Sleep Dirt

Sleep Dirt
Studio album by Frank Zappa
Released	January 19 1979
Recorded	1974–1976
Genre	Jazz Fusion
Length	39:13 (vinyl) 38:39 (CD)
Label	DiscReet Records Rykodisc
Producer	Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (B-) link
Frank Zappa chronology
Studio Tan (1978) Sleep Dirt (1979) Sheik Yerbouti (1979)

Sleep Dirt (also known as Hot Rats III) is an album by Frank Zappa released in 1979. It reached 175 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. Sleep Dirt was one of four albums that Zappa handed in to Warner Bros. simultaneously in order to fulfill his contract with the label. The label failed to pay him what was owed to him according to his contract for the rights to release the albums. Zappa filed suit against the label and reformatted the material from the four albums along with a few other items into a planned four-album box set titled Läther opus (which was left unreleased until 1996). Warner Bros., having been given the tapes for the individual albums, claimed they retained the right to release the albums as they saw fit and sued to keep other labels from releasing Läther (a deal that Zappa struck with Mercury/Phonogram saw it get as far as test pressings). The four albums Zappa had delivered to the label were then released without his express permission. In the case of three of them, Zappa had no part in the release of the album, had no say in the cover art, and the sleeves were left bereft of musical credits.

Zappa had originally envisaged three of the album's tracks ("Flambay", "Spider of Destiny", and "Time Is Money") being used in his (abandoned) Hunchentoot musical, and thus, these songs were intended to have vocals. For the CD reissue of Sleep Dirt, Thana Harris overdubbed vocals on the aforementioned tracks, and Chad Wackerman overdubbed drums. The original, instrumental versions of these tracks can be found on Läther (though "Flambay" was greatly shortened; the full-length instrumental version of that can only be found on the original lp.)

The creature shown on the cover is Hedorah from the Godzilla films.

Track listing

All songs written by Frank Zappa.

1. "Filthy Habits" – 7:33
2. "Flambay" – 4:54
3. "Spider of Destiny" – 2:33
4. "Regyptian Strut" – 4:13
5. "Time Is Money" – 2:48
6. "Sleep Dirt" – 3:21
7. "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution" – 13:18

Personnel

• Terry Bozzio – drums
• George Duke – keyboards, vocals
• Bruce Fowler – brass
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering, equalization
• Patrick O'Hearn – bass guitar
• Gary Panter – art director
• Dave Parlato – bass guitar
• Bob Stone – mastering, remastering, equalization
• Chester Thompson – drums
• Ruth Underwood – percussion, keyboards
• James "Bird Legs" Youman – bass guitar, guitar
• Frank Zappa – guitar, percussion, arranger, keyboards, vocals, producer

• Thana Harris – vocals (CD remix)
• Chad Wackerman – drum overdubs (CD remix)

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