saulgoldie wrote: I have noticed this phenomenon with many musicians. Is there some sort of unwritten law that the production folks absolutely must add these features?

Producers have to do something to justify their existence. :-p

Performers sometimes don't really know what they sound like very well, so they let producers talk them into things they shouldn't do. :-( Plus, a recording has to pay for itself, so they may try to broaden the audience. That's always a balancing act between finding new fans and putting off the old fans....

There is a good general rule, I think: If they want to add piano/keyboards or drums, it's going to be a mistake. :-p