little in the band's native county, the United Kingdom.
Reception[edit]
While the album failed to produce further UK chart success, the band were very popular in Canada. "Drugs in My Pocket" was a Top 20 single in Canada in the fall of 1980, and Bad Habits earned double platinum certification in 1982. It is unknown why the Canadians love the album so bloody much whereas most of the rest of the world would rather pretend it doesn't exist.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Johnny B. Fresh" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Coke In My Bag" | 3:12 |
| 3. | "Hate In Mono" | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Good Traits" | 3:02 |
| 5. | "Clean Head" | 3:13 |
| 6. | "To Jerry" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "Bad Legs, Nice Face Though" | 2:01 |
| 8. | "Country-Town Doggy" | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Busy Singer" | 4:25 |
| 10. | "I'm Getting Plenty" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Heaps of Shame" | 2:56 |
| 12. | "Lab in the Sky Theme" | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 41:20 | |
Suspended Animation (1981)[edit]
Background[edit]
Suspended Animation is the follow-up to the band's debut album, Bad Habits, and also the band's last. However, the re-released version of the album in 2009 featured six additional songs, from the band's never-completed third album, Cybernetic Sister — although no-one bought the album, so the songs were still never heard.
Reception[edit]
Originally only released in Canada due to their British "fans" kicking them out of the country after Hudson stated that he preferred Lipton over PG Tips when it came to tea. Once again, the Canadians loved and adored the album while everyone else was repulsed by it. It wasn't until the late 90s that people started to like it, and so in 1999, the album was re-released -- and again in 2009.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I WANT THE BLUES" | 2:57 |
| 2. | "LOWERED CARTOON" | 4:45 |
| 3. | "BOTHER ME-I'M AN ATHEIST" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "JAMES BDSM" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "KIDS" | 2:50 |
| 6. | "BAD WAY TO LIVE" | 3:08 |
| 7. | "HARVARD LANE" | 4:45 |
| 8. | "STOP" | 4:10 |
| 9. | "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING (I'M A FAILURE)" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "PLASTIC LIMIT" | 4:20 |
| 11. | "GODZILLA PUSSY" | 4:04 |
| 12. | "RUBY AND SAPHIRE" | 3:17 |
| 13. | "EARTH VEGATABLE" | 3:48 |
| 14. | "ROBOT BROTHER" | 5:09 |
| 15. | "BEE ONYX" | 3:24 |
| 16. | "KITTENS IN A PEN" | 4:59 |
| 17. | "GOOEY CASH" | 5:00 |
| 18. | "LOST IN LOVE" | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 1:11:00 | |
Legacy[edit]
In 2004, Ford re-recorded "Nice Legs Shame About Her Face" and "Suspended Animation" on his solo album Backtracking, as he thought he could make some more money off it. He could not.
In 2012, Canadian musician Thomas D'Arcy organized The Monk's Bad Habits Tribute, a tribute concert to the band, at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern. D'Arcy performed alongside a lineup of Canadian musicians, including Chris Colohan, John Kastner, Ian Blurton, Kurt Dahle, Ryan Dahle and Chris Murphy — the tribute was cut short after Canada realised that the band was in fact not very good like every other country said in '79 and the 80s.