Credit: Alamy
Sun 8 March 2026 16:55, UK
Frank Zappa is one of the most challenging musicians to pin down. His role in the world of music was centred around an air of non-conformity and improvisation that eluded definition. He persistently satirised the American culture that he was ultimately part of in a career of over three decades.
That rebellious approach extended not only to his lyrics but also to the structure of his music itself. Zappa regularly blended rock, jazz, orchestral composition and absurdist humour, creating a body of work that refused to fit neatly into any single genre.
Amazingly, Zappa produced nearly all of the whopping 60-plus albums that he wrote along with his band, the Mothers of Invention. He was a completely self-taught composer, directed several of the band’s music videos and even designed many of their album covers.
In a 1975 interview with the UK magazine Let it Rock, Zappa revealed his ten favourite ever records, in which he confessed his love for The Rolling Stones, particularly their album Between the Buttons. It came out in 1967 and featured songs that served as the Stones’ quick foray into psychedelia, departing from their usual bluesy sound.
“The American release – I don’t like the English version so much because it contains a totally different set of tunes,” Zappa said of the album, “I understand that they don’t like the album very much, but I thought that it was an important piece of social comment at the time. I remember seeing Brian Jones very drunk in the Speakeasy one night and telling him I like it and thought it superior to Sergeant Pepper, whereupon he belched discreetly and turned around.”
Zappa also admitted to an admiration for opera, particularly for the work of Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki and his The Devils of Loudon. The opera has a libretto – a written text – which was based on John Whiting’s dramatisation of Aldous Huxley’s non-fiction novel of the same name.
“Because it’s also an extremely well-produced album, and I think it’s an excellent piece of dramatic music,” is why Zappa loves the album so much. He added, “And also because Tatiana Troyanos, who plays the main nun, sounds absolutely marvellous during the enema scene. The story is about a hunch-backed nun who’s possessed by the Devil and has to have an exorcism.”
“The exorcism involves the nun being given a hot herbal enema,” Zappa explained. “In live performances, the exorcism takes place behind a screen, and you hear Tatiana singing and screeching whilst an orchestra plays enema music. You also hear the Devil chuckling from inside the nun’s bowel.”
The Mothers of Invention leader also revealed a profound love for The Beatles, Neil Young, Black Sabbath and some of the early blues greats, including Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. The diversity of Zappa’s selections reflected the wide-ranging musical palette that shaped his own compositions. From avant-garde classical music to blues and hard rock, the records he admired reveal the unlikely influences behind one of the most unconventional figures in modern music.
Here is the complete list of Zappa’s favourite records.
Frank Zappa’s 10 favourite albums:Supernaut – Black SabbathAfter The Gold Rush – Neil YoungBetween the Buttons – The Rolling StonesAbbey Road – The BeatlesMuddy Waters Sings ‘Big Bill’ – Muddy WatersThe Devils of Loudon – Krzysztof PendereckiThe Complete Works of Edgard Varese Vol. 1 – Edgard VareseThree Hours Past Midnight – Johnny ‘Guitar’ WatsonThe Story Of My Life – Guitar SlimWho Will Be Next? – Howlin’ Wolf
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