[garageband]

Great to see the value and limitations of jamming. Jamming is like lifting weights. Necessary, but your girlfriend doesn't really want to come over to your house to watch you do sets. Likewise, nobody really wants to hear you just jam. (Soapbox moment over. Had a bad experience recently.)

The cassette thing is good. It'd be even better if you could write it out so you can see the organization of it. Even if you can write out the desired form, something like: A-B-A-C-A-B, for instance. It sounds like the formal considerations are what have you all balled up. Somebody mentioned, "See how others do it". Yes, do that. Take something simple like a Motown song and write out the form together as you listen to it. This is group listening/songwriting homework. Sit with lyric sheets and talk about how these things are put together. Why good ones are good, why sucky ones suck. All the great songwriting teams have done this. Your turn.