The Monks - No Shame (The Complete Recordings) (2023)

Two CD set featuring all of The Monks' issued albums and singles, as well as six bonus tracks, five tracks previously unreleased on CD and five completely unreleased tracks. The Monks were formed by Richard Hudson and John Ford who had both been in Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera before joining Strawbs. After finding success as a songwriting partnership during their stint with Strawbs the pair left to start their own project Hudson Ford before forming The Monks in 1979. Bringing in vocalist Terry Cassidy, the band quickly secured a deal with EMI after their single 'Nice Legs Shame About Her Face' hit the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart but EMI was soon to be taken over by Thorne and the band's debut album 'Bad Habits' got lost in the transition. Although 'Bad Habits' did not fare well in the UK it was a surprise success in Canada, spearheaded by the success of the single 'Drugs in My Pocket' that hit the Top 20 of the Canadian Singles Chart, the album would eventually go double-platinum in Canada. Free of EMI and electing to concentrate on their popularity in Canada, the band's second album, 'Suspended Animation' was released in Canada in 1981 on Polydor. The album went gold in Canada as the band enjoyed something akin to Beatlemania as they toured the country in support of the album. Plans were made for a third album, 'Cybernetic Sister', and recording sessions took place but the band dissolved before the record was completed; all six of the songs that were completed are included on this set.