In 1981, Zappa also released three instrumental albums, "Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar", "Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar Some More", and "The Return of the Son of Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar", which were initially sold via mail order, but later released through the CBS label due to popular demand.
V poznih sedemdesetih se je Zappa dvakrat pojavil na popularnem šovu "Saturday Night Live" televizije NBC.