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Released: 1990-10-25 Rating:  More Details: Rubber Soul (1990) Rubber Soul (1990) @Amazon Rubber Soul (1990) @aStore |
Album Description
Japanese exclusive reissue of 1965 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. 2003.
Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. The album was softened up in its original 12-song American edition to jibe with the Dylan/Byrds folk-rock sound, as well as squeeze money from the Parlophone catalog. The 14-song U.K. edition--the version now available on compact disc--is a different, more dynamic, and ultimately more accomplished achievement. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" (both omitted from the U.S. edition) merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's oeuvre. George finally emerges too, with the McGuinn-ish "If I Needed Someone." --Don Harrison
Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
1. Drive My Car
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won't See Me
4. Nowhere Man
5. Think for Yourself
6. Word
7. Michelle
8. What Goes On
9. Girl
10. I'm Looking Through You
11. In My Life
12. Wait
13. If I Needed Someone
14. Run for Your Life
Customer Reviews:
Another great album
I love this album! I was looking for another album to add to my growing Beatles collection and this was the perfect one. My fiance and I were talking about music for our wedding and he mentioned that he wanted to dance to In My Life with his mom. I ended up buying the album because that song was on it (along with a bunch of other GREAT GREAT songs).
Rock & Roll
This was purchased as a gift for my husband. The Beatles are his most favorite group & the sound is excellent.
Rubber Soul 
Everything is just fine. We haven't tested it, yet, but it looks like it should work.
Not the album I had growing up. 
The songs are all in a different order and I've just seen a face" is not even on it. I don't know if it was a different release but the cover is the same. Very disappointing because the order of the songs on the album told a story, and this is just a mixed-mesh of Beatles songs.
"The Beatles in transition"
The year 1965 saw the Beatles' domination of pop music being challenged by the likes of folk-rock, Motown, Memphis/Stax, and R&B/Soul.
Rather than quietly continuing to crank out single after single, the Fab Four chose to take on the competition with their own styles.
R&B and soul musicians coined the phrase "Plastic Soul" to describe Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, and the Beatles chose to parody that with the title "Rubber Soul".
The title may have been a joke, but the music certainly wasn't.
John & Paul offered compositions that were a considerable leap forward from their previous album, "Help!".
George also offered two fine efforts, while even Ringo co-authored a tune.
14 tracks in all, that showed facets of all the music that challenged their chart success.
The Tracks:
Paul's "Drive My Car" opens the album, and turns things around instumentally, as Paul not only sings in the 2&3 part harmony, but plays the lead & slide guitar parts, as well as piano, while George lays down the bass line, doubling it with electric guitar as well.
Paul & John harmonize the verses, while George joins on the choruses. It's a rock feel, yet soulful. A nice opening.
"Norwegian Wood" (This Bird Has Flown), is John's tale of an extra-marital affair, that features his acoustic 12-string , and bridge harmonies from Paul.
It is George, however, who supplies the key musical element; his newly acquired sitar,an Indian stringed instrument that produces an exotic buzzing sound that evokes visions of the mystic east.
"You Won't See Me" is Paul's salute to the Motown vocal groups, both male and female.
His lead vocal, backed by John and George's "ooh-la-las", give a 4 Tops type of sound, yet more rock and rollish.
Roadie Mal Evans drones a single organ note during the last verse, as well.
"Nowhere Man" is John's first "message" song, as he refers to himself as a "nowhere man".
Glorious 3-part harmony, a solid bass groove, and the treble-y Fender Stratocasters (George's solo is outstanding) - along with Ringo's classic drumming make for one of John's top 5 all-time Beatles songs.
George's first contribution "Think for Yourself", is a powerful number musically and lyrically.
George's lead vocal is all but dripping with angst, with interjections from Paul, who drives home the anger with his new Rickenbacker bass plugged into a fuzz box. Powerful stuff...
"The Word" has a musical inspiration from funky artists such as James Brown and Wilson Pickett.
The choruses are 7add9 chords, shaped into a 12-bar blues, while the verses are written in a I-VI-III-IV pattern, with George doubling the bass line with guitar again. Producer George Martin contributes harmonium solos.
Lyrically, John was foreshadowing "All You Need Is Love". Could this have been the first "hippie" song ? Hmm...
"Michelle" has often been praised as a beautiful ballad.
The fact is...it's one big joke !
Paul-back in the early 1960's, would take a guitar to artsy parties, play that tune and act like Maurice Chevalier, in an attempt to score with women.
During the "Rubber" sessions, John told him to put words to "that silly French thing", and the words were just as silly, because the man in the song is in love with the French girl, but only knows one sentence in French ! Hilarious! The song was covered by many people, and the Beatles laughed all the way to the bank...
"What Goes On ?" is Ringo's vocal contribution, and he gets a writing credit as well. A straight country-rock tune done live in the studio in one take. Rock on !
"Girl" is John's Dylanesque folk ballad for Cynthia (wife #1) the "tit-tit" backing vocals were sly for the day, but went apparently unnoticed.
"I'm Looking Through You" is Paul McCartney writing like Paul Simon, as many Simon and Garfunkel hooks were used, and to really give a different sound, Ringo smashes organ chords during the choruses.
"In My Life" is a classic Lennon composition, about taking a look at one's life, and realizing that one true love is where it's at.
Producer George Martin's vari-speed piano solo gives the song a baroque feel. Very nice.
"Wait" is a leftover song from the "Help" sessions, and sounds it. It's not bad...just out of date.
"If I Needed Someone" is one of George's best-ever compositions, and easily the most over-looked song on this album.
Directly influenced by the Byrds' "The Bells of Rhymney", George's electric 12-string sets the folk-rock feel, as the melody is written around fingerings of the major chord.
John and Paul add excellent harmonies, making this song one of the album's high points.
"Run For Your Life" is inspired by early Elvis, although George's lead guitar is a bit more over-driven than Scotty Moore's guitar ever would have been.
There you have it- "Rubber Soul": top to bottom.
The Beatles started the maturing process here...and never looked back.
5 stars out of 5.
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