Playground Psychotics is a two-CD live album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. It was originally released in 1992 through his mail order label, Barking Pumpkin, and was re-released in 1995 through Rykodisc. The album features recordings of Zappa and his band, the Mothers of Invention, around the time of the film 200 Motels. The live material on Playground Psychotics is interspersed with excerpts from taped conversations among band members whilst on tour, and the release includes three conceptual sections: A Typical Day on the Road, Part 1, a collage of dialogue which opens the first disc; A Typical Day on the Road, Part 2, which opens the second disc and The True Story of 200 Motels, which appears at the end of disc two. The album also includes a live session with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, an alternate mix of which appears on Lennon and Ono's Some Time in New York City (1972).

All words & music are written by Frank Zappa, except where noted.

• An alternate mix of tracks 22 through 26, at times with different titles, appears on the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album Sometime in New York City.

Heard on the dialog portions^[2]

• Frank Zappa
• Mark Volman
• Howard Kaylan
• Jeff Simmons
• George Duke
• Ian Underwood
• Aynsley Dunbar
• Martin Lickert

Performing on the Pauley Pavilion & Rainbow Theater cuts

• Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocal
• Mark Volman – vocal
• Howard Kaylan – vocal
• Jim Pons – bass, vocal
• Don Preston – keyboards, electronics
• Ian Underwood – keyboards, alto sax
• Aynsley Dunbar – drums

Performing on the Fillmore East cuts

• Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocal
• Mark Volman – vocal
• Howard Kaylan – vocal
• Jim Pons – bass, vocal
• Bob Harris – Wurlitzer
• Ian Underwood – keyboards, alto sax
• Aynsley Dunbar – drums

Mentioned in the liner notes

• Bruce Bissell ("an industrious Reprise Records promo man") – arrangement for group photo ("The Living Garbage Truck")
• Dick Barber and Howard Kaylan – conversation ("The Motel Lobby")
• Aynsley Dunbar – keeping time on a bottle of Scotch whisky and a wooden table ("Diptheria Blues")
• Howard Kaylan – vocals ("Diptheria Blues")
• Martin Tickman ("the front office manager") – interviewee ("The Mudshark Interview")
• Mark Volman – cassette recording ("The London Cab Tape"), pieces of tape ("'It's a Good Thing We Get Paid to Do This'", "'He's Watching Us'", "He's Right", "Jeff Quits"), Uher
• Howard Kaylan, Jeff Simmons, Ian Underwood – planning for confrontation ("The London Cab Tape")
• Frank Zappa – Uher ("The London Cab Tape")

Uncredited^[3][4]

• John Lennon – vocals, guitar ("Well" through "A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono")
• Yoko Ono – vocals, bag ("Well" through "A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono")
• Roelof Kiers – heard on the dialog portions ("Martin Lickert's Story", "A Version of Himself")

• Frank Zappa – most of the dialog recordings, producer, liner notes
• Spence Chrislu – remix engineer
• Cal Schenkel – art

Uncredited

• Mark Pinske – remix engineer
• Barry Keene – Fillmore East, Pauley Pavilion and Rainbow Theater recording engineer
• Bob Auger – Rainbow Theater recording engineer

• Release details