''T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.'' is a 1996

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by funk

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

George Clinton. The title, which is an abbreviation for ''The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership'', refers to the

P-Funk Mothership The P Funk Mothership, also known as The Mothership or The Holy Mothership, is a space vehicle model belonging to Dr. Funkenstein, an alter ego of funk musician George Clinton. An integral part of the P-Funk mythology, the Mothership existed c ...

that was first introduced in 1975 on

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

's ''

Mothership Connection ''Mothership Connection'' is the fourth album by American funk band Parliament, released on December 15, 1975 on Casablanca Records. This concept album is often rated among the best Parliament-Funkadelic releases, and was the first to feature ho ...

'' album. The album was presented as a reunion album because it featured collaborations with former

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parlia ...

members including

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading ...

Junie Morrison Junie is a given name and nickname. Notable people with the given name include: *Junie B. Jones, fictional character in a children's series written by Barbara Park * Junie Cobb (1896–1970), American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader * Jun ...

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many o ...

, and

Fred Wesley Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s. Biography Wesley was born the son of a high school teacher and big band le ...

— some of whom hadn't worked with Clinton in many years. The album also included contributions by current members of the

P-Funk All-Stars Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive f ...

. Following the release of ''T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.'', Clinton launched the "Mothership Reconnection Tour" with

, and the P-Funk All-Stars. The Mothership Reconnection Tour, which began in New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, included the landing of a full-scale Mothership on stage, from which Clinton emerged. The artwork for ''T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.'' was unique among P-Funk albums in that it included contributions by all three artists associated with the band:

Pedro Bell Pedro Bell (June 11, 1950 – August 27, 2019) was an American artist and illustrator, best known for his elaborate album cover designs and other artwork for numerous Funkadelic and George Clinton solo albums. Bell also wrote many of the liner ...

, Ronald "Stozo the Clown" Edwards,

Overton Loyd Overton Loyd (born April 20, 1954) is an American artist best known for creating the cover art for the Parliament album '' Motor Booty Affair'' and several other records. His style of art varies often from work to work, and can range from loose sk ...

, and George Clinton. The Japanese version of "T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M." contains an extra track entitled "Secret Love", co-written by Clinton's son Tracey Lewis a.k.a. Trey Lewd. That track was later released in U.S. on the CD ''

How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent? ''How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?'' (How Late Do You Have To Be Before You Are Absent?) is a double album by George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars, released September 6, 2005 on Clinton's label The C Kunspyruhzy. The album also featured rele ...

''.

Track listing

Notes

* "Summer Swim" was released as a 12" single, Sony 550 - 46 78391. * "If Anybody Gets Funked Up (It's Gonna Be You)" was released as an extended remix single, Sony 550 - BSK 7760.

References

External links

*
T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{Authority control 1996 albums George Clinton (funk musician) albums Albums with cover art by Pedro Bell