Rubber Soul

The Beatles - "Rubber Soul" (1965) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

There's already been tons written and researched on every Beatles album and song out there.  If you really wanted to know, you could probably find out how many times Ringo pee'd during the recording of "You Won't See Me".  Here on "Vinyl in the Valley" we're too drunk and lazy caught up in the music for all that.  We're not trying to re-write history friends, that takes the fun out of it all.  We're happy just to kick back, drop the needle and enjoy a classic album, song-by-song, side-by-side, the way it was meant to be heard!* 
(* sort of...)

Squeezed in between HELP and REVOLVER, this is the folksiest of all Beatles' Records.  Recorded in just four weeks-- under pressure to make the December 1965 holiday market-- RUBBER SOUL sounds like a band who are growing up.  On the distorted photo on the cover their hair is longer and gone are the suits.  (Its also the first Beatles album to not feature the band's name prominently on the sleeve!)  The music and the instruments being used are getting more experimental: there's the use of the sitar on "Norwegian Wood", a fuzz bass on "Think For Yourself", harmonium on "The Word"... etc.  The lyrics, too, are getting darker ("Run For Your Life"), more introspective ("In My Life"), paranoid ("Norwegian Wood"), ambiguous ("Its Only Love", "Girl") and existential ("I'm Looking Through You").  Its the sound of band in transition who have recently discovered marijuana and started listening to lots of Bob Dylan.

This is the original American Capitol Records version of the LP we're listening to tonight which varies slightly from the original UK version (and subsequent CD releases).  In case you were curious here's the track listing:

Side One:
I've Just Seen A Face
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
You Won't See Me
Think for Yourself (George Harrison)
The Word
Michelle

Side Two:
It's Only Love
Girl
I'm Looking Through You
In My Life
Wait
Run For Your Life

The British release omits "I've Just Seen A Face" and "It's Only Love" but includes "Drive My Car", "Nowhere Man", "What Goes On" and George Harrison's awesome "If I Needed Someone."  I think the theory behind this is that they wanted this album to appear more "folksie" for American audiences based on the recent successes of Dylan and bands like The Byrds.  But what do record companies know anyways?  Just ask Tony Meehan of Decca records!

An absolute classic record, RUBBER SOUL provides a nice bridge from the "early" Beatles' sound to the psychedelic stuff that was looming right around the corner.  

RATING: 5 girls who put you down when friends are there out of 5