The Early Years 1964–1965 is a compilation album by the German-based American garage rock the Monks, and was released on Light in the Attic Records on April 14, 2009.

[2] With the help of the German management duo Walther Neimann and Karl Remy, the group slowly evolved into the Monks after leaving the army, placing emphasis on rhythm, and innovating unique sound manipulation in the studio.

[5] Another noticeable difference from the songs on Black Monk Time is the altered lyrics on some demos, which, in comparison, are less blunt than the album versions.

[7] In a review for Pitchfork, critic Joe Tangari praised "how clearly the band's vision had already crystalized-- the recording is structured something like a musical mass, with little churchy organ interludes from Larry Clark and a bit of banter from Burger".

magazine reported the album "conveys a keen sense of the group's antics on tracks such as 'Boys Are Boys' and 'Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy', and the package as a whole adds "to the mystique of the Monks".