Dwarf Nebula Productions 
1981 1st edition
ISBN: _
92 pp, paperback, 25 x 21 cm
English
ARF: Bibliography
Norbert Obermanns, author of the Zappalog
Urban Gwerder, Norbert Obermanns - Where are they?
Marcelo Gació and Norbert Obermanns
The first 450 numbered copies of Zappalog included an EP and poster. The EP is "Please Give Me A Home" from Moxie Records. Poster had photos of several people "somehow involved in the project".
PS. teenagemaltshop @ ebay described another 17" x 21" poster delivered with the first 450 copies, which is questionable.
Rhino Records 
1982 2nd expanded edition
ISBN: _
128 pp, paperback, 25,5 x 20,5cm
English
?
?
ISBN ?
400+ pp, ?, ?
English
Klaus Unland's Frank Zappa Book Page
Norbert Obermanns compiled the 3rd and expanded edition of his Zappalog, but from this book only the flyer from January 1990 is known:
Frimmersdorf, 12.01.1990
Nach einigen Jahren zappamanischer Zurückgezogenheit kann ich endlich mitteilen, dass die Arbeiten an der 3. Ausgabe des ZAPPALOG nun fast abgeschlossen sind. Wer die beiden Ausgaben aus den Jahren 1981 und 1982 nicht kennt sollte wissen, dass es sich bei diesem Buch um ein Nachschlagewerk ber Frank Zappa (und die Mothers Of Invention) handelt. Grundlage für den ZAPPALOG bildet mein Archiv, welches ich in 15 Jahren aufgebaut habe, und das mittlerweile das grösste seiner Art ist.
Auf ber 400 Seiten wird man im ZAPPALOG folgende Kapitel vorfinden (mit Angabe des ungefähren Seitenumfangs):
- Singles - 6
- LP's/CD's - 50
- Compilation Albums - 4
- Promotion-Platten - 4
- Platten mit Zappa als Produzent, Gastmusiker etc. - 18
- unveröffentlichte Platten - 6
- Bootlegs - 24
- Sampler - 5
- Labeldiscography (Bizarre / Straight / Discreet) - 10
- Radioauftritte - 11
- Fernsehauftritte - 10
- Filmography - 7
- "Orchestral Favorites" - 8
- "Touring Can Make You Crazy" (Tourdaten / Musiker / Repertoire) - 50
- Bibliography (Bücher / Programme / Zeitungsberichte etc.) - 110
- stichpunktartige Biographie - 10
- ausführlicher Index. - 25
- "$%,/?!" - ?
Norbert Obermanns
Frimmersdorf, 12.01.1990
Finally, after some years of zappamaniac seclusion I can tell you that now the works on the 3-rd issue of the ZAPPALOG are almost concluded. Who does not know both issues from 1981 and 1982 should know, that this book is a reference book about Frank Zappa (and the Mothers Of Invention). The ZAPPALOG is based on my archive which I have built up in last 15 years, and is meanwhile biggest of his kind.
On more than 400 sides one will find in the ZAPPALOG the following chapters (with the approximate number of pages)
- Singles - 6
- LP's/CD's - 50
- Compilation Albums - 4
- Promo records - 4
- Zappa as producer, guest musician etc. - 18
- Unpublished records- 6
- Bootlegs - 24
- Sampler - 5
- Labeldiscography (Bizarre / Straight / Discreet) - 10
- Radio performances- 11
- TV performances - 10
- Filmography - 7
- "Orchestral Favorites" - 8
- "Touring Can Make You Crazy" (Tour dates / Musicians / Repertoire) - 50
- Bibliography (Books / Programs / Articles etc.) - 110
- Biography - 10
- Detailed index. - 25
- "$%,/?!" - ?
The book will be richly illustrated (partly even in color!?!). More information about publication date etc. will be available shortly.
Norbert Obermanns
c.eike @ alt.fan.frank-zappa in February 1993:
Hello,
some time ago, I asked for the ZAPPALOG, after Erik Brady did.
What I got back was 1 public and several private requests (which I will answer in 1 minute) - and no answers except one less helpful.
So.. I opened my Zappalog, and what I saw for the first time was: the address of Nobby - even not so far away (compared to Montreal or Virginia or Helsinki..)
I called him.
And here's the news for you:
What is the
ZAPPALOG:
Vol.1 which I hold in my hand, is a hand written or typed black&white facsimile-printed, home-made zappalog (sorry).
It contains
- discograpy (lp, single, bootleg) date, place, titles, musicians plus a german/english paragraph with background informations and a picture of the album cover
- a numbered list of all these
- list of radio spots and interviews
- filmography
- bibliography
- biography "the early days"
- zappaesks (...)
- list by labels (bizarre, straight, discreet, zappa..)
- and a list of all the musicians who ever played with Frank Zappa (!) with references (!) to all the bands they played with
- register of songs in alphabetic order from 1966
It ends with Joe's Garage Vol.1+2.
ZAPPALOG Vol.2
appeared about 6 months later (still facsimile hand-written, but no longer home-made), published in LA, this one containing Vol.1 plus additional information until 1981.
It's sold out since a long time ago - I've never seen it.
Now: __ZAPPALOG Vol.3__:
As you might have guessed by now, Vol.3 is the brand new update, waiting to be issued.
Imagine the author sitting there, weighing in his hand the 500 pages of the
Complete (at least the completest you've ever seen) ZAPPA-O-GRAPHY ----------- with all the records, bootlegs, films, interviews, newspaper-articles, musicians, radio- and tv-shows and all the things I forgot to mention now.......
He's sitting there hoping that the publication preliminaries come to an end and he can proudly present it to the community. Among other things, he is expecting the OK of the Master Himself. Unfortunately this means waiting.
He spends his time trying not to get too bored and polishing on some details here and there, and we'll have to wait with him.
If you want to contact him, take a piece of paper:
Nobby is not (yet) a member of the network community. He gave me his address to publish it here:
Nobby
Norbert Obermanns
Postfach 15
D-4048 Grevenbroich 3
Germany
For those of you who swore at their grandma's grave never to use snail mail again: if necessary, send me a mail and I'll follow it to him via paper.
For all those that wait:
Nobby promised that he will tell me when (+ where) ZAPPALOG III comes out. I'll let you know! And to those who think they bought Vol.3 at a Zappa event a year
ago: So sorry, but this must have been the wrong one ....
:-)freundlichsten Gruss an alle Zappa-Fans - wherever you are(-:
Christine