In their very early hits, the Beach Boys played their own instruments. As they became successful they could hire "The Wrecking Crew" but Brian Wilson always had a lot of input with the "crew". He was the architect of the music, and the 'crew' respected and enjoyed his input.
In many cases the "crew" or "The Swampers" and other studio 'bands' recorded the backing track for tens of thousands of other band's and single artist's records. Then the bands had to go home and learn what the session musicians put down on tape/vinyl.
In those days before limiters, compressors, advanced EX, modern FX, and a limit of a few tracks, it took special skills to record a clean take. A good take could be ruined by improper mic control and live bands often didn't have those skills.
We were the opening act for a lot of headliners back in the late 1960s, and it was a surprise to me back then but I learned almost nobody played their own instruments on their records.
It's not cheating like some people misunderstand. The songwriter still writes the song, the vocalists still sing it, and the studio musicians take what the originals played, recorded it first or second take and sometimes made it better.
In our duo
http://www.s-cats.com I make our own backing tracks
http://www.nortonmusic.com/backing_tracks.html and nobody but a very few other musicians have ever accused us of cheating. The audience loves it - which is why we have been gigging as a duo steadily since 1985. It's all about making the best music for your particular audience, and whether that be on a flat-top guitar or full orchestra backing tracks, the wisdom is to know your market and fulfill that need.
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