Santa Dog EP

Santa Dog
EP by Residents, Uninc.
Released	20 December 1972[1]
Recorded	1972
Length	11:09
Label	Ralph Records
The Residents chronology
Santa Dog (1972) Meet the Residents (1974)

Santa Dog is the debut extended play by the American art rock group the Residents, credited as Residents, Uninc. Released on the Christmas season of 1972, it is one of the Residents' most notorious releases, with the title track (originally published as "Fire") being one of their most well-known songs. Most copies of the EP were sent to close friends, family and celebrity figures such as Frank Zappa and Richard Nixon, the latter refusing his copy.

The music on the EP mostly consists of short percussive pieces, surrealist lyrics and chants, tape loops, and even sampled music (which was not common practice in 1972). Every track is credited to a different fictional artist and songwriter.

The title track went on to become a sort of milestone for the Residents, being re-recorded every couple of years, usually when the group has felt their sound had changed enough. Most of these re-recordings were collected on the group's 1999 compilation, Refused.

The EP was released as a pair of 7" singles presented in a gatefold sleeve designed to look like a Christmas card from an insurance company. One single presented tracks 1 and 4 (sides A and D), while the other presented tracks 2 and 3 (sides B and C). Possibly due to poor supervision, a significant amount of copies were pressed before their varnish finish had dried, resulting in the gatefold sleeves being stuck together.

While the music on Santa Dog was eventually featured on numerous compilations (as well as featured on several reissues of Meet the Residents), the original 1972 EP is today a very rare and valuable collector's item.