{"id":4144,"date":"2015-05-12T13:34:16","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T13:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=4144"},"modified":"2025-02-13T10:18:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T10:18:28","slug":"which-bands-and-singers-have-released-the-most-albums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/05\/12\/which-bands-and-singers-have-released-the-most-albums\/","title":{"rendered":"Which bands and singers have released the most albums?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Weller released his 11th studio album last year, the 42nd album of his career (including The Jam). <i>42 albums! <\/i>Given that the first one came out in 1977, The Modfather is currently averaging over an album a year (although, admittedly, some of them are compilations).<\/p>\n<p>Still, by some standards, Weller is actually pretty lazy. Here are a few artists who put one of the hardest working men in music to shame.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>In this blog:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Discover which bands and singers have released the most albums. Among the most prolific are:\n<ul>\n<li>The Fall: 100 albums (including studio, live, compilations, and mixed albums)<\/li>\n<li>Frank Zappa: 119 albums (including studio, compilations, and rock operas)<\/li>\n<li>Johnny Cash: 167 albums (with a significant number of compilations)<\/li>\n<li>Buckethead: 204 albums (including numerous projects)<\/li>\n<li>Elvis Presley: 313 albums (including posthumous releases)<\/li>\n<li>Merzbow: 418 albums (with a mixture of studio and live)<\/li>\n<li>Nana Mouskouri: estimated 450 albums in 15 languages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>These artists have demonstrated exceptional productivity and have left a significant impact on the music industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>The Fall<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Mark E. Smith and the gang have released <b>100 albums <\/b>in total, including 30 studio albums, 30 live albums, 35 compilations and 5 half studio\/half live albums.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56dxJjXbnjg\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a remarkable level of consistency considering the band\u2019s line-up changes roughly every 5 minutes; as Mark E. Smith once famously said, \u201d\u02dcif it\u2019s me and yer granny on bongos, it\u2019s The Fall.\u2019<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Frank Zappa<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>The legendarily weird Frank Zappa has released <b>119 albums<\/b>, with 100 studio albums, 13 compilations and 6 rock operas and bootlegs.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DmcYTShN4Fk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>38 of those albums were released after his death in 1993, with another, <i>Dance Me This<\/i>, released next month.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/music\/cd\/\">Buy cheap CDs<\/a> on the musicMagpie Store<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Johnny Cash<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>To date, the Man in Black has released a jaw-dropping <strong>167 albums<\/strong>, although 104 of those albums are compilations (making him the official compilation heavyweight champion of the world).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k7K4jH7NqUw\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Cash also managed to churn out 55 studio albums, on top of presenting his own TV show, playing shows for prisoners and leading a life worthy of an Oscar-winning film. Remember that the next time you think you\u2019re busy.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Buckethead<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>You\u2019d be forgiven for thinking a man who wears a KFC bucket on his head wouldn\u2019t be particularly enterprising, but Buckethead is ridiculously prolific. It must be all that chicken.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qFoBbNHvOME\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Since 1992, Ol\u2019 Bucket has knocked out 166 studio albums, a feat made even more impressive by the fact he released <i>123 of them <\/i>in the past 3 years. Last year, he released <i>59 albums<\/i> &#8211; that\u2019s over an album a week!<\/p>\n<p>Amazingly, those albums are just the tip of the iceberg. If you count all of his other projects (including an ill-fated attempt at filling the Slash-shaped hole in Guns N\u2019 Roses and 11 albums with Viggo \u201d\u02dcAragorn\u2019 Mortensen), Buckethead\u2019s final figure comes in at <b>204 albums<\/b>!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Elvis Presley<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>When he wasn\u2019t gallivanting around Vegas in a jumpsuit or chilling at Graceland with a cheeseburger, Elvis was making albums like there\u2019s no tomorrow. Until his death in 1977, the King released over 60 albums, including numerous collections and soundtracks.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SBmAPYkPeYU\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Amazingly, though, Elvis has been more prolific from beyond the grave. There have been 87 compilations since his death, although that\u2019s nothing compared to the 130 albums released by Follow That Dream (a record label exclusively releasing rare Elvis recordings).<\/p>\n<p>In total, Elvis has appeared on a frankly ridiculous <b>313 albums<\/b>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Merzbow<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Masami Akita AKA Merzbow is a Japanese \u201d\u02dcnoise\u2019 artist who could make a legitimate claim to be being the most prolific musician ever\u201d\u00a6 although some would argue his \u201d\u02dcnoise\u2019 isn\u2019t really music. Have a listen, you\u2019ll see what we mean.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FgOg6aYqASY\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Anyway, Merzbow has released&#8230;wait for it&#8230; <b>418 albums<\/b> since 1980. That\u2019s a release every month for <i>35 years! <\/i><\/p>\n<p>That includes a phenomenal 279 studio albums and 74 live albums. Assuming each album is 40 minutes long, that\u2019s about 278 hours of music. 278 hours of <i>this: <\/i><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pGzrL8J0t-c\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/music\/cd\/\">Buy second hand CDs<\/a> on the musicMagpie Store<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b>Nana Mouskouri<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-r8up5wJDpI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Who is the world\u2019s best selling female singer? Madonna? Beyonce? Lady Gaga?<\/p>\n<p>Nope, nope and nope. It\u2019s Nana Mouskouri, a Greek songstress who\u2019s still active at the ripe old age of 80. She\u2019s sold over 300 million albums worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also possibly the most prolific musician of all time. Although it\u2019s hard to find an actual figure, it\u2019s estimated she\u2019s made <b>450 albums <\/b>in total. Even more impressively, she\u2019s recorded in 15 different languages!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Can you think of any artists with bigger discographies than the artists in this post? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n<p>And remember: if albums are starting to take over your home, you can always <a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/entertainment\/sell-cds\/\">sell CDs<\/a> with musicMagpie. Just click below to get started!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=conversion\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2966\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button.png\" alt=\"Start Selling button\" width=\"304\" height=\"51\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button.png 304w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button-300x50.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We also sell <a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/music\/vinyl\/\">cheap vinyl records<\/a> from an eclectic range of artists on the musicMagpie Store. However, if you&#8217;re not a fan of traditonal ways of listening to music, why not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/\">sell your phone<\/a> with Magpie and shop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/mobile-phones\/\">refurbished phones<\/a> for better sound quality?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/music\/vinyl\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5210\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/SHOP-NOW.png\" alt=\"SHOP NOW\" width=\"299\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Weller released his 11th studio album last year, the 42nd album of his career (including The Jam). 42 albums! Given that the first one came out in 1977, The Modfather is currently averaging over an album a year (although, admittedly, some of them are compilations). Still, by some standards, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[1603,1581],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4144"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17945,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144\/revisions\/17945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}