Band on the run

I have always wondered how studio albums are made by each member of the band coming in at a different time to the studio and recording his own instrument/vocal into the song. Technology may have advanced to make it possible, but would they actually enjoy recording like this?

Every kid knows: When Van Morrison made the monumental Astral Weeks, he came into the studio alone with his guitar, sang and strummed hysterically, and later all the instrumental segments were added on to this. If you were not aware of this fact when you listened to this album, you wouldn’t have ever imagined this, Astral weeks being such a passionate and solid record.

Talking of bands and of being passionate, nothing can get more intimate than the E-Street Band. But then, Springsteen’s latest offering Magic was recorded in a similar fashion (maybe for the first time in the history of E-Street) – due to the busy schedules of E-Street members, they came in separately to the studio and recorded their part into the song. Can you imagine E-Street band doing such a thing?

The indie-rock-gone-major-met-Dalai-Lama band Death Cab for Cutie decided that for their latest album, they would stick to playing as a band, live, while recording, in contrast to their first Major Label album Plans. From the NYT review:

As the album [Plans] turned into a big-budget production in which each instrument was recorded separately, “It was freaking me out, definitely,” Mr. [Chris] Walla said. “I missed out on the fun of being in a band. I felt more like a project manager than one quarter of a band. I had a clipboard instead of a guitar.”

[..]“Narrow Stairs” was largely recorded live in the studio, and in the music you can sense a band in communion with itself.

While we are at it, on the album Band on the run by Paul McCartney, “backed” by the band Wings, Paul played lead, rhythm and bass guitars, drums, piano, keyboards, percussion, and obviously did the vocals too! All the instruments on this album were not played and recorded live, eh.