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Knee Deep in the Hoopla

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Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Studio album by
Starship
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1985
Recorded1984−1985
Studio
GenreAOR, pop rock
Length40:28
LabelGrunt/RCA
Producer
Starship chronology
Knee Deep in the Hoopla
(1985) 		No Protection
(1987)
Singles from Knee Deep in the Hoopla
  1. "We Built This City"
    Released: August 1985 (US)[1]
  2. "Sara"
    Released: December 1985
  3. "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight"
    Released: April 1986
  4. "Before I Go"
    Released: June 1986[2]

Knee Deep in the Hoopla is the debut studio album by American AOR band Starship (the succeeding musical project to Jefferson Starship), released on 12 September 1985 by RCA and Grunt.[3]

Four singles were released from the album: the No. 1 hits "We Built This City" and "Sara", "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" (No. 26 US Hot 100) and "Before I Go" (No. 68 US Hot 100).[4]

Background

[edit]

In May 1984, Jefferson Starship released Nuclear Furniture.[5] Paul Kantner, one of the band's founding members, left shortly after, criticizing the group's tilt toward commercial rock.[6] In October, seeking to dissolve the band, he sued his former bandmates over the ownership of its name.[6] The lawsuit was settled in March 1985 with the agreement that the "Jefferson Starship" name would be retired by the group in favor of "Starship" ( owned by singer Grace Slick and manager Bill Thompson).[6]

Following the new group's creation, David Freiberg (another Jefferson Starship founding member) departed as well. Therefore, for the making and release of the band's debut album, the lineup was reduced to singer Grace Slick, co-lead singer Mickey Thomas, guitarist Craig Chaquico, bassist Pete Sears, and drummer Donny Baldwin.[6]

Recording and production

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Peter Wolf, who had worked on Nuclear Furniture, was hired to produce Knee Deep in the Hoopla. As the band sought a new, radio relevant sound, Wolf brought novel recording techniques and sourced material from a wide range of outside songwriters.[7]

Bassist Pete Sears would later remember that Wolf "set up a sequencer computer (synclavier) in the control booth. He slowly built up all the songs from a drum machine base... overdubbing vocals, real guitars and some percussion. He even sampled my bass [...] then quantized it after I played it into the computer on a bass keyboard."[8] Short-time member David Freiberg later said in an interview that "it was at the point where they were going to the studio, and nobody in the band was playing anything [...] It was all producing and it was all hot stuff keyboard players and that is what I was basically playing with them."[9] In contrast, guitarist Craig Chaquico said that "Peter Wolf was a genius synthesizer player. The Synclavier was cutting-edge. We didn't feel like we were selling out; we felt like we were trying to land a man on the moon."[10]

"We Built This City" was the first product from these efforts and the album's lead single.[6] Originally written by Bernie Taupin (lyricist known for his work with Elton John) and Martin Page, the track was further developed by Wolf and co-producers Dennis Lambert and Jeremy Smith.[11][12] The album's title was taken from one of the song's lyrics: "Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight".[13][14] The second single, "Sara", was a ballad written by Wolf and his wife, Ina Wolf, and named after Mickey Thomas' then-wife.[6][11] Both of these songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[6][11]

The track "Desperate Heart", written by Michael Bolton and Randy Goodrum, also appeared on Bolton's album Everybody's Crazy, released earlier that year in March. "Rock Myself to Sleep" was written by Katrina and the Waves members Kimberley Rew and Vince de la Cruz and featured additional vocals by Quiet Riot's Kevin DuBrow.[15] The album's closing track, "Love Rusts", also written by Page and Taupin, featured additional background vocals by artists like Peter Beckett (from Player), Simon Climie (later of Climie Fisher fame), and Siedah Garrett.[15] The only song on the record written by any of the band's members was "Private Room", penned by vocalist Mickey Thomas and guitarist Craig Chaquico.[7]

Two songs sung by Grace Slick were recorded for but left off the album: Slick's own "Do You Remember Me?" (released on The Best of Grace Slick) and the Peter Wolf–Jeremy Smith composition "Casualty" (included as a bonus track on the remastered 1999 CD edition of the album). Pete Sears and his wife, Jeannette, wrote a song for the album titled "One More Innocent", which was rejected due to its political lyrics.[8][16]

Reflecting on the creation of Knee Deep in the Hoopla, vocalist Mickey Thomas would later say that "[with the album] we definitely made a conscious effort to sort of redefine ourselves and say: 'Let’s go in and try to do a completely different approach to music. Let’s use a different method. Let’s try to have a couple of hit singles. Let’s just go for it'."[17] Wolf also recalled that during the sessions "Journey was recording in the studio next door, and every time I opened the door, their band members were standing outside with their mouths open. 'This is the Starship? It's unbelievable!'."[10]

Release

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Knee Deep in the Hoopla was released on September 10, 1985, through RCA and Grunt. Four singles were released from the album, which all charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: the No. 1 hits "We Built This City" and "Sara", the No. 26 hit "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" (peaked at No. 26), and the No. 68 "Before I Go".[4] A remastered CD of the album was released in 1999, featuring a bonus track, "Casualty", written by Peter Wolf and Jeremy Smith.[18][better source needed]

On 22 September 2023, Knee Deep in the Hoopla was reissued as part of the limited-edition "Rhino Reds" series, launched in celebration of Rhino's 45th anniversary.[19][20] The album was pressed on translucent red vinyl at Third Man and mastered by Jeff Powell.[19][21] This release also included "Casualty" as a bonus track and was accompanied by a bonus 7" single featuring "We Built This City" and "Private Room".[19][21]

Knee Deep in the Hoopla was certified platinum by the RIAA on 27 December 1985.[22]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]

Joseph McCombs of AllMusic retrospectively described Knee Deep in the Hoopla as the Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship project's "most overtly commercial effort to date."[24] He noted that the album's songs "are pleasant but lightweight" and that while they "are less than memorable, they are very tuneful and melodic."[24] McCombs also highlighted "Love Rusts" as the standout cut.[24]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times said, in November 1985, that as a ''compendium of strutting pop-rock cliches, Knee Deep in the Hoopla represents the 80's equivalent of almost everything the original Jefferson Airplane stood against - conformity, conservatism and a slavish adherence to formula."[25] That same month, People argued that "although the producers give Starship’s music some punch, it’s like trying to resuscitate a pork chop" and considered "We Built This City" a tease "with nice keyboards by Wolf", while describing the rest of the album as weary hackwork.[26]

In 1985, Associated Press writer Larry Kilman said that "We Built this City" was a short and snappy song that, with a catchy chorus, was made for radio play, asking, "How can a song that constantly repeats 'we built this city on rock 'n' roll' go wrong?"[27] However, he remarked that the album was uneven, saying that listeners "drawn to it by 'We Built the City' [sic] will enjoy 'Hearts of the World' but little else. Heavy metal lovers will like 'Desperate Heart' and 'Rock Myself to Sleep,' but will probably abhor the syrupy ballad 'Sara' and the middle-of-the-road 'Before I Go'."[27] Kilman also singled out "Love Rusts", calling it the second-best song on the record.[27]

Cash Box said of "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" that "Mickey Thomas' sensational lead vocal keeps this cut aloft with exhilerating [sic] sonic flight" and that "It slices like a double bladed sword ... backed by searing rock guitars and a churning rhythm."[28] Billboard called it "exemplary American AOR of the '80s, interrupted only by an ethereal bridge."[29]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Built This City"
4:53
2."Sara"
4:48
3."Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight"
  • Steven Cristol
  • Robin Randall
3:41
4."Rock Myself to Sleep"
3:24
5."Desperate Heart"
4:04
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Private Room"
4:51
2."Before I Go"David Roberts5:11
3."Hearts of the World (Will Understand)"
  • Stephen Broughton Lunt
  • Arthur Stead
4:21
4."Love Rusts"
  • Taupin
  • Page
4:57
Total length:40:28
Remastered CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Casualty"
  • P. Wolf
  • Jeremy Smith
4:34

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

Starship

  • Mickey Thomas – lead (1-3, 5-7, 9), backing vocals (1, 4, 8, 9)
  • Grace Slick – lead (1, 4, 8, 9), backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Craig Chaquico – guitars, backing vocals (5-7)
  • Pete Sears – bass guitar, synth bass, backing vocals (5-7)
  • Donny Baldwin – drums, electronic drums, backing vocals (1, 5-8)

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[41] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Database
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. ^ Hard, Bill, ed. (1985-09-06). Friday Morning Quarterback (PDF). Kal Rudman. p. 25.
  4. ^ a b "Starship". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  5. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Jefferson Starship". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Ruhlmann, William. "Starship". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  7. ^ a b Giles, Jeff (2014-08-15). "How Jefferson Airplane Ultimately Became Starship". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  8. ^ a b Sears, Pete. "1985. "Knee Deep in the Hoopla"". PETE SEARS. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  9. ^ Barthel, John (September 4, 1997). "David Freiberg Interview". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2024. Well, because they want me in, and I didn't want to be there because they were doing 'We Built This City' and all. It was at the point where they were going to the studio, and nobody in the band was playing anything. Maybe if they needed a guitar… Craig would play it. It was all producing and it was all hot stuff keyboard players and that is what I was basically playing with them…you know…and that wasn't me. Why have me around? Why should I be around?
  10. ^ a b Tannenbaum, Rob (2016-08-31). "We Built This S#!tty: An Oral History of the Worst Song of All Time". GQ. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  11. ^ a b c Fielder, Hugh (2023-12-09). ""Grace was three sheets to the wind, so Marty sang to her while holding her in an arm-lock so she couldn't get away": the epic, drunken and very crazy story of Jefferson Starship". louder. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  12. ^ Dellar, Fred (2022-05-13). "MOJO Time Machine: The Starship Takes Off!". Mojo. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  13. ^ "Deep Dive: Starship, WE BUILT THIS CITY". Rhino. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  14. ^ Starship (2018-12-12). We Built This City (Video). Retrieved 2024-09-23 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ a b c Knee Deep In The Hoopla (liner notes). Grunt. 1985. FL85488.
  16. ^ Sears, Jeannette (January 3, 2012). "We Built This City". jeannettesears.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  17. ^ DeRiso, Nick (2013-07-04). "Mickey Thomas, on Jefferson Starship's transformation into Starship: Something Else! Interview". Something Else!. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  18. ^ "Starship (2) – Knee Deep In The Hoopla". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  19. ^ a b c "Rhino Records Celebrates 45 Years with the RHINO REDS Vinyl Series". Rhino. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  20. ^ Rogers, Becky (2023-07-31). "Rhino celebrate 45th anniversary with limited-edition reissue series". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  21. ^ a b "Knee Deep In The Hoopla + Bonus 7" (Rhino Red Vinyl)". Rhino. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  22. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  23. ^ McCombs, Joseph. "Knee Deep in the Hoopla – Starship | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  24. ^ a b c McCombs, Joseph. "Knee Deep in the Hoopla". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  25. ^ Holden, Stephen (1985-11-27). "The Pop Life: Sade's 2d Album, a Refined Fusion". The New York Times. p. 24.
  26. ^ People Staff (1985-11-11). "Picks and Pans Review: Knee Deep in the Hoopla". People. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  27. ^ a b c Kilman, Larry (1985-11-23). "Starship is a band in search of an image". The Free Lance-Star. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  28. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLIX, no. 42. 1985-04-05. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  29. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. April 5, 1986. p. 71. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  30. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 291. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  31. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0617". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  34. ^ "Charts.nz – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  35. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  37. ^ "Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  38. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0618". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  39. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  40. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla". Music Canada.
  41. ^ "American album certifications – Starship – Knee Deep in the Hoopla". Recording Industry Association of America.
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