Apostrophe (') (studio album)
by Frank Zappa

Apostrophe (') by Frank Zappa
Year: 1974
Overall rank: 1,142nd   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 448 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1974 (22nd)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (235th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,142nd)

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Availability

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Frank Zappa Apostrophe (‘) 2LP + 7" (50th Anniversary Edition) (Vinyl)
Condition: New


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FRANK ZAPPA APOSTROPHE (') [50TH ANNIVERSARY] [SUPER DELUXE 5 CD/DVD] NEW CD & D
Condition: Brand New


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Apostrophe (') by Frank Zappa (CD, Apr-1995, Rykodisc) RCD 10519
Condition: Very Good


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Frank Zappa bestography

Apostrophe (') is ranked 4th best out of 123 albums by Frank Zappa on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Frank Zappa is Hot Rats which is ranked number 233 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 6,934.

Frank Zappa album bestography « Higher ranked (656th)
We're Only In It For The Money
This album (1,142nd)
Apostrophe (')
Lower ranked (1,498th) »
Uncle Meat

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Apostrophe (') track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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2.
Rating: 85 (93 votes)Comments: View 1
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4.
Rating: 83 (72 votes)Comments: View 1
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5.
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Rating: 86 (99 votes)Comments: View 1
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Rating: 86 (94 votes)Comments: View 1
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8.
Rating: 84 (90 votes)Comments: View 3
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9.
Rating: 82 (74 votes)Comments: View 1
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Apostrophe (') rankings

Apostrophe (') collection

Apostrophe (') ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 448 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 448 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 Report rating
11/08/2025 03:58 pranafilms  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 23591/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
11/03/2025 02:15 Larcx13  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,84374/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
10/02/2025 02:15 zags7000  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 20,39664/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
09/15/2025 09:06 Jun_Res  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 27085/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
09/02/2025 17:15 VictorVale  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,67381/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 81.3/100, a mean average of 80.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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Apostrophe (') comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 15 comments |
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Rating:  
80/100
From 04/06/2022 00:56
This album is full of some phenomenal instrumental performances that create some truly unique and great songs. An example of this is on Cosmik Debris where at around the 2 minute mark we are treated to a brilliant guitar solo which always puts me into awe. There are several more moments like this and not just on guitar as well which are scattered all across the music. Instrumentally, it is extremely diverse and all of them are used very effectively. Zappa definitely tried to make this record a bit more accessible to mainstream audiences and it works very well in my opinion. The sound is so infectious and his musical timing is perfect. He also maintains his little nuances of abstractness and his crazy lyrics that make him the unique artist he is. All of this combines to create an album that could only be crafted by Zappa. There are a couple weak points on this album in my opinion and they mainly come from the shorter tracks. They feel a little slow to me and like their only purpose is to build up to the next song, except for Uncle Remus which is great. Overall, he has better albums but this one is very enjoyable and has some genius tracks which always draw me back time and time again.
#283849 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 02/06/2022 10:42
A little more accessible than some of his works. It is a shame a lot (most) of his work is overshadowed by crudity, innuendo and utter tosh. No, I am not a prude, just a lover of really good music and thankfully there is some really good music on this album.
#280859 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/26/2019 14:57
Experimental, debochado e, de sua forma, hilário!
#235519 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/29/2018 22:02
best Zappa record
#223546 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 09/16/2018 11:52
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
#221152 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -4 votes (0 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 08/21/2018 13:18
Decided it was my favorite Zappa album a long time ago. Hasn't changed
#219934 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/21/2016 13:08
One of the most consistent Frank Zappa albums of the seventies(along with, bongo fury, and, zoot allures). Still sounds like nothing and no one else. Great googly woogly.
#169344 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 09/29/2015 05:40
This album never bores me. It may be his most commercial, but it is still very musical and comical. There are a handful of people who could write a line like "He took a dog-doo snow cone and stuffed it in my right eye," and make it groove. And Zappa made it groove indeed.
#150674 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/18/2013 18:20
His most commercial album, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Never boring.
#88747 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/07/2012 22:44
Yet another solid record by this genius.
#41769 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1974
1. Red by King Crimson
2. On The Beach by Neil Young
3. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis
4. Crime Of The Century by Supertramp
5. Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt
6. Court And Spark by Joni Mitchell
7. Here Come The Warm Jets by Eno
8. A Tábua De Esmeralda by Jorge Ben
9. Sheer Heart Attack by Queen
10. Diamond Dogs by David Bowie
11. Mirage by Camel
12. Queen II by Queen
13. Radio City by Big Star
14. Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan
15. Autobahn by Kraftwerk
16. Kimono My House by Sparks
17. No Other by Gene Clark
18. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight by Richard & Linda Thompson
19. Country Life by Roxy Music
20. Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) by Eno
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