Vince Gill stretches out in a roomy place

NASHVILLE — The word "crazy" pops up often in conversation these days with country musician Vince Gill, and more often than not, the tongue it's rolling off of is his own. He knows that's the way much of the music world will perceive his release Tuesday of a four-CD album of all-new recordings -- widely considered a first for a major pop-music recording artist.

More than three decades into a career in which he's sold more than 20 million albums, won 17 Grammys and two dozen more awards from the Country Music Assn. and the Academy of Country Music, the Oklahoma-born singer, guitarist and songwriter decided it was time for a bold break from business as usual.

The set, constituting no less than his magnum opus, is titled "These Days," after one of its 43 songs, all of which he wrote or co-wrote. They're organized into four individually themed and titled albums: "Some Things Never Get Old," a traditional country collection; "Workin' On a Big Chill," a harder-rocking set heavy on roaring electric guitars; "Little Brother," an acoustic bluegrass effort; and "The Reason Why," a session heavy on romantic ballads.

Pundits will be quick to suggest other titles that might have been more appropriate in this era of retrenchment and lowered expectations: "No Easy Way," perhaps, for the job facing his record label, MCA Nashville; "Nothing Left to Say," for the potential aftermath of his creative outpouring; or the country ballad that might just sum it all up: "Out of My Mind."

Crazy or crafty, he credits it all to a bathroom visit during a recording session.

"We were in the studio knocking around working, having a big time doing all this recording," Gill, 49, said while relaxing in the den of the elegantly comfy two-story home he shares with his wife of 6 1/2 years, Christian pop singer Amy Grant, and their 5-year-old daughter, Corrina.

"I was going to the bathroom, and on the wall was a Beatles poster that had all their records on it and all their release dates. I looked at that and thought, 'They released that record, that record and that record within a year of each other?'

"It blew my mind," he said. "I thought, 'Well, shoot, why couldn't I do that?' "

At the time, he'd been agonizing over choosing tunes for a single album from among some three dozen songs he'd recorded during an especially fruitful period last year. He went to label president Luke Lewis and proposed putting out three albums within a relatively short time.