Hoopla

Amazon.com
Hoopla is the second solo album for Speech, the former leader of Arrested Development. With this set he fuses hip-hop beats and rhymes, the funky bass and ensemble vibe of Sly & the Family Stone, and the soulfulness of Stevie Wonder. On Hoopla, Speech's inclination toward sociopolitical commentary--exemplified by the sloganistic "Ask Somebody Who Ain't (If U Think the System's Workin')" from his solo debut, Speech--makes way for introspection. On "Clock's in Sync with Mine," he likens himself and the subject of his affection to "two peas in a pod" and drives the spirit of the tune home with a joyously funky Parliament-style ending. The sensuous "Real Love" recalls Marvin Gaye with its smooth and soulful rhythm track and delicious backing vocals. Halfway through the set Speech asks a rapturous audience, "Are you still with me?", and with this deeply funky and engaging album the answer is a resounding "yes." --Michael Wells

Hoopla,Speech,Tvt,Alternative Rap,Pop,Rap & Hip-Hop,Soul/R & B,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues

Average customer rating:

Long slide down slippery slope ends in a THUD for Jefferson whatever.
Very dynamic pop album!
Bad rap, decent work
Mickey Thomas; Dylan of the 80's(except better)
We built this city...on rock and rolllllllllllll!

Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Starship
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

No Protection
Love Among the Cannibals
Winds of Change
Big Life
Freedom at Point Zero

ASIN: B000002W8Q
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

We Built This City
Sara
Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight
Rock Myself To Sleep
Desperate Heart
Private Room
Before I Go
Hearts On The World
Love Rusts

Customer Reviews:

Long slide down slippery slope ends in a THUD for Jefferson whatever........2007-02-13

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit - timeless.

Fast forward a few years ...

(Jefferson) Starship - We Built This City - Ick. And the rest of this album isn't really much better. Oh and BTW, San Fransisco was built a long long time before rock and roll was around (not that I think they want this as their theme song).

Very dynamic pop album! .......2006-06-26

Starship's 1985 album still stands out as the best from the '80s efforts of the Starship or Jefferston Starship incarnations. Everything of this album defines the excesses and bombasts of that decade, even the rock heavy numbers that dominate this effort. Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick are at their best on songs like We Built This City and others. Tommorrow, Hearts of the World and others stand out. I still love the calm, cool landscapes in Sara, which is still a popular radio staple on adult contemporary stations. I think that Peter Wolf played a major part in this band's album, as his writing and producing on City and Sara are among his best pop songs from the 1985-1986 period along with Who's Johnny by El Debarge and the '85 Heart album. But let me close with one standout line that Grace Slick on City--"Someone's always playing/Corporation games/Who cares, they're always changing/Corporation names". Those lines fit well with Grace's political views from her early Jefferson Airplane era and the writers found the right lines for Grace to sing for that song. The other numbers have a strong commercial sheen to them, but the band delivers them quite well musically.

Bad rap, decent work.......2006-01-13

Starship caught a bad rap, even my own father, when I was about 9, asked "what the hell happened to Grace Slick to sing this crap" but it's a good album.

Grace WAS the oldest FEMALE vocalist with a #1 hit. When "We Built This City hit #1-she was 46 years and 17 days old. The previous record was Tina Turner from the year before (she was 45 years 10 months when "What's Love Got To Do With It" topped the charts). Then Grace broke HER OWN record in '87 with "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" at almost 48 years old!

To Cher's credit, she DID break the record in 1999.

Mickey Thomas; Dylan of the 80's(except better).......2005-12-13

"...my Tony plays the Bamba, listen to the radio...'nuff said

We built this city...on rock and rolllllllllllll!.......2005-06-26

Another high school memory comes from hearing Starship's irresistible and cheery "We Built This City," as my classmate, Brad Liscom, was really into Starship then. I had him copy that song and "Sara," the two singles that became the constantly revamped group's first #1 hits. What makes this album no hoopla are the 80's style synths, Mickey Thomas's soaring vocals and Craig Chaquico's fiery and grinding guitars. True, these made be considered the final surrender and incarnation of Starship into the pop mainstream, but that's what I grew up on.

"We Built This City" embodies the oppression the band feels by the corporate mindset and by police and other authorities, but also rock as the symbol of high school youth. Slick's lines of "Someone always playing corporation games/Who cares they're always changing corporation names" are sadly still relevant today. The mid-song DJ monologue also adds to the mix, with a reference to the Bay Area, Starship's home base, when Les Garland refers to San Francisco as the city that rocks and never stops. Two weeks at #1? Four would be satisfactory for this song, which unseated Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme" before giving way to "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin.

Two of the songwriters here include Bernie Taupin, Elton John's songwriting partner, Martin Page, who with Taupin wrote Heart's "These Dreams," and Peter Wolf (more on him later down).

"Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes." Set to a steady drum machine, the bittersweet ballad "Sara," is bolstered by Chaquico's guitars and the keyboards, which lend to the sorrowful atmosphere. I recall the video, where Rebecca de Mornay played the title character, a pretty but shallow blonde temptress.

I got peeved when the third single, "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight," only reached #26. Maybe it was the video for the song, a solid electronic drum beat, Chaquico's solo, or the airy female vocals before the last bits of the choruses take over with a thundering sound, but I was quite taken with this upbeat number.

If the fourth single, "Before I Go," and certain songs throughout sounds like something from Heart's 1985 comeback, well, it's because Peter Wolf (no, not the J.Geils' Band lead singer) but a keyboardist did synth work on that classic album, on which incidentally, Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick did backing vocals on "What About Love." Anyway, this song sounds like a cross between "Nothin' At All" and the future "All I Want To Do" by Heart, with the constant backbeat drum machine and a catchy chorus. Its #68 showing was way too low. At least Top 20, come on!

If I were to choose a candidate for a fifth single, it'd be "Hearts of the World Will Understand," with prominent lead vocals by Slick. Perfect 80's pop, soaring harmony vocals, a mid-song monologue by Slick, and the intense drums and guitars of the group. Next up would be "Rock Myself To Sleep" with its pounding drums, hard-edged guitar chords, and also sung mostly by Grace Slick.

"Love rusts when it rains on romance/Hailstones heavy on this empty heart." Some bombastic synths pepper the somber ballad "Love Rusts," which is accompanied by airy synths and a host of backing vocalists, including Simon Climie of Climie Fisher fame, Martin Page, Ina Wolf, who co-wrote "Sara" with Peter Wolf, and Siedah Garrett, who sang with Michael Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" from his Bad album. Some parts of this song have a moody and oppressive aura, due to the bass synths.

Where songs like "Find Your Way Back" and "No Way Out" showed Starship moving closer to the mainstream after years as Jefferson Airplane and then as Jefferson Starship, Knee Deep In The Hoopla finally has the group getting its laurels and being embraced by my generation, by me because of "We Built This City" and due to a sound similar to but less grinding than Heart. So thanks, Brad, wherever you are, for introducing me to them, because I built my collection on rock and rollllllllll.

Average customer rating:

Beatiful positive Soul Funk Hip Hop
"Which Radio Station Has The Guts"
The album grooves and moves
An album with a positive message.
Excellent soulful, organic vibe with a message

Hoopla
Speech
Manufacturer: Tvt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

The Vagabond
Speech
Spiritual People
3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of--
Unplugged

ASIN: B00000JJIP
Release Date: 1999-08-03

Tracks:

Do You Know How To Get To Highway 85 (Skit)
Clocks In Sync With Mine
The Hey Song
I Think Yin Is Having A Baby, But I Don't Know (Skit)
Our Image
Movin' On
Which Radio Station Has The Guts (Skit)
The Mountain Of Lonely
Are You Still With Me
Slave Of It All
Leave A Message...Bye Bye (Skit)
Sumtimes I Do
Yeah Yeah
Real Love
Shut Down Our Mind Machine
The List Goes On
Redemption Song
If Life Is A River
The Hey Song (Remix) Another Perspective

Amazon.com

Hoopla is the second solo album for Speech, the former leader of Arrested Development. With this set he fuses hip-hop beats and rhymes, the funky bass and ensemble vibe of Sly & the Family Stone, and the soulfulness of Stevie Wonder. On Hoopla, Speech's inclination toward sociopolitical commentary--exemplified by the sloganistic "Ask Somebody Who Ain't (If U Think the System's Workin')" from his solo debut, Speech--makes way for introspection. On "Clock's in Sync with Mine," he likens himself and the subject of his affection to "two peas in a pod" and drives the spirit of the tune home with a joyously funky Parliament-style ending. The sensuous "Real Love" recalls Marvin Gaye with its smooth and soulful rhythm track and delicious backing vocals. Halfway through the set Speech asks a rapturous audience, "Are you still with me?", and with this deeply funky and engaging album the answer is a resounding "yes." --Michael Wells

Customer Reviews:

Beatiful positive Soul Funk Hip Hop .......2005-09-29

This could be the most underrated album of the 90's. Big call, I know. Speech moves beautifully forward from Arrested Development with his signature feel good songwriting and strong, simple production. One of those albums to be listened to the whole way through, my highlights are " I think Yin Is having a Baby, But I Dont Know (Skit)", "Slave of it all", "Sumtimes I Do", "Real Love" & "The List Goes On".
If you have any interest in hip hop, soul & funk, get it quick!
Beautiful people make beautiful music.

"Which Radio Station Has The Guts".......2001-08-11

After Arrested Developments Zingalamaduni the group disbanded, and AD's front man Speech was going to start a solo career. He realesed the self titled album SPEECH in 1996 which was a good CD and had hits like "Like Marvin Gaye Said (Whats Going On)" which is a great song but nothin' like what Speech Makes on his 2nd attempt album Hoopla. His debut single was still the same style of what he was making while he was in Arrested Development and people were tired of that, so he re-creates his self and realeses "The Hey Song," which I think is a very under rated song, because the production and sampling in it is great. Other songs like "Real Love," and "Our Image," are a new sound for Speech as well (really good songs). A song that could have been very good could've been "Redemption Song," the 1st Minute of it is amazing which just acustic and speech's vocals, but still a great song. "Which Radio Station Has The Guts," the little less then 40 second skit, Speech just saying "which raio station has the guts to play the positive stuff,". The second hit off Hoopla is kinda got a country feel to it "Clocks In Sync With Mine," its got the acustic and harmonica feel to it. Other great songs "If Life is a River," "Movin On," "Yeah Yeah," "The Hey Song (Remix) and "Slave Of it All," also give this CD a solid 5 perfect star rating.

The album grooves and moves.......2001-08-01

Cool album. It grooves all the way thru from start to end. I found that tract 12 -"Sometimes I do" turned out to be one of my favorites on this cd. I even had to break out a stick of Patchouli incense and blaze it up to lock into the whole atmosphere of that vibe. And, once again, Miss Nadirah's vocals "RULE" on this piece. You can totally hear her vocal "sweet spots". I also liked tract 10 "Slave of it all". It would've been nice to hear more verses sung by Miss Nadirah, being that she was featured on this piece .And the song was over five minutes long. Long enough for Miss Nadirah to get her full Feature on .But, I guess it is Speech's solo album... Tract 14 ("REAL LOVE") What can I say... Hum, It sound familiar...* Great production tho... Over all , A Cool album, get it and share it with a friend...

An album with a positive message........2001-02-09

I was always a big fan of Arrested Development, they were a group with happiness and positive, phat beats. When I heard Speech was coming out with this album I just knew I had to get it. The hip hop beat of redemption song is bumpin. Every song is well written and makes you think about life. He has done yet an another amazing album that I believe has never really received the recognition it really deserves. Well done speech, I can't wait to hear more to come!I know my friends and I are always loyal fans.

Excellent soulful, organic vibe with a message.......2001-01-02

I first saw Speech at West 54th Street in NYC. His organic, soulful blend of jazz, hip hop, and soul is a refreshing addition of class and positive energy. You may know Speech already as he was a lead singer/rapper with Arrested Development, (an act who has huge current market potential, especially in the college sector right now). With a band-based approach to his music, this "Hoopla" recording sounds fresh, live, and pulls at your mindstrings and gets your head movin' and feet tappin' .

If you like Sly & The Family Stone, previous Arrested Development work, and Prince, buy this record. The guy jams!

His guitarist, Rick (Billy Wolf) Ward should be given ample credit for pushing a lot of these tracks out into a world not widely explored by hip-hop artists. These are real songs, not tracks of endless drum and vocal loops. The band is tight, jazzy, and funky and the tracks "Clocks in sync with mine" "Slave of it all", "Sumtimes I do", "The list goes on" are well thought-out and well produced. I love the layered vocals! A Bob Marley cover "Redemption Song" has a soulful rhythm that makes you close your eyes and just swing along. A 4 Non Blondes cover "The Hey Song" sounds all his own. "The Mountain of Lonely" hints of Prince and the Revolution in their prime. On the album he asks a question: "Which radio station has the guts to play this? To get positive? To get real?"

This reviewer asks: "Which of you public record buyers has the guts to buy this and get down with some positive funk, jazz, and hip hop from the soul? Can you dig it?"

Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Average customer rating:

If you are so inclined, get a Starship "Hits" compilation instead....

A LITTLE LAME, BUT TOO MEMORABLE TO DISCARD

It ain't Jefferson Airplane... and thats ok.

What a great album!

StarSH* T

Knee Deep in the Hoopla
Starship
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JN8U
Release Date: 1999-07-27

Tracks:

We Built This City
Sara
Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight
Rock Myself To Sleep
Desperate Heart
Private Room
Before I Go
Hearts Of The World (Will Understand)
Love Rusts
Casualty

Customer Reviews:

If you are so inclined, get a Starship "Hits" compilation instead...........2006-11-29

A couple killer mid-80's singles and a whole lotta crap...

When I was a 9 and 10 year old kid, in 1985 and 1986, I remember the first two singles from this album ("We Built This City" and "Sara") being all over radio and MTV. In my opinion, both of those songs are still killer mid-80's pop songs. The third single, "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" (which is also the third song on the album) is also a pretty good mid-80's pop song.

Basically, that is what this album is - pre-fabricated radio-friendly mid-80's pop. If you like 80's pop music, and if (like me) you are nostalgic for a time in your life when things were sooooo much simpler, and if that time happened to be 1985-1986, then you are probably going to like the first three songs on this album.

However, there is no coincidence that the first three songs on this album were the three singles pulled from it, because this thing goes downhill (fast) starting with track 4 ("Rock Myself to Sleep" which is an odd ditty, annoying and headache-inducing). "Rock Myself" is also Grace Slick's time to shine on this album, and she takes herself about as far away from "White Rabbit" as that kid from "A Christmas Story" did when he made a porno.

Truth be told, you can get the three singles on this album elsewhere on one of the many Starship "hits" compilations (which is sure to include Starship's other #1 80's schlock-fest - "Nothing Gonna's Stop Us Now" from the even less-memorable 1987 effort "No Protection").

The long and short is, I actually own this CD (and a vinyl copy as well), and I like the first three songs on this CD (esp. "Sara") and even I can't think of a reason to recommend that you buy this CD. There just isn't any reason outside of 1985/1986 to buy this thing. There are no lyrics, the cover sucks and the mastering job is typical mid-80's low bass high treble tinny-sounding fare.

If you are so inclined, get a Starship "Hits" compilation instead....

A LITTLE LAME, BUT TOO MEMORABLE TO DISCARD.......2006-04-19

For some reason 80's-'mechanical' music gives my brain the feeling of a spa where you'd dance rather than lie still. I can't say I'm familiar with Jefferson Airplane (I know a few of their songs, "White Rabbit" seems to be a classic and rightly so in my not-so-humble opinion), but this album is kind of a contemporary classic, not something that will be understood by the 6 yr olds of today who hear this album (music is so sad and angry these days, what can people make of such happy music??) and 20 years from NOW, it might be banned by those who 'know better' than to listen to such 'foolishness'...and yeah, it does bring me back to a better time in my life and, like I said, it's kind of a classic (meaning, in this case, a must-have for anyone who grew up in the '80's), but I must say the sound quality (disregarding the obvious fact that it's mechanical) or simply the music itself (or both) make for a somewhat bland record, something that doesn't hold up easily after repeat listening. GENESIS, the following year, made an album that was a little bit like this except they complicated the sound enough to make it hold up GREATLY through repeat listens. The year after THAT, Michael Jackson did BAD and the result of that record is similiar to KNEE DEEP...; a rejuvinating pop record with a slight lacking in soundscape that keeps it from being enjoyed repeatedly. I own this on cassette, but hope to be able to buy it on CD w/o really 'needing' to...

It ain't Jefferson Airplane... and thats ok........2003-09-05

Anyone looking for Jefferson Airplane... this isn't them. It has members from that band, but it is not them. Anyone looking for the Jefferson Airplane sound should look elsewhere because this is not that band, nor is it that musical style. Its a different band with a different sound. If you don't like the 80's sound of this band, take the CD out and put in a different one. Stop insulting the band and thier fans. That is all.

What a great album!.......2002-08-06

I think Michael Giersher should stop listening to whatever crap he listens to (probably Mmmmbop) and get with the freaking program. We Built This City is one of the most popular and easily recognizable songs on the radio!

There's no feeling better than playing Rock Myself to Sleep full blast and shouting along!

Sarah is a great ballad that makes me sad everytime I hear it.

Michael, why don't you stop trashing good music or I'll start trashing your idols (the three 6 year olds that make up Hanson).

StarSH* T.......2000-04-02

This group should have called it quits back in the early 70's, when their Jefferson Airplane phase ended. Grace Slick actually left the Starship after they made "Earth" in 1978 because she didn't like the direction in which the group's music was going. Why she came back in the 80's to help make albums like this one, I'll never know. This is easily their worst effort. Bland, boring, dumb and corporate sounding, (which, by the way, is how I find all of the Jefferson Starship's albums to sound), Knee Deep is a ZERO star album in my opinion. Too bad that old airplane couldn't have been fixed after it crashed.

Average customer rating:

Knee Deep in the Hoopla

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000J10E8S
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Average customer rating:

Hoopla
Les Hooper
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0000564D4

Average customer rating:

Hoopla
Silt
Manufacturer: Silt Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00007MEWG
Release Date: 2002-12-15

Tracks:

Good Soul
Million Pieces
Headache And A Stitch
Part Of Me
Brand New Scar

Average customer rating:

Hoopla

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alternative Pop | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000056VGR
Release Date: 2000-09-23

Tracks:

Shining Down
Sky
All Sex
Even Though
Amy Song
Coffee
Hit Single
Relapse
Tried to Run

Album Description

Debut CD from Detroit disto-pop duo. Detroit's Paper Tiger is an energetic two-piece rock band that delivers simple melodic tunes with a raw punk attitude. Maureen Maki (guitar, vocals) and Neil Yee (drums, vocals) create a full band sound while sticking to the basics of good simple pop songs about raw emotions and typical teenage angst. Paper Tiger's honest approach to music and songwriting is the good feeling goojallee yum yum stuff that rock should be made of. Drawing on influences such as Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Velvet Underground, and Roxy Music, Paper Tiger makes you feel the music and hum along or scream and yell out your latest relationship boo-hoo.