Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Knee Deep in the Hoopla is the debut studio album by American AOR band Starship, the succeeding musical project to Jefferson Starship. It was released on September 10, 1985, through record label Grunt.
Knee Deep in the Hoopla | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 10, 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984−85 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | AOR, pop rock | |||
Length | 40:28 | |||
Label | Grunt/RCA | |||
Producer |
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Starship chronology | ||||
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Singles from Knee Deep in the Hoopla | ||||
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Four singles were released from the album: the No. 1 hits "We Built This City" and "Sara", "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" and "Before I Go".
Content
AllMusic retrospectively described Knee Deep in the Hoopla as the Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship project's "most overtly commercial effort to date".[2]
The track "Desperate Heart", written by Michael Bolton and Randy Goodrum, also appears on Bolton's album Everybody's Crazy, released the same year. 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 1999 remaster). Jeannette and Pete Sears wrote a song for the album called "One More Innocent", but it was rejected for its political lyrics.[3]
Release
Knee Deep in the Hoopla was released on September 10, 1985, through record label Grunt.
Four singles were released from the album: the No. 1 hits "We Built This City" and "Sara", "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" and "Before I Go".
The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
People | negative[4] |
Knee Deep in the Hoopla has received a negative response from professional music critics.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "We Built This City" | Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, Peter Wolf | 4:53 |
2. | "Sara" | Ina Wolf, P. Wolf | 4:48 |
3. | "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" | Steven Cristol, Robin Randall | 3:41 |
4. | "Rock Myself to Sleep" | Kimberley Rew, Vince De la Cruz | 3:24 |
5. | "Desperate Heart" | Randy Goodrum, Michael Bolton | 4:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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6. | "Private Room" | Craig Chaquico, Mickey Thomas | 4:51 |
7. | "Before I Go" | David Roberts | 5:30 |
8. | "Hearts of the World (Will Understand)" | Stephen Broughton Lunt, Arthur Stead | 4:21 |
9. | "Love Rusts" | Taupin, Page | 4:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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10. | "Casualty" | P. Wolf, Jeremy Smith | 4:34 |
Personnel
- Mickey Thomas – vocals
- Grace Slick – vocals
- Donny Baldwin – drums, electronic drums, vocals
- Craig Chaquico – guitars
- Pete Sears – bass guitar, synth bass
- Additional personnel
- Peter Wolf – keyboards
- Les Garland – DJ voice on "We Built This City"
- Peter Beckett, J. C. Crowley, Siedah Garrett and Ina Wolf – additional backing vocals on "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" and "Love Rusts"
- Kevin Dubrow – additional vocal on "Rock Myself to Sleep"
- Dave Jenkins – additional backing vocal on "Desperate Heart"
- Simon Climie, Lorraine Devon, Phillip Ingram, Martin Page, Chris Sutton and Oren Waters – additional backing vocals on "Love Rusts"
- Production
- Peter Wolf – producer, arrangements
- Jeremy Smith – producer, engineer
- Dennis Lambert – executive producer
- Skip Johnson – production coordinator
- Bill Thompson – manager
- Bill Bottrell – mixing engineer on "We Built This City".
- Tom Size – additional engineering
- Paul Ericksen, Dana Chappelle, David Luke, Maureen Droney – assistant engineers.
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering engineer
- Raess Design (Ted Raess) – art, design
- Bill Robbins – photography
- Recorded at The Plant Studios (Sausalito, CA); The Music Grinder (Los Angeles, CA).
- Mixed at Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, CA).
- "We Built This City" re-mixed at The Soundcastle, L. A.
- Mastered at Precision Lacquer (Los Angeles).
Singles
- "We Built This City" (1985)
- "Sara" (1986)
- "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" (1986)
- "Before I Go" (1986)
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
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1986 | The Billboard 200 | 7 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1985 | "We Built This City" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
1985 | "We Built This City" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
1985 | "We Built This City" | Adult Contemporary | 37 |
1986 | "Sara" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
1986 | "Sara" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 |
1986 | "Sara" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
1986 | "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" | Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
1986 | "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
1986 | "Before I Go" | Billboard Hot 100 | 68 |
References
- RIAA Gold and Platinum Database
- McCombs, Joseph. "Knee Deep in the Hoopla – Starship | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- Sears, Jeannette (January 3, 2012). "We Built This City". jeannettesears.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- "Pick and Pans Review: Knee Deep in the Hoopla". People. November 11, 1985. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
External links
- Knee Deep in the Hoopla at Discogs (list of releases)
- Starship: Too Old to Rock?, Los Angeles Times