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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 to 1991 and from 2009 to present, with sporadic releases in the interim. It is currently headquartered in Olympia, Washington, US.
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.
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]
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 Suzzanne. 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]
Since 2010, the label has released an annual 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."
In 2016, Dyer moved the label to the Capitol, Olympia, with some Olympia artists being added to the label's primarily Seattle mix. The natural result of this move can be seen in 2022 with Dyer's "Olympia: A True Story”, a 3-CD box set about the history of Olympia.
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 (single)
Jeff Kelly - Baroquen Hearts
Liquid Generation - I Love You/1/4 To Zen (single)
The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust
The Elements - Honest Enough
1986
Various Artists - Monkey Business
Green Pajamas - Kim the Waitress/Jennifer (single)
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 (single)
The Purdins - Let's Be Friends (EP)
Capping Day - Mona Lisa/Slow Fade (single)
Jon Strongbow - A Normal Sort of Guy
Jon Strongbow - Something Different
The Hitmen - Perfect Pain/Tiger Carpet (single)
1990
Green Pajamas - Ghosts of Love
Jeff Kelly - Portugal
The Hitmen - Smashface
The Life - Do It Again/A Broken Man (single)
Mad Mad Nomad - Keeper of the Cage/ Double Edged Dreamer (single)
Swelter Cacklebush - Swelter Cackle Bush (EP)
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: Instrumental & Spoken Word.
Green Pajamas - The Complete Book of Hours (remaster)
The Icons - Masters of Disaster (remix)
Green Pajamas - Red Red Rose (single)
The Hitmen - Smashface (remastered)
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 (remaster)
Goblin Market - Far Beneath Gondal's Foreign Sky
The Green Pajamas - Summer of Lust (remaster)
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 (remix)
Various Artists - Green Monkey Records Presents Merry Krampus
Tom Dyer - Xmas - 30 Years In The Making
2014 The Queen Annes - Something Quick 1980-1985 (remaster)
Slam Suzanne - On The Floor With Your Mom (remaster)
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 (remix)
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 - Fur For Fairies
The Fuzz - Best Kept Secret
Fur For Fairies - I Didn't Know (Single)
Various - Christmas Monkey On My Back
2016
Liquid Generation - Quarter to Zen
The Navins - Not Yourself Today
Fur For Fairies - I Breathe You In (Single)
Tom Dyer - Meditations on Prince Bowie (Single)
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 - Burnseer
The Freewheelin' Joe Ross - Post-Election Day Blues (Single)
Various - All I Want For Xmas: GMR Xmas VII
2017
Tom Dyer – Songs To Annoy Small Children
AAIIEE – folly
The Shaken Growlers
Dante and Eros Faulk – Beirt
Swedish Finnish -Swedish Finnish
The Green Pajamas – Supernatural Afternoon
Tom Dyer and the True Olympians – Christmas in Olympia (Single)
Various - The Good, The Bad, and Other Christmas Favorites!
2018
The Green Pajamas – Phantom Lake: Northern Gothic 3
Brain Wizard – Brain Wizard's Most Hella Dopest
Tom Dyer & The True Olympians – 12 New Recordings
REDS Band - REDS Band
Wenis - The Donut House, Seattle 1980
Various - A Green Monkey Christmas For Martians Up On Mars
Tom & Kat's Excellent Christmas Adventure
2019
Maggie Teachout – Maybe I'm Still Just Peter
My Favorite Martian – The Martian Chronicles, Los Angeles 1990's
Jeff Kelly – Beneath The Stars, Above The River
Al Bloch's Summer of Fun Super Party Mix Tape
Tom Dyer – 1+1 = ?
Sally Barry – Renditions
Chemistry Set – The Incomplete Fabulous Stinking Chemistry Set
Toiling Midgets – Sea of Tranquility
Richard Peterson Orchestra – Seven
Kline's 57 – Joaquin Wounded
Various - Hail The Jolly Christmas Monkey!
2020
Joe Cason & Bob Hart – Notes From Sea Level
Zelda Starfire – V8 (EP)
Olivia Bloch – Georgy Girl (Single)
Tom Dyer – Truth or Consequences
Dante and Eros Faulk – Mirage
Al Bloch – It Was All Once Bright Jewels
Jeff Kelly – When The World Was Younger
Raymond C. Mobley – Breathe
Band of Certainty – Twist and Sway (Seven Songs)
Jon Strongbow – Alien City
Tom Dyer – Beautimus and other sounds of the Nineties
Al Bloch – Protest Songs
Tom Dyer & The True Olympians - Pandemic Christmas (Single)
Various - Pandemic Christmas
2021
Richard Peterson Catalog
Richard Peterson's First Album
Richard Peterson -The Second Album
Richard Peterson - Love On The Golf Course
Richard Peterson - The William Loose Songbook
Richard Peterson - Richard's Ungreatest Hits
Richard Peterson -The Religious Album
Richard Peterson - Mathisization
Richard Peterson - Topaz Single
Steve Trettevik – Faded Champion
The Deans – Live December 31, 1981, 66 Bell
Jon Strongbow – Something Different
Glass Penguins – raspberry
James and the Giant Peach
Al Bloch – Kinda Makes Me Smile
Mud Shack - Mud Shack
The Green Pajamas – Sunlight Might Weigh Even More
Throttle Body M/C – Super Hits Of The ’70s
Village Green - Village Green
The True Olympians – Holiday Collection
2022
Jon Strongbow – What It Takes
The Holidays – Big Sexy World!
The Green Pajamas – Forever For A Little While
Tom Dyer & The True Olympians – Olympia: A True Story
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