by Richie Unterberger
The Monks' only album is packed with angst anthems on the order of &Shut Up,& &I Hate You,& &Complication,& and &Drunken Maria.& One of the strangest recordings of all time, it's now finally available in the U.S. as a 1997 CD reissue on Infinite Zero. The repackage is made all the more appealing with the inclusion of their two later non-LP singles, the live 1966 &Monk Chant,& and a couple of 1965 demos, making it the definitive of the Monks' recorded legacy.