| The Monks | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | New Wave |
| Years active | 1979–1980; 1981-1982 |
| Labels | EMI, Polygram |
| Associated acts | Hudson Ford, High Society, Strawbs |
| Past members | |
| John Ford Richard Hudson Terry Cassidy Clive Pierce Brian Willoughby Chris Parren Huw Gower |
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The Monks were an English punk band formed in the late 1970s, by former members of Strawbs - Richard Hudson, John Ford and Brian Willoughby, along with Terry Cassidy (vocals and synthesisers) and Clive Pierce (drums).
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Hudson played guitar, having switched from drums. Their first album, Bad Habits, was released in 1979. The album spawned a number 19 hit single in the UK Singles Chart — "Nice Legs Shame About Her Face".[1] The song was originally a demo not intended for release and Ford later commented in Mojo magazine, that "it was a bit of a problem when it was a hit." [2] They dabbled with 1930s style music in 1980 as 'High Society', before in 1981 returning to the pseudo-punk format of The Monks for a follow-up album released in Canada only. Chris Parren (keyboards) joined for that second album, Suspended Animation. Willoughby was replaced by Huw Gower during the tour for that album which occurred in 1982.
While the album failed to produce further UK chart success, the band were huge in Canada particularly, playing stadium gigs; Suspended Animation went gold in Canada, and pushed sales of Bad Habits to double platinum certification in 1982. The CD re-release of Suspended Animation included six bonus tracks, recorded for a third album, but never before released, by Hudson, Ford and Cassidy — Huw Gower guested on one track on lead guitar.
Their song "Ain't Gettin' Any" was covered by The Slickee Boys, and appears on their live album, A Postcard from the Day.