There are many talented musicians, say John Fogerty who plays many instruments. THese folks make albums by singing, playing each instrument and then heading over to the mixing board to put it all together. I used to think this was bogus. I really appreciate bands that only need a couple takes to "nail" a song. However, Fogerty and his kind are undeniably talented and the music sounds just fine.

Well, obviously, a multi-instrumentalist takes longer to record than a whole band, because they have to do all the parts. I admire these people because it takes a lot of skill to learn how to play all the instruments in a band. Then again, the White Stripes take two weeks to record their albums, due to its stripped-down nature and their lack of need for re-recording. I admire a multi-instrumentalist more, but I prefer seeing a whole band in concert (hirelings aren't as interesting technically or as good otherwise usually).

obviously, as Sin said, you have to respect people who do it all. I remember when i first stumbled onto Lenny Kravitz liner notes where it said he played all instruments and i just wouldn't believe it. But you have to wonder if they don't get lost in their vision and lose, to a certain extent, perspective. One of the band's concepts is that everyone can bring something different to the table, sometimes going in one totally different direction than initially thought.

This is an interesting one.

It's very impressive when a composer can not only write great music, but also has the talent to perform all the instrumental parts.

These works don't always translate into a 'live' aesthetic, but they can be quite wonderful and often they are full of character.

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells is an often overlooked album.