Santa Dog '72 EP, The Residents (first broadcast copy).

$

2,100

I was the first DJ to air Santa Dog on the radio, the record that started it all on KBOO-FM in Portland, An historic gem as well as the Residents most collectible record. Played only once and stored carefully.
Well here it is, the stuff that dreams are made of, in this case, a nightmare of monsterous purportions and a headache for the record industry, this is The Residents' first release on Ralph in 1972, 4-song single. Very rare. Frank Zappa was sent one. Richard Nixon, too. The first records ever made (after some even more primitive amateur tape experiments) by those anonymous anti- music misfits known as THE RESIDENTS.
Back in 1972 The Residents weren't just anonymous, they were completely unknown: a group (or not) of shoestring avant-garde wannabees recently relocated from somewhere in rural Louisiana to suburban San Mateo, California. This self- produced, fledgling musical effort was intended as a promotional Christmas card, sent with tongue firmly in cheek to a select group of movers and shakers. I doubt if President Nixon ever received his copy (too bad: his administration could have used a little comic relief comfort and joy), but he did resign from the Oval Office shortly afterward, so who knows?In the tradition of nerdy art school iconoclasm the title of each track was chosen at random from an insurance policy (a clue to one of the Resident's day jobs?), and each of the four sides of vinyl is credited to a separate, fictional band. "Fire" (by IVORY AND THE BRAINEATERS) is the Santa Dog theme, and the most conventional piece of music here (which isn't saying much, admittedly), featuring something akin to an actual melody, played on discernibly real instruments."Lightning" (by THE DELTA NUDES) starts with a warped rendition of "Jingle Bells", and then collapses into a truly nerve-wracking quasi-Krautrock clatter of rudimentary violins, horns, and a toy piano. "Explosion" (performed by THE COLLEGE WALKERS) is a fairly sophisticated blend of overdubbed percussion and silly poetry, owing a strong stylistic debt to CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, circa "Trout Mask Replica". As does "Aircraft Damage" (credited to ARF & OMEGA and THE SINGING LAWNCHAIRS): more tape loops, sampled rhythms, unidentified noises, and a surrealistic chorus urging listeners to "kick a cat today!"The covers were hand silkscreened. However, the silkscreening on most copies did not dry properly before the singles were packaged, leading to a situation where most of the covers were destroyed upon opening.Ahh, but my copies are in perfect condition, kept in seclusion in a sealed room with guards posted 24-7, kept in a plastic coffin and untouched all these years!!!!!