Full performer name: George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars.
T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. contains a hidden track, "Secrets."
George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars: George Clinton, Belita Woods, Garry Shider, Joi Gilliam, Steve Boyd, Gene "Grady" Thomas, Ray Davis, Louie "Babblin" Kabbabie, Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, Sheila Brody, Olivia Ewing, William Payne, Pat Lewis, Robert "P-Nut" Johnson, Lige Curry, Derrick "Frogg" Rossen, Kelly Cowan, Paul Hill, Andre Williams, Charlie Wilson, Greg Thomas, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Dwayne "Sa'd Ali" Maultsby, Thomas "Bubb" Fiddler, LaShonda Clinton, Debra Killings, Kristen Gray, Tracey "Treylewd" Lewis, Diane Fulmar, Dawn Knight, Ann Sheriff, Jeff Patterson, Rob Manzoli (vocals); William "Billy Bass" Nelson, William "Clip" Payne, Mike Wilder, Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, Eli Fountain, Rodney "Skeet" Curtis, Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Cardell "Boogie" Mosson, Michael Hampton, Jerome Rogers, Greg Boyer, Bennie Cowan, William "Bootsy" Collins, Bernie Worrell, Juni Morrison, Erick Sermon, Craig Love, Colin Wolfe, Gary E. James, John H. Davis, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Spearhead X.
Producers: George Clinton, Erick Sermon (track 1); Juni Morrison, George Clinton (track 2); George Clinton (tracks 3, 6-9, 11-13); George Clinton, Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight (track 4); George Clinton, Spearhead X (track 5); George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell (track 10).
Engineers: David Kennedy, Greg Reilly, Chris Baker, Mark Bass, Spearhead X, Larry Fergusson, Alvin Speights, Carl "United" Robinson, Jim Vitti, Joe Alexander, Neal Pogue, Cary Corey, Brian K. Smith, Guy Daniels, Kevin Parker, Carl Glover, Brian Remenick.
Personnel: George Clinton (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Paul Hill , William Payne, Debra Killings, Ann Sheriff, Dawn Knight, Dwayne "Sa'd Ali" Maultsby, Louis Kabbabie, Kelly Cowan, Garry Shider, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Diane Fulmar, Olivia Ewing, Lige Curry, Steve Boyd, Greg Thomas , Rob Manzoli, Joi, Amp Fiddler, Andre Williams, Pat Lewis, Sheila Brody, Belita Woods, Raymond Davis, Charlie Wilson (vocals).
Audio Mixers: Colin Wolfe; David Kennedy ; Erick Sermon; Greg Reilly; Mark Bass; Jim Vitti; Joe Alexander ; Larry Ferguson ; Alvin Speights.
Recording information: Bootzilla Re-Hab Studio, Cincinnati, OH; Chung King, New York, NY; City Lights Recording Studio, Farmingdale, NJ; D.A.R.P. Studios, Atlanta, GA; Darp Studios, Atlanta, GA; Disc Ltd, .Eastpointe, MI; Fat City Music Studios, Denver, CO; Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, CA; Juni's AKASHIC Studios, London, England; No Muzzle Music Recording Studio, Brooklyn, MI; Pearl Sound Studios, Canton, MI; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Sound On Sound Recording, Inc., New York, NY; United; United Sound Systems, Inc., Detroit, MI; Walk Right Studios, Denver, CO.
Illustrators: Phil Carlig; Pedro Bell.
Photographer: Charlie Pizzarello.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Frankie "Kash" Waddy; Craig Love; Paul Hill ; Dewayne Blackbyrd McKnight; Mike Wilder; Jerome Rogers; Louis Kabbabie; Garry Shider; Gary "Mudbone" Cooper; Benny Cowan; Grady Thomas; Robert "P-Nut" Johnson; Lige Curry; Steve Boyd; Greg Thomas ; John Davis ; Walter "Junie" Morrison; Michael Hampton ; Amp Fiddler; Andre Williams; Rodney Curtis; Sheila Brody; Trey Lewd; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Belita Woods; Bernie Worrell; Michael "Clip" Payne; Billy "Bass" Nelson; Cordell "Boogie" Mosson; Eli Fountain; Greg Boyer; Bootsy Collins; Phelps "Catfish" Collins.
P-Funk mastermind George Clinton gathered some of his long-time musical cohorts together for 1996's T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M., an acronym for THE AWESOME POWER OF A FULLY OPERATIONAL MOTHERSHIP. As on his other `90s solo outings, T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. speaks to the burgeoning G-funk movement of the time, which in turn was heavily influenced by the sound Clinton himself pioneered in the `70s with Parliament and Funkadelic. Clearly informed by contemporary albums like Dr. Dre's THE CHRONIC, the sound of this disc is slow and woozy, but select grooves, such as opener "If Anyone Gets Funked Up (It's Gonna Be You)," serve to remind that Clinton is still one of the all-time masters of funk.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (6/14/96, pp.58-59) - "...T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. finds [Clinton] front and center; crooning and murmuring his trademark puns and dirty jokes in a relaxed manner....He persists in the creation of vital funk music..." - Rating: A-
Q (8/96, p.116) - 3 Stars - Good - "...This first full-on P-Funk outing in 20 years...combines lazy, chanted choruses that draw on Clinton's doo-wop roots, an expert rhythm section and a righteous sense that this brand of swinging, old-school funk needs time to grow..."
Alternative Press (11/96, p.71) - 4 (out of 5) - "...this is about the awesome power of a fully operational mothership..."
Vibe (6/96, p.149) - "...Clinton heads back to the future...evoking grooves of early '70s funk, and bringing back on board...P-funk all-stars....Clinton also renews his ties with the Hip Hop Nation..."
