Refused was a hardcore punk band originating from Umeå, Sweden. They formed in January 1992 with Dennis Lyxzén, David Sandström, Pär Hansson and Jonas Lidgren and released their first demo, Refused, the same year. The band went on to release one more demo, five EPs and three albums (not including The Demo Compilation or The EP Compilation) before breaking up in 1998.
Refused, also known as Santa Dog '99, was released by the Residents towards the end of 1999 to celebrate the end of the millennium (using the popular, rather than mathematically correct, impression of the end of the millennium). The Residents had previously reworked the song "Fire" (aka "Santa Dog") a number of times since the release of the original single in 1972, ostensibly to give an idea of where they were musically at the time. This release compiled the past versions, a new version that had been previously available only as a download, and a number of other variations on the theme.