Music critics are forever tracing the origins of punk to deeper strata in rock history and at some point they're going to have to concede that its origins lie in gospel, but THAT'S a whole other story. If there's one band which can lay claim to the term "proto-punk" it's The Monks with their sardonic lyrics, squalls of feedback and couldn't-give-a-fuck attitude. It's surprising these American GIs stationed in Germany weren't court-martialed for some of their lyrical content, and yes, that's a goddamn banjo keeping time there in the background.