At some point during the 1960s The Beatles went from being the band that sang "She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love" to the band that recorded tracks like "Revolution" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." 1965's Rubber Soul is a very important step in their progression. I think one can make a good argument that the jump in artistic sensibility from Help! to Rubber Soul is the biggest such leap of their career.
There is a true depth to the songs on Rubber Soul that was not present on their earlier songs. While it is a fact that their earlier albums contain many great songs they weren't really doing songs as ground breaking as "Norwegian Wood" until this one.
But Rubber Soul isn't great only because it represents an artistic breakthrough for the greatest band of all time, it is also a great album because it includes so many wonderful songs. In fact, I think that Rubber Soul may contain a larger percentage of true classic songs on it than any other album by the band. "Nowhere Man," "In My Life," "Norwegian Wood," "Drive My Car," "Girl," and "Michelle" are all stone cold classic songs. "The Word," "Think For Yourself," and "I'm Looking Through You" are right on the line. These are the type of songs that some fans may think are classics but others may not.
On the other hand, in comparison with some of their later albums I do think that Rubber Soul contains a few duds most obviously "Run For Your Life" and "What Goes On." These songs aren't that good by Beatles standards and they are pretty conspicuous because they are surrounded by the previously mentioned classics.
Lyrically the album was a huge step forward for Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison as they stopped the usual "boy loves girl" song lyrics with these songs and started writing about more progressive themes.
But for me The Beatles are always about the music first and foremost and I think this is where I hear the most important advancement with Rubber Soul. We hear a sitar for the very first time in pop music on "Norwegian Wood," we hear the classical music style piano bridge in "In My Life," and we hear the beautiful harmonies in "Nowhere Man." This is rock music as art, as music to really listen to, not just to dance to and sing along with. This is probably why it still sounds good nearly fifty years after it was first written & recorded.
To really hear this album properly I strongly recommend getting The Beatles in Stereo Box Set since contains this album and all of the other Beatles albums in truly remarkable sound quality.
There is a true depth to the songs on Rubber Soul that was not present on their earlier songs. While it is a fact that their earlier albums contain many great songs they weren't really doing songs as ground breaking as "Norwegian Wood" until this one.
But Rubber Soul isn't great only because it represents an artistic breakthrough for the greatest band of all time, it is also a great album because it includes so many wonderful songs. In fact, I think that Rubber Soul may contain a larger percentage of true classic songs on it than any other album by the band. "Nowhere Man," "In My Life," "Norwegian Wood," "Drive My Car," "Girl," and "Michelle" are all stone cold classic songs. "The Word," "Think For Yourself," and "I'm Looking Through You" are right on the line. These are the type of songs that some fans may think are classics but others may not.
On the other hand, in comparison with some of their later albums I do think that Rubber Soul contains a few duds most obviously "Run For Your Life" and "What Goes On." These songs aren't that good by Beatles standards and they are pretty conspicuous because they are surrounded by the previously mentioned classics.
Lyrically the album was a huge step forward for Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison as they stopped the usual "boy loves girl" song lyrics with these songs and started writing about more progressive themes.
But for me The Beatles are always about the music first and foremost and I think this is where I hear the most important advancement with Rubber Soul. We hear a sitar for the very first time in pop music on "Norwegian Wood," we hear the classical music style piano bridge in "In My Life," and we hear the beautiful harmonies in "Nowhere Man." This is rock music as art, as music to really listen to, not just to dance to and sing along with. This is probably why it still sounds good nearly fifty years after it was first written & recorded.
To really hear this album properly I strongly recommend getting The Beatles in Stereo Box Set since contains this album and all of the other Beatles albums in truly remarkable sound quality.
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You can also listen to the original mono & stereo mixes of this album if you get The Beatles in Mono Box Set.
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