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. Among these was the use of the
Synclavier, which guitarist
Craig Chaquico later described as "cutting edge," adding that despite the changes, the group did not feel like they were "selling out," but rather felt like "they were trying to land a man on the moon." However, short-term member
David Freiberg recalled in a 1997 interview that one of the reasons for his departure was that in the studio "nobody in the band was playing anything" as it was all about "producing" and "hot stuff keyboard players." For the album, Wolf also sourced material from a wide variety of outside songwriters, which was said to have made the group more "unified and focused". This was an important change from the old lineup's previous albums, as the songs were primarily written by its members. "
We Built This City" was the first product from these new recording efforts and the album's lead single. The album's title was taken from one of the song's lyrics: "Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight". The second single, "
Sara", was a ballad written by Wolf and his wife,
Ina Wolf, and named after
Mickey Thomas' then-wife. The set was designed by Waldemar Kalinoswky. In November 1985,
Billboard reported that Slick characterized the sound on the album as "cleaner, more crisp", while Thomas called it "more current, and more focused." 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'." ==Release==