Rubber Soul [Enhanced, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]

In the 20 months since The Beatles landed in America to the time the band recorded this album, rock 'n' roll had undergone a revolution, sparked by The Beatles themselves. The British invasion inspired Bob Dylan to go electric, while The Beatles converted the L.A. folk quartet, The Byrds, to replace their acoustic guitars with electric music. Add to this the whiff of American grass and you get the influences which shaped the late-1965 Beatles.

Above all, the Beatle's songwriting takes a big leap forward with RUBBER SOUL. For the first time John, Paul and George avoid the cliched boy-meets-girl songs and address introspective themes. Though RUBBER SOUL was widely viewed as Just Another Beatles Album in late-1965, some listners took notice of the words with as much care as they did Dylan albums. Some started to use the word "poetry" to describe Beatles music.

The album opens superbly with the funky Drive My Car which features a sharp vocal by Paul and a gorgeous bass influenced by Motown. John's Norwegian Wood is one of the record's highlights and introduces the sitar to Western ears. It obliquely tells of an affair John once had. You Won't See Me could've easily been a single. Paul's song, it is simply structured but strong. Nowhere Man was actually pulled as a single in the U.S. and is the first Beatles song not to talk about love or girls. John looks in the mirror and finds himself lost in a lyric that was one of his best (Dylan covered it many years later). George's Think For Yourself also steers away from the love song and features Paul playing the distinctive fuzz bass. The Word preceeds All You Need Is Love and discusses love not in boy-girl terms but universally (at a time when the Anti-War Movement was growing). Michelle closes side 1 in style. Love it or hate it, it is a fine love song with another great bass line.

Side 2 opens and closes with two disposable songs, What Goes On? and Run For Your Life. RUBBER SOUL would have been far better with the double-sided single, We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper, taking their place. However, the rest of side 2 shines with Girl and I'm Looking Through You -- John and Paul's complex views about women which are light-years away from She Loves You -- and In My Life which the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently named as the best song of all time. In My Life is a milestone in Lennon's career, featuring a nostalgic but bittersweet lyric. Lennon has never been this candid with his audience. Word is merely a leftover from the Help! sessions, though George's If I Needed Someone features the chiming Rickenbacker put to good use.

Today, RUBBER SOUL remains fresh. Amazingly, it was rush-recorded in two weeks with most of the songs written in the studio. John and Paul are at the height of their powers, while George is keeping pace with two songs instead of his customary one (or none). The album's acoustic sound allow's the band's maturing lyrics to be heard, while the arrangements are simple, yet intelligent. Few Beatles albums can rival RUBBER SOUL in songwriting. The sound of the album sounds unified which will pave the way for their next two albums, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. RUBBER SOUL is The Beatles' first masterpiece.

1. I've Just Seen a Face
2. Norwegian Wood
3. You Won't See Me
4. Think For Yourself
5. The Word
6. Michelle
7. It's Only Love
8. Girl
9. I'm Looking Through You
10. In My Life
11. Wait
12. Run For Your Life

Although I think "If I Needed Someone" is a nice addition, in general I find it disgusting that the record company felt the need to destroy what may have been the Beatles' most perfect, if not their most ground-breaking, album. Thus, 4 instead of 5 stars. Boo to Capitol!