Sleep Dirt was released in 1979, but recorded on different occasions between 1974 and 1976. It's all studio material, with
drummer Chad Wackerman's first contribution to Zappa's music on three tracks (of drum overdubs). Two tracks feature Terry Bozzio on drums, and one features Chester Thompson (+ Ruth Underwood on percussion). This is NOT a run-of-the-mill 70's rock/blues Zappa album. At times, it's even "jazzy". All (three) vocal tracks are sung by Thana Harris, who does an excellent job with her wide-range (at times "dirty") voice, and gives Zappa's music a new, never-before-introduced fresh flavour, as does the double bass (heard on three tracks as well) played by Patrick O'Hearn, and the acoustic piano of George Duke. The album is a bit short (around 38 minutes), but the intense material saves it. Shorter FZ albums have indeed been released, so at this price, it isn't really a problem.
The three-plus minute title track, featuring a less professional recording technique than the other tracks (therefore giving the tune a certain charm), is an acoustic guitar duet by Frank Zappa (on lead) and James "Bird Legs" Youman - an unusually emotional ballad.
Most of the album brings out a side of Zappa's compositional technique that can't be heard anywhere else, so if you are a collector of his albums - GET THIS ONE TOO!
Sleep Dirt is among my top ten favorites. To give you an idea of my judgment, other favorites include "Apostrophe'", "Joe's Garage", "The Yellow Shark" and "Civilization Phaze III".

"Sleep Dirt" is a collection of instrumental pieces that showcase Frank Zappa's eclectic compositional genius. The kick ass opening track "Filthy Habits" (originally slated for a double album - "Night Of The Iron Sausage" - later to become "Zoot Allures") features a very nasty sounding ostinato over which FZ experiments with very dynamic guitar feedback, (very reminiscent of the composition "Zoot Allures"). The whole piece has a rather Arabian vibe to it modally but ultimately it veers into a psychotic little march toward the very end. A classic Zappa guitar excursion.
Track two, "Flambe", is a parody of the popular standard "Laura". It is a cocktail tour de force with the versatile George Duke doing his best "Art Tatem -ish" imitation. Chester Thomson (drums) and Patrick O'Hearn (bass) add to the drunkenness of the piece while Ruth Underwood on marimba emphasizes the constantly building melody sometimes in tandem with the piano. After a slight variation of the main theme, FZ steers us off into a very cartoonish section that is very regimented and far from the loose drunken feel of the previous passages. There is even a little "yelp" one can hear mid way through this section as if a cartoon character is being put in some uncompromising position. FZ had such a great sense of humor and here his mastery of comedy and serious art is in fine form. After this short excursion into cartoon land we are brought back to the cocktail bar scene again. This time the band is a bit more laid back but the expressive melody in marimba and piano soon build to a beautiful climax and end on a very regimented / stern sounding section that seques nicely into "Spider Of Destiny".
Like "Flambe", "Spider Of Destiny" contains vocals for FZ's unfinished musical "Hunchentoot". And although Thana Harris sings well on these tracks if you can find the original vinyl recording of this album listen to that instead. For me, the vocals are too distracting and the compositions here are so strong they don't need any words to cloud up the brilliance of what's going on below. On "Spider of Destiny" we are treated to a catchy whole tone melody that is almost nursery rhyme like in spots. The form is very clear and very structured in a "German kind of way". where the guitar part works with the ensemble instead of just as a purely solo vehicle. The work ends with a jab of very dynamic guitar outbursts and then a seven note passage (variation on the main theme) repeated and augmented by some twisted sounding chimes. The piece ends on a chime hit and bang! The drums kick into the "Regyptian Strut" a funky brass laden processional that dates back from the "Grand Wazoo" days. This master work features some crackling, low funky bass playing from James "Bird Legs" Youman, a perfectly slow, funked up groove from Chester Thomson, surprising gospel type piano jabs from George Duke, jangling and scraping percussion from Ruth Underwood and of course the brilliant trombone playing of Bruce Fowler who executes all the basic melodies and chords. A recurring five note melody is actually a quote from "Saturn" by Gustav Holtz a work FZ admired. Here he exploits this melody on top of a plodding ostinato, building on it like he was constructing an Egyptian pyramid. The brass parts keeps piling up and the tension mounts until just when you think FZ can go no further he pulls out all the stops and takes us up a half step! The result of which is nothing short of orgasmic. The entire processional exclaims the main majestic melody and proudly ends with the beating of a major chord with a seventh in the bass leaving the listener elated and exhausted.
The next piece, "Time Is Money" is a progressive jazz/ rock work. Again there are words here that do nothing to enhance what is already a lovely melodic piece. Avoid the singing when possible. In fact, you can find a version without vocals on the "Lather" collection. The sweet melody of "Time Is Money",played by FZ on guitar, is constantly being broken up by question mark segments that consist mainly of drum rolls on the bell of cymbals, angular vibes, piano chord clusters and synth bass. These segments go into a very precise mechanical riff (enhanced by an array of cowbells) that is reminiscent of clock gears. Some of it reminds me of a section from the "Roxy and Elsewhere" number "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing". The overall work is very visual in a "Greggery Peccary" sort of way.
Next we are confronted with an FZ rarity: an acoustic guitar number. It's the title track "Sleep Dirt". FZ prepares us for this touching acoustic guitar work by saying "Arf" just so we don't take it too seriously. Here he is solely supported by James "Bird Legs" Youman who plays a somewhat melancholy chord progression while FZ improvises over the top. Frank is in fine form here, constantly inventing new melodic passages with odd rhythmic groupings. There is an almost Eastern European flavor that emerges in the types of scales FZ favors which makes the whole event extremely exotic sounding. Eventually, the piece comes to a fragmented end with FZ asking, "Gettin' tired?" To which Youman replies' "No, uh uhh - my fingers got stuck."
Quick edit right into the the last piece, "The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution". It begins with a casual rock groove with Terry Bozzio on drums and Patrick O'Hearn on bass. I believe this was O'Hearns actual audition for FZ. In any event, there is a structured melody here with typical FZ melodic jumps and a quick, progressive unison passage that goes into a funky groove emphasized by FZ's chorused drenched strat. This is a progressive rock instrumental with clearly defined sections that ultimately ends up in an eight minute jam that exploits O'Hearn's bass prowess and burns with Zappa's fiery electric guitar chops. Outstanding musical communication.
Overall this is an excellent album (marred in my opinion by unnecessary vocals and awkward Chad Wackerman drum overdubs) that showcases the restless mind of Frank Zappa. Find the original vinyl for best listening results. If you like this CD you will also enjoy it's two siblings, "Studio Tan" and "Orchestral Favorites".
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SLEEP DIRT has always been one of my favorite Zappa instrumental albums, so I made sure I picked up a CD version of it when it became available. The remastering is excellent; the original vinyl LP sounded pretty muddy, but on the CD reissue even the little details of the percussion come through loud and clear.

But why, oh, why did somebody add _vocal tracks_? I have nothing in particular against vocalist Thana Harris, but I liked the instrumental versions of (e.g.) "Flambay" and "Spider of Destiny" as they were. The vocals, besides being an unnecessary revision of an album that originally lacked them, tend to cover up the music -- including but not limited to some brilliant keyboard work by George Duke on "Flambay." (Fortunately, _most_ of the cuts were not altered in this way, or I'd have given the result far fewer than four stars.)

What an irritating change -- especially since I _didn't know about it_ when I bought the CD. I don't care about preserving the missing lyrics from "Hunchentoot" (anybody who wants to do that can write a book); I just wanted a CD version of the original SLEEP DIRT.

(If FZ himself approved the change, I _might_ alter my opinion a little. But his musical judgment was usually better than that. EDIT: I'm told he did approve of them, so okay. I still like them better without the vocals myself.)

That said, however, the remastered version of "Regyptian Strut" is still worth the price of the CD.

Just have to toss in my 2 pennies. This was one of my favorite records growing up-- I loved it. I was happy to learn it was coming out on CD, but the horrible, warbling, operatic vocals are terrible. ... Ruined...ruined. Give it two stars only because of the memories of its former glory...

I try to keep my ears open for Zappa, and as a result I purchase something from his catalog once or twice a year. I'm sure I'm never get it all. Regardless, it's almost always a joy. Initially, though, I had some negative reactions to "Sleep Dirt." It seemed highly random and disparate. It's necessary to keep in mind, though, that Zappa was always as eclectic as he was prolific. As a collection, "Sleep Dirt" reveals many aspects of his rock output in the late 70s. As I have become more familiar with it, "Sleep Dirt" has revealed its strengths and cohered quite well into its own listening experience.

Inevitably, for me, more context almost always results in more appreciation. "Sleep Dirt" is intertwined with the Lather recordings, and teasing out their convoluted relationships helps to bring a better understanding. My experience with all of the Lather-related recordings predates that recording's release. I owned "Orchestral Favorites" for years before its release, and saw it as a strong recording on its own merit. "Sleep Dirt" is the same, but it represents a different cross-section of Zappa's work.

Zappa has a bit of the George Lucas syndrome in that he liked to alter his recordings in order to offer "definitive" editions. Many people lament his decisions to rerecord drums or add vocals to albums that were already accepted as canonical. Apparently, "Sleep Dirt" is such an instance. I have never heard the original, all-instrumental versions of "Spider of Destiny" and the like. While I think the vocal performances are just fine, the lyrics belong to Zappa's unfinished space opera "Hunchentoot." When Zappa veers into sci-fi themes his lyrics are often nonsensical to the extreme. On "Sleep Dirt," however, this theme helps the album to cohere.

Bizarre alien invasion themes notwithstanding, Zappa's sonic playfulness is in full effect. Zappa the improviser and Zappa the composer are, as ever, in conflict on "Sleep Dirt." In his A&E biography, Zappa said that without certain cues, jazz just seemed like "noodles" to him. Considering his soloing style, this is a little ironic.

The guitar work on "Sleep Dirt" is very harmonically aloof, and in the course of getting into it, I began to wonder if Zappa was using xenochronus techniques during these sessions. However, the energetic "jammy" band interactions with Bozzio and O'Hearn on "The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution" and the rare acoustic guitar duet that is the title track confound this possibility. Later in his career, his xenochronus experiments would influence Zappa to play in a similar (but even more aloof) style in live settings. Perhaps the recordings represented on "Sleep Dirt" predict that late 80's shift. Zappa the composer, however, is strongly represented throughout the collection, my favorite example being "Regyptian Strut."

THE LOWDOWN: Someday I'll get "Lather" and really confuse myself. For now, each of the recordings that came from these sessions have become meaningful to me. "Sleep Dirt" is a good snapshot of the many sides of Zappa's musical conception in the late 70s. It is perhaps not his most definitive work, but it is still an important part of Zappa's overall oeuvre.