Can't get into recovery?

So bootmanager is all kinds of fun problems. I flashed CM7 1.7 to an empty ROM slot, flashed GAPPS, and then booted into the new ROM. Except I didn't get past the splash screen. No CM7 boot animation. No fun. So I pulled the battery, power+vol down to hboot, let it not find a radio, chose Recovery and then it again got stuck at the splash screen. I don't have a cable handy to try adb reboot recovery and see if that takes me there, but I'm not optimistic. Any ideas what's going on here? I've sworn off bootmanager a couple times now and this might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back if I have to recover through a stock image.

thanks guys

edit: I should say, I was using CWM 4, didn't upgrade to 5. Is that part of the problem?