By the end of 1986, Coverdale had fired Sykes, Murray and Dunbar, as well as producer Mike Stone. The events surrounding their departure remain a point of contention between the differing parties. Coverdale maintains that as he was recovering from surgery, Sykes and Stone began conspiring against him by booking studio time and making decisions without his involvement. Mike Stone allegedly suggested bringing in someone else to record the vocals, while Sykes reportedly refused to work with Keith Olsen. Conversely, Sykes claims that he and the other band members were systematically fired as soon as they finished recording their respective parts. Vandenberg recalled in an interview with Eddie Trunk, how Sykes came to the studio to confront Coverdale after being informed he was out of the band. Neil Murray, meanwhile, has stated that Sykes wanted more control over the band, which ultimately led to his departure. As for himself and Dunbar, Murray stated that as soon as they finished recording their parts, they stopped getting paid, despite still officially being in the band. In any case, Coverdale was left as the sole member of Whitesnake, so he set about putting together a new line-up. With the help of John Kalodner, he recruited Vandenberg and Tommy Aldridge, as well as guitarist Vivian Campbell (formerly of Dio) and bassist Rudy Sarzo (formerly of Quiet Riot). This new line-up would appear in all the promotional materials for the forthcoming album. Whitesnake also adopted a new look, akin to glam metal bands of the time, in order to appeal more to American audiences. When asked about the band's makeover, Coverdale responded: "I'm competing with people like Jon Bon Jovi. I’ve gotta look the part." Due to the prolonged recording process, Coverdale claims to have been three million dollars in debt at the time of the album's release.