Green Monkey Records

Green Monkey Records is an underground record label started in Seattle, Washington, US.[1] 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," [2] 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 (later of Mudhoney fame). 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" [3] that was two years in the making. The label's had reached its heyday by 1987, and by 1988, changing priorities (including the birth of Dyer's first child) and new responsibilities (teaching at the Art Institute of Seattle) 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".[4] The label has received positive press from local "listener-powered" indie radio station KEXP [5] as well as a number of indie music bloggers.[6]

Revival

In 2009, Green Monkey Records released a 2 CD compilation album, titled "It Crawled from the Basement: the green monkey records anthology."[7] 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.[8]

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 (of Sigourney Reverb), 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 (Cassette GM 001)

Tom Dyer - Truth or Consequences (Cassette GM 002)

1984

Me Three - No Money ... No Fun (Cassette GM 004)

Tom Dyer - I Lived Three Lives (Cassette GM 005)

Bombardiers - Fight Back (Cassette GM 006)

1985

Prudence Dredge - Don't Stomp Away/Problem Child (7" 45 GM 007)

Jeff Kelly - Baroquen Hearts (Cassette GM 008)

Liquid Generation - I Love You/1/4 To Zen (7" 45 GM 009)

The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust (Cassette GM 010)

The Elements - Honest Enough (LP GM 011)

1986

Various Artists - Monkey Business (LP/Cassette GM1986)

Green Pajamas - Kim the Waitress/Jennifer (7" 45 GM 012)

The Queen Annes - Something Quick (Cassette GM 013)

The Fall-outs - The Fall-outs (Cassette GM 014)

Keith Livingston - i've got this room (Cassette GM 015)

The Icons - Masters of Disaster (Cassette GM 003)

The Icons - Live At The Hall of Fame (Cassette GM 016)

1987

Prudence Dredge - Big Ellen (LP GM 017)

Green Pajamas - Book of Hours (LP/Cassette GM 018)

Jeff Kelly - Coffee in Nepal (Cassette GM 019)

Bruce Haedt - Miss Lyons Looking Sideways (Cassette GM 020)

The Life - Alone (LP GM 021)

Glass Penguins - raspberry (Cassette GM 022)

The Elements - ART (Cassette GM 023)

1988

Rich Hinklin - Contradiction (Cassette GM 024)

Green Pajamas - November (Cassette GM 025)

1989

Green Pajamas - Sister Anne/Emily Grace (7" 45 GM 026)

The Purdins - The Purdins (7" EP GM 027)

Capping Day - Mona Lisa/Slow Fade (7" 45 GM 028)

Jon Strongbow - A Normal Sort of Guy (Cassette GM 029)

Jon Strongbow - Something Different (LP GM 030)

The Hitmen - Perfect Pain/Tiger Carpet (7" 45 GM 031)

1990

Green Pajamas - Ghosts of Love (LP/Cassette GM 032)

Jeff Kelly - Portugal (Cassette GM 033)

The Hitmen - Smashface (LP/Cassette GM 034)

The Life - Do It Again/A Broken Man (7" 45 GM 035)

Mad Mad Nomad - Keeper of the Cage/ Double Edged Dreamer (7" 45 GM 036)

Swelter Cacklebush - Swelter Cackle Bush (7" EP GM 037)

1991

Slam Suzzanne - On The Floor With Your Mom (CD GM 038)

Mad Mad Nomad - Snap Out (Cassette GM 039)

Joe Leonard - Breath (Cassette GM 039)

1992

Jeff Kelly - Private Electrical Storm (Cassette GM 039)

1995

Jeff Kelly - Ash Wednesday Rain (CD GM 040)

2001

The Green Pajamas - The Carolers’ Song (CDR GM 041)

2009

Various Artists - It Crawled From the Basement 2 (CD GM 1001)

Tom Dyer – Songs from Academia Vol. 1: Singing (CDR GM 1002)

Various Artists - Santa’s Not Dead: It’s a Green Monkey Christmas! (Download GMX 2009)

2010

Tom Dyer – Songs from Academia Vol. 2: Inst. (CDR GM 1003)

Green Pajamas - The Complete Book of Hours (reissue)(CD GM 1004)

The Icons - Masters of Disaster (reissue) (CDR GM 1005)

Green Pajamas - Red Red Rose (CD Single GM 1006)

The Hitmen - Smashface (reissue) (CD GM 1007)

Various Artists - Hot Dog! It's Another Green Monkey Xmas! (Download GMX 2010)

2011

The Icons - Appointment With Destiny! (CD GM 1008)

Green Pajamas - Green Pajama Country (CD GM 1009)

Sigourney Reverb - Bees In Your Bed Bad (CD GM 1010)

Various Artists - It Crawled Down the Chimney: It's Another GMR Xmas! (Download GMX 2011)

2012

The Life - Alone (reissue)(CD GM 1011)

Goblin Market - Far Beneath Gondal's Foreign Sky (CD GM 1012)

The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust (reissue) (CD GM 1013)

The Green Pajamas - Death By Misadventure (CD GM 1014)

Tom Dyer - I Ain't Blue Any More (CD GM 1015)

Various Artists - Frothing the Nog: Ye Fourth Green Monkey Xmas (Download GMX 2012)

2013

Jim of Seattle - We Are All Famous (CD GM 1016)

The Colorplates – Agony and Ecstasy Post-Punk Art Rock Seattle 1979 -1982 (CDR GM 1017)

King County Queens - Ladies and Gentlemen, Your King County Queens (CD GM 1018)

The OF - Oh It's The OF (CD GM 1019)

Gary Minkler - Little Trailer Ruby (CD GM 1020)

The Green Pajamas - November (reissue) (CD GM 1021)

Various Artists = Green Monkey Records Presents Merry Krampus (Download GMX 2013)

Tom Dyer - Xmas-30 Years In The Making (CDR GM 1022)

2014

The Queen Annes - Something Quick 1980-1985 (reissue)(CD GM 1023)

Slam Suzanne - On The Floor With Your Mom (reissue) (CDR GM 1024)

Jeff and Susanne Kelly - By Reckless Moonlight (CD GM 1025)

Green Pajamas - Happy Halloween! (CD GM 1026)

Tom Dyer - Xmas-30 Years In The Making (CD GM1027)

2015

Me Three - No Money No Fun (CDR GM1028)

The OF - Escape Goat (CD GM1029)

Jim McIver - Sunlight Reaches (CD GM1030)

Tom Dyer’s New Pagan Gods - History Of Northwest Rock Vol. 1, 1959-1968 (CD GM1031)

Fur For Fairies (CD GM1032)

The Fuzz - Best Kept Secret (CD GM1033)

Fur For Fairies - I Didn't Know (Single) (Download GM1034)

Various - Christmas Monkey On My Back (Download GMX 2015)

2016

Liquid Generation - Quarter to Zen (CD GM1035)

The Navins - Not Yourself Today (CD GM1036)

Fur For Fairies - I Breathe You In (Single) (Download GM1037)

Tom Dyer - Meditations on Prince Bowie (Single) (Download GM1038)

The Queen Annes - Released! (CD GM1039)

The Green Pajamas - If You Knew What I Dreamed (CD GM1040)

The Green Pajamas - To The End Of The Sea (CD GM1041)

Tom Dyer's New Pagan Gods - Tom Dyer's New Pagan Gods Play Hendrix (Download GM1042)

Jim of Seattle - Both the Planet Frank and the Chet Lambert Show (CD GM1043)

Burnseer - Self-titled (CD GM1044)

The Freewheelin' Joe Ross - Post-Election Day Blues (Single) (Download GM1045)

Various - All I Want For Xmas: GMR Xmas VII (Download GMX 2016)

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References
  1. Wilson, William (2011). Gobbledygook: A Dictionary That's 2/3 Accurate, 1/3 Nonsense - And 100% Up to You to Decide. Adams Media. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-440-52924-5.
  2. Dyer, Tom. "It Crawled From The Basement: the green monkey records anthology". Green Monkey Records. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
  3. Humphrey 1995, p.106. 'Tom Dyer's Green Monkey label released ... the group that became Dyer's principle interest, Green Pajamas....Led by the delightful acid-pop vocals and lyrics of Jeff Kelly (with bassist/co-songwriter Joe Ross (later in 64 Spiders), Steve Lawrence, Bruce Haedt and Karl Wilhelm), the Pajamas first made the self-released tape Summer of Lust, the hooked up with Dyer and scored a regional hit in 1984 with the dreamy love-ode "Kim The Waitress", clocking in at over six minutes of ethereal innocence. (Dyer mixed a shorter version for airplay on KJET, whose automation equipment couldn't play tapes longer than five minutes.)'
  4. "It Crawled From The Basement - The Green Monkey Records Anthology". The Ripple Effect. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
  5. Fuller, Levi. "Review Revue: Green Monkey Party!". KEXP.org.
  6. Segarini, Bob. "Green monkey Records: When a Label's a Label..." Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say.
  7. "Various – It Crawled From the Basement: The Green Monkey Records Anthology - Green Monkey Records". greenmonkeyrecords.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  8. http://www.discogs.com/label/55726-Green-Monkey-Records
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