Green Monkey Records


Green Monkey Records is an underground record label started in Seattle, Washington, US. It was established by local musician Tom Dyer and was active from 1983–1991 and from 2009 to present, with sporadic releases in the interim. It is currently headquartered in Olympia, Washington, US.

History

Green Monkey Records was established in 1983 by local musician Tom Dyer, who was inspired to begin recording and producing music after a recording session at Seattle's Triangle Studios. Using a "Teac four-track reel-to-reel and a Tapco 6200B mixer from a guy in a parking garage downtown," Dyer began recording and mixing music in his apartment in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Early clients included Mr. Epp and the Calculations, featuring Mark Arm. After Dyer's landlord found out, the operation was quickly moved to the basement of a rented house on the north side of Seattle's Queen Anne Hill.
Between 1983 and 1991, Green Monkey Records released 44 albums. The label's biggest brush with commercial success came from the Green Pajamas' album "Book of Hours," a followup to the single "Kim the Waitress" that was two years in the making. The label's had reached its heyday by 1987, and by 1988, changing priorities and new responsibilities had begun to impact the label. In 1991, Dyer sold the majority of his recording equipment and closed the studio, although he did occasionally release new material, such as the Green Pajamas' Caroler's Song EP.

Sound and Cultural Impact

Although Green Monkey Records has never enjoyed significant commercial success, the label does have a cult following. The label's sound has been categorized as "post-punk/pre-grunge Seattle" and "indy pop music—good honest, ballsy, delicate, garage-y, punky, folky, mildly trippy pop music". The label has received positive press from local "listener-powered" indie radio station KEXP as well as a number of indie music bloggers.

Revival

In 2009, Green Monkey Records released a 2 CD compilation album, titled "It Crawled from the Basement: the green monkey records anthology." The album featured 47 tracks by 32 artists. To celebrate, Dyer orchestrated a release party at the SoDo Showbox featuring nine bands: The Green Pajamas, The Icons, The Purdins, Capping Day, The Queen Annes, Prudence Dredge, Liquid Generation, The Elements and Slam Suzanne. Inspired by positive press, Dyer began releasing more material, including several reissues, but notably new material and new artists as well. As of December 2016, the label has released 52 more albums, with a significant number of contributions by Dyer or Jeff Kelly and the Green Pajamas.

Christmas Albums

One notable fact about the label is that, since 2010, every year it has released a Christmas compilation to benefit the charity MusiCares. Contributors include Green Monkey veterans such as The Green Pajamas, The Queen Annes, and Eric Padget, as well as other artists from around the country, and of course, Dyer himself. Critical reception of the albums has been favorable, with Stubby's House of Christmas declaring that "somehow, every GD year, Green Monkey puts out one of the best Christmas albums of the year."

Discography

1983
Various Artists - Local Product
Tom Dyer - Truth or Consequences
1984
Me Three - No Money... No Fun
Tom Dyer - I Lived Three Lives
Bombardiers - Fight Back
1985
Prudence Dredge - Don't Stomp Away/Problem Child
Jeff Kelly - Baroquen Hearts
Liquid Generation - I Love You/1/4 To Zen
The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust
The Elements - Honest Enough
1986
Various Artists - Monkey Business
Green Pajamas - Kim the Waitress/Jennifer
The Queen Annes - Something Quick
The Fall-outs - The Fall-outs
Keith Livingston - i've got this room
The Icons - Masters of Disaster
The Icons - Live At The Hall of Fame
1987
Prudence Dredge - Big Ellen
Green Pajamas - Book of Hours
Jeff Kelly - Coffee in Nepal
Bruce Haedt - Miss Lyons Looking Sideways
The Life - Alone
Glass Penguins - raspberry
The Elements - ART
1988
Rich Hinklin - Contradiction
Green Pajamas - November
1989
Green Pajamas - Sister Anne/Emily Grace
The Purdins - The Purdins
Capping Day - Mona Lisa/Slow Fade
Jon Strongbow - A Normal Sort of Guy
Jon Strongbow - Something Different
The Hitmen - Perfect Pain/Tiger Carpet
1990
Green Pajamas - Ghosts of Love
Jeff Kelly - Portugal
The Hitmen - Smashface
The Life - Do It Again/A Broken Man
Mad Mad Nomad - Keeper of the Cage/ Double Edged Dreamer
Swelter Cacklebush - Swelter Cackle Bush
1991
Slam Suzzanne - On The Floor With Your Mom
Mad Mad Nomad - Snap Out
Joe Leonard - Breath
1992
Jeff Kelly - Private Electrical Storm
1995
Jeff Kelly - Ash Wednesday Rain
2001
The Green Pajamas - The Carolers’ Song
2009
Various Artists - It Crawled From the Basement 2
Tom Dyer – Songs from Academia Vol. 1: Singing
Various Artists - Santa’s Not Dead: It’s a Green Monkey Christmas!
2010
Tom Dyer – Songs from Academia Vol. 2: Inst.
Green Pajamas - The Complete Book of Hours
The Icons - Masters of Disaster
Green Pajamas - Red Red Rose
The Hitmen - Smashface
Various Artists - Hot Dog! It's Another Green Monkey Xmas!
2011
The Icons - Appointment With Destiny!
Green Pajamas - Green Pajama Country
Sigourney Reverb - Bees In Your Bed Bad
Various Artists - It Crawled Down the Chimney: It's Another GMR Xmas!
2012
The Life - Alone
Goblin Market - Far Beneath Gondal's Foreign Sky
The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust
The Green Pajamas - Death By Misadventure
Tom Dyer - I Ain't Blue Any More
Various Artists - Frothing the Nog: Ye Fourth Green Monkey Xmas
2013
Jim of Seattle - We Are All Famous
The Colorplates – Agony and Ecstasy Post-Punk Art Rock Seattle 1979 -1982
King County Queens - Ladies and Gentlemen, Your King County Queens
The OF - Oh It's The OF
Gary Minkler - Little Trailer Ruby
The Green Pajamas - November
Various Artists = Green Monkey Records Presents Merry Krampus
Tom Dyer - Xmas-30 Years In The Making
2014
The Queen Annes - Something Quick 1980-1985
Slam Suzanne - On The Floor With Your Mom
Jeff and Susanne Kelly - By Reckless Moonlight
Green Pajamas - Happy Halloween!
Tom Dyer - Xmas-30 Years In The Making
2015
Me Three - No Money No Fun
The OF - Escape Goat
Jim McIver - Sunlight Reaches
Tom Dyer’s New Pagan Gods - History Of Northwest Rock Vol. 1, 1959-1968
Fur For Fairies
The Fuzz - Best Kept Secret
Fur For Fairies - I Didn't Know
Various - Christmas Monkey On My Back
2016
Liquid Generation - Quarter to Zen
The Navins - Not Yourself Today
Fur For Fairies - I Breathe You In
Tom Dyer - Meditations on Prince Bowie
The Queen Annes - Released!
The Green Pajamas - If You Knew What I Dreamed
The Green Pajamas - To The End Of The Sea
Tom Dyer's New Pagan Gods - Tom Dyer's New Pagan Gods Play Hendrix
Jim of Seattle - Both the Planet Frank and the Chet Lambert Show
Burnseer - Self-titled
The Freewheelin' Joe Ross - Post-Election Day Blues
Various - All I Want For Xmas: GMR Xmas VII