This is a list of albums by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of A ...

, including all those credited to

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

. During his lifetime, Zappa released 62 albums. Since 1994, the Zappa Family Trust has released 63 posthumous albums as of March 2023, making a total of 125 albums/album sets. In 2012 the distribution of Zappa's recorded output moved to

Universal Music Enterprises Universal Music Enterprises (UME, stylized as UMe) is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles, and UM3 or UMC (which is the international division of the company). Under various divisions, ...

. In June 2022 the Zappa Trust announced that it had sold Zappa's entire catalog to Universal Music, including master tapes, song copyrights and trademarks. A list of albums of Zappa's music by other artists is also included here.

Official albums

Posthumous official albums

Miscellaneous

Compilation albums

Singles

As sideman

The Penguins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

- " Memories of El Monte" ( Original Sound, 1963) * Bob Guy - "Dear Jeepers", B-side "Letter from Jeepers" ( Del-Fi, 1963) * The Heartbreakers - "Every Time I See You", B-side "Cradle Rock" (Del-Fi, 1964) * Bobby Jameson - "Gotta Find My Roogalator", B-side "Reconsider Baby" (Penthouse, 1966), uncredited *

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound an ...

- '' Animalism'' (

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

, 1966) *

Burt Ward Burt Ward (born Bert John Gervis Jr. , July 6, 1945) is an American actor, animal welfare activist and businessman. He played Dick Grayson's Robin, the sidekick of Batman (played by Adam West), in the television series ''Batman'' (1966–1968), ...

- ''Boy Wonder I Love You'' (MGM, 1966) *

Barry Goldberg Barry Joseph Goldberg (born December 25, 1942) is an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. Goldberg has co-produced albums by Percy Sledge, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, and the Textones, plus Bob Dylan's ...

- ''Carry On'' ( Verve/ Folkways, 1967) * Wild Man Fischer - '' An Evening with Wild Man Fischer'' (Bizarre/Reprise, 1968) *

The GTOs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

- ''Permanent Damage'' (

Straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Str ...

, 1969) * Jeff Simmons - '' Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up'' (Straight, 1970) *

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

- ''

Some Time in New York City ''Some Time in New York City'' is a part-studio, part-live double album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as Plastic Ono Band that included backing by the American rock band Elephant's Memory. Released in June 1972 in the US and in September 1972 in ...

'' (

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

, 1972) * Ruben and the Jets - '' For Real!'' ( Mercury, 1973) *

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

- '' Feel'' (Verve, 1974), credited as Obdewl'l X *

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succ ...

- ''

Good Singin', Good Playin' ''Good Singin' Good Playin is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on August 2, 1976, by MCA Records. The band had actually broken up, but after Frank Zappa expressed interest in producing ...

'' (

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...

, 1976) *

Robert Charlebois Robert Charlebois, OC, OQ (born June 25, 1944) is a Québecois author, composer, musician, performer and actor. Charlebois was born in Montreal, Quebec. Among his best known songs are ''Lindberg'' (the duo with Louise Forestier in particular ...

- ''Swing Charlebois Swing'' (Solution/ RCA France, 1977), on "Petroleum" * Flint - ''Flint'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, 1978) * L. Shankar - '' Touch Me There'' ( Zappa, 1979), credited as Stucco Homes *

Pražský výběr Pražský výběr is Czech rock band formed in 1976 in Prague by keyboardist and singer Michael Kocáb. The band initially played jazz fusion in the 1970s, which was popular at the time. At the beginning of the 1980s, they changed their style an ...

- ''Adieu C. A.'' (Art Production K, 1992)

Albums by other artists

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer. Early life Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitt ...

- '' King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'' (1970) *

Plastic Ono Band The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name. Lennon and Ono began a personal and artistic relati ...

- ''

'' (1972) * BRT Big Band - ''The BRT Big Band Plays Frank Zappa'' (1990) * Yahonza - ''Yahozna Plays Zappa'' (1992) *

Joel Thome Joel Thome (born in Detroit, Michigan) is the conductor and artistic director of Orchestra of Our Time. A Grammy Award recipient, Thome has been acclaimed internationally as an accomplished conductor and composer of classical and contemporary ...

/Orchestra of Our Time - '' Zappa's Universe—A Celebration of 25 Years of Frank Zappa's Music''(1993) *

Meridian Arts Ensemble The Meridian Arts Ensemble is an American chamber music ensemble based in New York City, specializing in the performance of new works for brass and percussion. History The Meridian Arts Ensemble was founded in 1987. The original members of the gr ...

- ''Smart Went Crazy'' (1993) * Harmonia Ensemble - ''Harmonia Meets Zappa'' (1994) *

Jon Poole Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969), also known by his stage name Random Jon Poole, is an English multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhea ...

- ''What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?'' (1994) * Omnibus Wind Ensemble - ''Music by Frank Zappa'' (1995) *

Warren Cuccurullo Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, restaurant owner and former body builder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s ...

- ''Thanks to Frank'' (1995) *

- ''Prime Meridian'' (1995) * Meridian Arts Ensemble - ''Anxiety of Influence'' (1996) *

Muffin Men The Muffin Men are a British band, based in Liverpool, England, which primarily plays the music of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. The group formed in 1990, originally to play a one-off concert to celebrate Zappa's fiftieth birthday. ...

- ''Frankincense: The Muffin Men Play Zappa'' (1997) * The

Ed Palermo Big Band The Ed Palermo Big Band is a New York City-based ensemble that has been active since the late 70's, playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader, New Jersey born saxophonist Ed Palermo. The band is best known for Palermo's arrangeme ...

- ''Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'' (1997) * CoCö Anderson - ''Dischordancies Abundant'' (1997) * Pierre-Jean Gaucher - ''Zappe Zappa'' (1998) * Meridian Arts Ensemble - ''Ear Mind I'' (1998) * Ossi Duri - ''Sta Chitarra Ammazzera 'Tua Madre'' (1998) *

The Persuasions The Persuasions are an American a cappella group that began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1960s. The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their ...

- '' Frankly a Cappella'' (2000) *

Ensemble Ambrosius ''Ensemble Ambrosius'' is a Finnish chamber music group that plays Contemporary classical music, modern music on baroque instruments. It originated in 1995 when three music students performed music of Frank Zappa at a school concert. They added a ...

- ''The Zappa Album'' (2000) *

Bohuslän Big Band The Bohuslän Big Band is a modern jazz ensemble from Sweden which started as a military band in the 19th century. They play original music as well as compositions by Lars Jansson, Maria Schneider, Frank Zappa and others. The Bohuslän Big Band ...

- ''Bohuslän Big Band plays Frank Zappa'' (2000) * Nasal Retentive Orchestra - ''Fric Out !'' (2001) * Nasal Retentive Orchestra - ''Have a Bun'' (2002) * Le Concert Impromptu & Bossini - ''Prophetic Attitude'' (2002) *

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries. Hi ...

- ''Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa: Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions'' (2003) * UMO Jazz Orchestra - ''UMO plays Frank Zappa feat. Marzi Nyman'' (2003) * Nasal Retentive Orchestra - ''Tales of Brave Flegmar'' (2003) * LeBocal - ''Oh No!... Just Another Frank Zappa Memorial Barbecue!'' (2003) * Prząśniczki & Tymon Tymański - ''Zapparcie, czyli uboczne skutki jedzenia żółtego śniegu'' (2003) * BRTN Philharmonic Orchestra & Zucchini Rocking Teenage Combo - ''The Purple Cucumber - A Zappa Tribute'' (2003 and 2008) * Nasal Retentive Orchestra - ''NRO Live'' (2004) * ''Lemme Take You to the Beach: Surf Instrumental Bands Playing the Music of Zappa'' (Cordelia, 2005) *

Colin Towns Colin William Towns (born 13 May 1948 in West Ham, London) is an English composer and keyboardist. He was noted for playing in bands formed by ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, and later worked extensively in composing soundtracks for film, telev ...

and the

NDR NDR may refer to: Computing * Non delivery report, a return email message to a sender indicating failed message delivery * Network Data Representation, an implementation of the OSI model presentation layer Science and technology * Negative differ ...

bigband - ''Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (and Funny Smells)'' (rent a dog, 2005) * Marc Guillermont - ''Zappostrophe'' (2005) * The

- '' Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance'' (2006) * Nasal Retentive Orchestra - ''Music for Hungry People'' (2007) * Struber Z'Tett - ''Struber Z'Tett Plays Zappa Live : Les Noces de Dada'' (2007) * Pierre-Jean Gaucher & Christophe Godin - ''2G'' (2007) *

Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Dweezil deve ...

- ''

Zappa Plays Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa. History The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Canad ...

'' (2008) * The Ed Palermo Big Band - ''Eddy Loves Frank'' (2009) * The Norwegian Wind Ensemble - ''The Brass from Utopia (A Frank Zappa Tribute)'' (2013) * The Norwegian Radio Orchestra - ''Perfect Strangers (Heiner Goebbels, Frank Zappa)'' (2014) * Stefano Bollani - ''Sheik Yer Zappa'' (2014) * Quintorigo con

Roberto Gatto Roberto Gatto is an Italian jazz drummer, born October 6, 1958 in Rome. He has performed with Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Bob Berg, Tommy Flanagan, Joe Zawinul, and Joe Lovano. He has composed film music, is the leader of his own jazz group and a ...

- ''Around Zappa (Live at Blue Note Milano)'' (DVD, 2015) *

Marco Pacassoni Group Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish co ...

- ''Frank & Ruth'' (2018)

Sales awards

* (70,000 sales) ** January 1976: Gold record for "Just Another Band From LA" ** January 1976: Gold record for "Fillmore East" * (50,000 sales) ** November 1991: Gold record for "Bobby Brown" * (100,000 sales) ** September 1979: Gold record for "Sheik Yerbouti" ** November 1979: Gold record for "Joe's Garage" * (1,000,000 sales) ** 1991: Gold record for European releases * (100,000 sales) ** December 1979: Gold record for "Sheik Yerbouti" * (500,000 sales) ** January 1980: Gold record for "Sheik Yerbouti" ** January 1980: Gold record for "Bobby Brown" * (50,000 sales) ** January 1980: Gold record for "Bobby Brown" * (50,000 sales) ** October 1993: Gold record for "Bobby Brown" * (50,000 sales) ** December 1980: Gold record for "Bobby Brown" * (60,000 sales) ** March 1979: Silver record for "Zoot Allures" * (1,100,000 sales) ** April 1976: Gold record for "Apostrophe (')" ** November 1976: Gold record for "Over-Nite Sensation" ** June 2006: Gold record for "Does Humor Belong in Music?" ** February 2015: Gold record for "Baby Snakes"

Notes

References

External links

Official Frank Zappa website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zappa, Frank Rock music discographies Jazz discographies Discographies of American artists