sentences:  Howe, who had previously worked with the Mamas & the Papas and the Turtles, was brought in by the band's manager and Warner Bros., in an attempt to steer the group in a more commercial direction.As a result of Howe's focus on obtaining a radio-friendly sound, the Association ceded much of the instrumental playing on "Insight Out" to a team of top L.A. session musicians, including drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Joe Osborn, keyboardist Larry Knechtel, guitarist Al Casey, and guitarist/sitarist Mike Deasy.The group also elected to record some songs written by non-band members, in stark contrast to their previous album, "Renaissance", on which the band had written and performed all of their own music.