Rebound/ MultiTracking

Gotta love multi-tracking.
In the old days, a musician or band would huddle around a microphone to record a live take, all in one go. This meant that you had to have the arrangement and all the parts decided beforehand, distances from the mic set to make the volume consistant, and if anyone screwed up you had to start all over again. Les Paul developed the multi-tracking system, where you could record something, and then play along with it to record another instrument on the same tape. For those not in-the-know, think of a cassette: four tracks. Side one - left, Side one - right, Side two - left, and Side two - right. If you could play them all at once, you'd hear Side One properly and Side Two backwards.
Dear Departed Les worked out a way where you could record all four tracks on the tape, and that would be your song. You could put the drums on one, the guitars on another, the vocals on a third, etc... Then, you could manipulate each track separately, adjusting volume for example.

In the 50s and early 60s, musicians used 4 tracks at most. The Beatles' Sgt.Pepper album was recorded on two 4-track machines wired together. It's an amazing example of ingenuity, recording such an intricate, grandiose album on something so limited.
In the 70s, engineers developed 24- and 48-track systems, giving the musicians many more options.

Now, with computers, we really do have unlimited track options. The only block we have is the RAM in our PCs. With this freedom, pop musicians often record instruments and ideas that never, ever make it onto the version you hear on the radio. I've seen video clips showing U2's producers (Daniel Lanois & Brian Eno) showcasing weird guitar and organ tracks that never made it to The Joshua Tree. I find that stuff fascinating.

And that's where my inspiration has come from this time. I was working on Porno, which is basically a heavy-drum/piano track. There area also a dozen guitar tracks going, some synthesized saxophone, etc etc etc, that were good but didn't fit the mix. So I was pleasantly surprised when I accidentally solo'd an acoustic guitar bashing through the verse.
I muted the piano and drums. I turned up the bongos and shakers. I manipulated what I'd recorded, and turned it into something else.

So now I have ELEVEN songs for the album. Along with Porno, the piano/drum version, I also now have Porno Guitar. This adrenaline rush also helped me finish Pop Song and Stormy Weather.
A couple of tweaks, and Shadow is all I've got left. I'm almost done, and back on track!

Are all artists this flaky?