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Sleep Dirt

Frank Zappa - Sleep Dirt Audio CD

A fair review of the Frank Zappa "Sleep Dirt" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Frank Zappa reviews here, or go back to the Frank Zappa tabs.

Band: Frank Zappa
Title: Sleep Dirt
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-05-02
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Filthy Habits [Instrumental] 2: Flambay 3: Spider of Destiny 4: Regyptian Strut [Instrumental] 5: Time Is Money 6: Sleep Dirt [Instrumental] 7: Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution [Instrumental]

Annoying vocal makes this inferior to original but true to Zappa's vision
Zappa had intended these tracks and the music that Warner also released from Studio Tan, Live In New York, and Orchestral Favorites, as part of his magnum opus, entitled Lather. Sleep Dirt was released in the 70s by Warner Brothers without Zappa's permission. The original 3 record set of Lather had gone out in promotional form only, and I haven't heard it, but it may contain some vocal overdubs as do appear on this Rykodisc release of Sleep Dirt.

Still, when Sleep Dirt was released--even though Zappa asked fans not to buy it or the others above because Warner was not paying him for any of it at the time--I enjoyed the album immensely specifically because of the LACK of vocals. The album sounded a bit like studio out-takes, but still the musicianship of the players and Zappa's compositional genius made this album (and Studio Tan and Orchestral Favorites' vinyl editions) an incredible example of Zappa's musical genius. If you want Zappa to "Shut Up And Play Your Guitar" then you actually are somewhat annoyed by his lyrical content which can sometimes be downright pornographic, and is always somewhat pessimistic towards society, even if it has plenty of humor mixed in.

I enjoyed Zappa's lyrics but as the years wore on, he became more and more graphic and sardonic with his humor, and it got to the point where this listener avoided his later discs because of the lyrics.

Sleep Dirt is musically a masterpiece and while I respect Zappa's choices he made after the fact to overdub Thana Harris' vocals and some drums by Chad Wackerman, overall--after listening to the Rykodisc CD I felt shorted. Because the beauty of the music was tainted by the overdubs. So I am on the fence about this one. Any Zappa release is worthy of 5 stars because of the musical beauty and genius, but having already cut my teeth on the Warner vinyl version of Sleep Dirt, I almost feel like Zappa ruined the purity of the music with the overdubs.

BUT. . . The music on Sleep Dirt is still well-worth buying the CD especially if you can't play the vinyl in the car or something. . And there are 3 cuts that remain relatively-unaltered (I think he did mess with the mixdown by taking some bass out and adding more high end and bite to the percussion) and they are fantastic jams and examples of Zappa creating "on the spot" with his great musical companions (primarily Terry Bozzio on Drums and Patrick O'Hearn on the bass. )

"Filthy Habits" is a great jam with David Pariato on bass and Bozzio on drums. "Sleep Dirt" is a rare and beautiful duet of acoustic guitar featuring Zappa and James "Bird Legs" Youman. And, last but definitely not least the nice 13 minute jam "The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution" featuring Zappa, O'Hearn and Bozzio which develops and literally blows the listener away with time changes, speed changes, great bass lines supporting Zappa's composing improvisations on guitar, and Bozzio driving the tune with energy and aplomb.

Sleep dirt is a troubled work with the added overdubs, which is why I give it 3 stars, but I put an asterisk* next to those stars because there is some seminal Zappa genius going on here. Still, highly recommended!.

My Fingers Got Stuck
I'm sure I'm never get it all. I try to keep my ears open for Zappa, and as a result I purchase something from his catalog once or twice a year. 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.
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Sleep Dirt
Though the set wasn't released until some years after it was originally recorded due to contractual litigations with Zappa's then record company it it was eventually released as both apart of the box set and as a single album. Sleep Dirt-Frank Zappa ***1/2

Released as apart of the Lather box set along with Orchestral Favorites, and the fantastically overlooked Studio Tan (check this one out you wont be sorry).

Needless to say, Sleep Dirt was the weakest of the three albums with Studio Tan being the supreme being of the lot. Though musically, the guitar playing is more prominent here and the best of the three. As well as the use of the xylophone, piano, and percussion. The lineup was far from Zappa's best though it did do the trick.

Thana Harris adds all the vocals to the album and depending on who you ask this either makes or breaks the damn thing. Depending on your mood you'll either skip the tracks or let the whole thing play right through. Harris has a decent voice but because of the high quality of the instrumental tracks like the beautiful title track they vocal tracks make the album feel unbalanced. Had the vocal tracks been released as an Ep it would have been better as they all play as sort of a rock opera of sorts.

Sleep Dirt is best heard in small doses. It is far from Zappa's best work though worth owning for the fantastic instrumentals that carry the album. Depending on which version you get the albums art work is very minimum and contains little to know albums notes, and some don't even contain credits.

Overall Sleep Dirt is worth a shot.

The best of the Lather albums....
It's one of Zappa's most unique and fascinating albums. This was another album that was issued from the Lather box set, and I think it's the best of the "Lather" albums. Zappa hardly plays electric guitar here, but absolutely kills on acoustic guitar, something he's generally not known for. My favorite tunes are Flambay (even with the vocals, more on that later), the beautiful, haunting, ethereal title track, but the prize has to go to The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution. Zappa is listed as the only guitarist here, and he shows himself an absolute master of the instrument. His acoustic playing is some of the greatest I've heard. The track runs over 13 minutes, and it takes it place into great Zappa epics.

As for the newly added vocals, FZ wanted vocals back when he recorded these songs for the Lather album, but for various reasons, couldn't record them at the time. I happen to like Thana Harris's voice very much. She reminds me of a female Ike Willis, Zappa's lead vocalist from Joe's Garage until Zappa died. And as others have pointed out, if you want to hear the original versions of these songs without vocals, they're available on the Lather set (which I have yet to pick up). Even non FZ junkies can get into this album. It's one of Zappa's best. .

Let down by the vocals
What possessed Zappa to replace or add these to the reissued CD isn't clear but it detracts from what was a fantastic instrumental work. This WAS a great album but has sadly been ruined by the addition of vocals by Thana Harris. Although the vinyl version is available at a price, I suggest anyone who prefers the original instrumental versions of Flambe, Spider of Destiny and Time is Money, to purchase L�ther and make up their own version of Sleep Dirt. Even this isn't quite perfect as these versions are slightly shorter and are interrupted at the end of some tracks by Zappa's remarks. Note also that the title track, Sleep Dirt, is only on this CD. When and if the original vinyl version is ever released I recommend snapping it up before it becomes unavailable, as many Zappa releases do. As much as I love Zappa's work he does have a habit of altering and even ruining material on subsequent CD releases of original vinyl LPs. Another example was the appalling re-release of We're Only in it for the Money. The CD ZAP 13 version [1985] was entirely different from the original LP and this was not remedied until 1995 when Rykodisc and the ZFT released RCD 10503. Even Hot Rats is not quite the same as the original vinyl version and Weazils Ripped My Flesh is also different from the original. Some re-releases also display altered track orders as in Man from Utopia, but this version of Sleep Dirt is by far the worst example of a ruined re-release of an otherwise fantastic work.

You can see a complete list of all Frank Zappa discography, or go back to the Frank Zappa tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.