# Who has the most albums? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786 "2002-12-10T16:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/22 "2014-10-14T23:48:29Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Do I need to take it to ATMB to note that the “spammer” was, at worst, promoting his artistic work (if that’s what you want to call it), which is generally condoned by the SDMB? I’m the one who reported him, and he was _at best_ a spammer. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/23 "2014-10-15T00:00:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’m the one who reported him, and he was _at best_ a spammer. I assume that you mean he was pushing his “artistic works” on other websites? Other than that, I see no reason to distinguish him from other artistic members of the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/24 "2014-10-15T00:03:21Z")
The only reason he came here and posted to this thread was to hawk his “music.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/25 "2014-10-15T00:09:56Z")
Neeme Jarvi has, I believe, the most recordings at over 400. However, he is a conductor, not the actual artist. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/26 "2014-10-15T02:17:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Neeme Jarvi has, I believe, the most recordings at over 400. However, he is a conductor, not the actual artist. Surely conductors are considered “actual artists”, on a par with, say, movie directors. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/27 "2014-10-15T03:31:25Z")
The core members of the [Wrecking Crew](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrecking_Crew_%28music%29) are estimated to have played on 10,000 songs. Yet they aren’t the actual artists either. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/28 "2014-10-15T03:54:09Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Do I need to take it to ATMB to note that the “spammer” was, at worst, promoting his artistic work (if that’s what you want to call it), which is generally condoned by the SDMB? > [@Frank](#): > > I assume that you mean he was pushing his “artistic works” on other websites? Other than that, I see no reason to distinguish him from other artistic members of the SDMB. **Frank** , I would have expected you to be much more familiar with SDMB policy. This was the first post of a new poster, which included a link to his website. He also bumped a zombie from 2002 just to plug his own music. This is unequivocally spam, and has always been regarded as such. We have never condoned this sort of thing. Long term members who have artistic endeavors are allowed to post about them, although we generally like people to ask permission first so they’re not accused of being spammers. If you have other questions about our longstanding policies on this you should probably ask about it in ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/29 "2014-10-15T04:16:22Z")
None of these are contenders for “most,” but they are worth noting: Hank Williams Jr. released 54 studio albums and 14 compilations. 50 of these were released between 1964 and 1985, at which point someone probably sat him down and recommended he pace himself. A glut of new material hurts the sales of the old material, and country music albums can linger on the charts for years if you let them. Elton John has had 48 distinct albums of one kind or another, 31 of them studio albums. The Beatles had 13 core albums in American release, which were chopped up and repackaged many times, but it looks pretty much like the music industry’s more productive workhorses average about two albums a year during their peaks. Prince is said to have between 500-1000 tracks laid down, but in an admirable show of restraint has released only 25 studio albums’ worth to date. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/30 "2014-10-15T04:49:23Z")
John Zorn is hugely prolific. Lately he seems to have settled into a routine of releasing an album every month. (Sometimes more: September’s Tzadik releases included one Zorn solo album, one collaboration, and one album of Zorn’s compositions played by another artist.) The trick is defining what counts as a John Zorn album. Many of them are credited to bands he has founded (Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, Electric Masada, etc.). Wikipedia says he “appears on” over 400 albums, but that seems to include albums on which he is only a contributor and not the primary artist/composer. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/31 "2014-10-15T06:13:53Z")
There are “complete” box sets of Mozart that have 170 CDs ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/32 "2014-10-15T11:10:53Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > There are “complete” box sets of Mozart that have 170 CDs Mozart, Schubert, Bach, and Haydn were ridiculously prolific. The total output of the first two would have been outrageous, had they not both died young. Did these men ever sleep? I picture all four of them scribbling on sheet music paper, even while taking a dump. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/33 "2014-10-15T13:00:30Z")
I just finished listening to my Zappa LPs in chronological order, about 30 releases. _\_ [SIZE=“1”]Not all in one sitting.[/SIZE] ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/34 "2014-10-15T13:38:13Z")
The wonderful Muslimgauze recorded 112 full-length albums - and dozens and dozens of EP’s and other stuff - over a sixteen-year career. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/35 "2014-10-15T15:41:06Z")
[Sun Ra](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra_discography) is up there too, with over 100 full-length albums. It is true that most of them were self-released, but I’d say he’s a big enough name to transcend the category of “vanity projects”. Then there’s the [Grateful Dead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead_discography), with over 140 albums. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/36 "2014-10-15T15:47:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Mozart, Schubert, Bach, and Haydn were ridiculously prolific. The total output of the first two would have been outrageous, had they not both died young. > > Did these men ever sleep? I picture all four of them scribbling on sheet music paper, even while taking a dump. [A review](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bach-Complete-Works-155CD-Box/dp/B000GCG8Y4) of a 155-CD collection of Bach’s works claims nearly “7 days” of uninterrupted music, or near 168 hours. If he composed pop music songs of 3:30 each, that’s over 2,800 songs. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/37 "2014-10-15T16:44:35Z")
Jandek has, to date, released more than 70 albums and 1 DVD. It’s notable, I think, because it’s one guy who does EVERYTHING: he writes all the songs, plays all the instruments, is the recording engineer, the producer, he does the artwork, he has the albums pressed & printed, he does the shipping, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/38 "2014-10-16T12:04:52Z")
Tangerine Dream have 270 albums listed here: > **[Tangerine Dream discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine_Dream_discography)** > > The electronic music group Tangerine Dream has released more than three hundred albums, singles, EPs and compilations since the group was formed in 1967. > Tangerine Dream's releases have been divided into several eras based on the record label of the time. Tangerine Dream's first releases were on the Ohr label. The Ohr logo was a pink ear, thus fans refer to this era as the Pink Years; this covers Electronic Meditation (1970) to Atem (1973). In 1974, the band switched to Virgin Records with th... ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/39 "2014-10-16T13:00:11Z")
Willie Nelson has released well over 100 albums of original music either by himself or as collaborations, and has his second album of new music this year out in a couple of months. A lot of country singers from the 50s and 60s put out several albums a year. On a quick look, George Jones had well over 100, Merle Haggard around 90, and Johnny Cash over 70. If you start counting live albums and posthumous releases, Miles Davis or The Grateful Dead are going to have way more than either of those. There’s at least 150 Miles albums out there, many of them multi-disc sets, and at least 130 Grateful Dead live releases, many of those box sets with multiple concerts - the Europe 1972 box has 22 complete concerts over something like 68 discs. That’s not counting the bootlegs of the other 2000 or so concerts… ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/40 "2014-10-16T13:03:42Z")
Also, of more current artists, Will Oldham (most well known as Bonnie “Prince” Billy) has put out something like 25 albums, over 30 EPs, and many other tracks on singles, compilations, or one-off downloads, as well as several live albums. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786/41 "2014-10-16T14:53:39Z")
Didn’t Pearl Jam release, like, 50 versions of the live album of a single tour? I think that’s the most one act has dumped on the marketplace in a single year. Or were they all released as a single box set? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-albums/141786.md?page=3)