The Beatles - Rubber Soul

good product, good band, good music... I recomended this company, I love Amazon and the seller, thanks for all.

Great to hear the Beatles again. In these days of on-line download purchases of individual songs for I-Pods, picking up an real "old fashioned" album is a real treat. Wonderfully nostalgic.

"Rubber Soul" is a great album. It consists of catchy, unpretentious British Invasion pop songs and you really don't think it would be that good but it is. The only song I dislike is "Drive My Car," but everything else can be listened to over and over. Slower, more contemplative songs like "Nowhere Man" and "Norwegian Wood," sweet love songs like "In My Life" and "Michelle," jangly pop "If I Needed Someone," and more aggressive numbers like "Run for Your Life." This album is just plain solid all the way through.

Though they continued to tour through 1966, by late 1965 the Fab Four considered themselves primarily studio musicians, and the two great mid-period albums "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver", even in their abbreviated Capitol versions, reflect this. Gone are the simpler, crowd-pleasing rave-ups that had driven teenaged girls crazy just a short time earlier, replaced by meticulous studio craftsmanship. In its original Parlophone form (the CD reviewed here), "Rubber Soul", from December, 1965, contains fourteen originals, ranging from Paul McCartney's cheery "Drive My Car", to John Lennon's much more complex "Norwegian Wood" (about a brief tryst, a landmark song in the Beatle canon, as it deals with much more adult subject matter than the group had ever addressed before), to George Harrison's rather sour "Think For Yourself"; again, far removed from Beatlemania. Best-known are McCartney's oft-covered "Michelle", a signature love song, and Lennon's "In My Life", which has grown even more poignant since his untimely demise. The four lads from Liverpool had been the best-known pop group in the world for quite awhile. Now they settled down to crafting music.

I was amazed to find a couple of songs on here that I didn't remember. This has a lot of my favorites. If you are a Beatle fan, I would definately recommend 'Rubber Soul'.

My favorite Beatles album, actually. Others were more experimental, influential, and innovative, but Rubber Soul is really the bee's knees, musically speaking. Chronologically speaking, it captures the Fab Four at a crossroads, bridging the gap between their tenure as the world's smartest teen pop band and rock `n' roll's preeminent celebrity mad scientists. As such, it captures the best of both worlds: The songs are smartly crafted pop classics with perfect melodies, but they're also bold and original. The lyrics are subtly poetic, the instrumentation is rich and complex, and even the most innocuous tracks burble with exciting new ideas.

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is a sepia-toned miracle, full of folk and mystery and parallel-universe pop melodies. It also has some of the best use of a sitar on a Beatles record. "In My Life" is a tearjerker that can really jerk tears, a haunting work that's full of memory and melancholy. "Drive My Car" is really fun and really groovy, and the guitar solo is wonderfully, unbelievably, quintessentially 60s.

But the real draw of this album is the underappreciated gems. Rubber Soul is full of `em. Take "You Won't See Me," for example. It would have been the highlight of just about any other 60s group's career- it's an absolutely flawless pop song, from harmonies to lyrics to chord progressions. It's cool, it's wistful, it's catchy, it's dynamic, and it's fun. Perfect, I tell ya! "I'm Looking Through" is absolutely gorgeous, and "Wait" has one of the most bewitching choruses in history. I even like the much-maligned "Run For Your Life," because it creates a genuine sense of menace and aggression. Marvelous!

To top it off, the cover art is hipper than anything else in existence. Be hip and buy Rubber Soul. Bon Appétit.

A lot has been written and spoken about "Rubber soul" It is basically The Beatles coming of age release. Their work takes on a more reflected and personal identity. They sound more mature in their singing, playing and songwriting. At no time though does this CD sound heavy handed or preachy. Some of the pop sheen is still present, but their melodies and subject matter have a very passionate feel to them. They were still writing in a "singles" (45's) mode and so most everything on the CD sounds like it could have been a hit single in 1965. For that matter probably could be a hit record these days too. Really the only true throwaway song on here is Ringo's "What goes on?" Everything else brims with worthy craftsmanship. Imagine how good this album would have been had they included "Day tripper" & "We can work it out" instead of issuing them as a double A side single.

I received this CD as a gift and was very disappointed to find that the songs were not the same as on my old record. I've Just Seen A Face was my favorite song and it is not included.

Whenever Sid is driving in his car on a crisp autumn day the first thing he thinks about listening to is some Beatles. And, Rubber Soul just might be the best album the Fab Four ever made. "Drive My Car," the first track is good, a solid single for the lads. But, Sid tends to dislike many of the guys' "hits." It's the second track, "Norwegian Wood," that really kicks off the brilliance in the effort. This is one of the best song the group has ever done, and it is never mentioned in a listing of their better tunes. The whole album is excellent with the exception of "What Goes On," sung by the one and only Richard Starkey of course. The highlight, though, is the incomparable "Michelle." Sid defies you to find a sweeter ballad. If you can't groove with the mellow licks at the end of the song, Sid doesn't know what to tell you.

With their mop top days behind them, The Beatles grew their hair even longer and entered a new phase of their musical careers inspired more by the ecletic songwriting of Bob Dylan than the 50's swing that influenced their early work. By this time they had pretty much milked the American pop star dream for all it's worth and people wanted to see the group exit that highway and travel down a new road of artistic creativity.

The Beatles cut Rubber Soul when rock was transitioning from simple, three chord jukebox music to a true art form that was only beginning to absorb such influences as folk and jazz. This was around the same time Dylan plugged in an electric guitar for the first time and turned his folk songs into foot stomping yet lyrically sophisticated folk-rock. The Beatles did the same thing only with an opposite approach. They took their already electrified pop rock sound and added the advanced lyrics of folk. Their obvious advantage over Dylan was that they were already superstars on both shores of the Atlantic so unlike Dylan who was only now gaining a wide audience, the Beatle already had a nearly universal fanbase. This is one of the reasons why Rubber Soul is a milestone in getting folk-rock onto a high perch of popularity.

Of course, regardless of this advantage, the album would have been widely dismissed if the music wasn't on par with the hype. Content-wise, the album lives up to the hype perfectly. The album consists of fourteen songs that are catchy and memorable in a pop sense but also display lyrical content, the likes of which had not been seen in pop music. Two genuine classics are here in the form of Norwegian Wood and In My Life. Neither song has a direct and immediately apparent meaning. In My Life is often interpreted as a romantic love song even though it could be about love for anyone, or even anything in general. Norwegian Wood with its cryptic lyrics completely pushed the bounderies of typical pop formula. Many of the other songs like, "I'm Looking Through You", and, "Run For Your Life", are similar songwriting experiments that, more than ever before, made the listener think.

Songwriting aside, the instrumentation on the tracks is equally groundbreaking. One of the first uses of the sitar appears on, "Norwegian Wood". The sitar would later go on to be a staple of the psychedelic music of the 60s. "In My Life", features producer George Martin playing a piano solo which is sped up to sound like a harpsichord. Again, very little if anything like that had been used on pop recordings before.

Also featured on the album is the all time classic, "Nowhere Man", a song John Lennon apparently wrote about himself that further redefines traditional pop formula. Unbelievably, this would not be The Beatles most groundbreaking work. A year later they recorded Revolver which twisted and broke the rules of rock and pop altogether and helped usher in the psychedelic era. But as a starting point for the Beatles maturing songcraft, Rubber Soul is a classic that set the tone for most, if not all of their records that followed.

This is a great cd the beatles had it together on all the tracks a must have.,

I could not find this CD anywhere in town.
I found it on Amazon
I bought it as a gift for my brothers two daughters.
They loved it
Color us all happy campers
Its a phenomenal example of the Beatles amazing versatility in song writing.

The Beatles-Rubber Soul *****

Rubber Soul was maybe the equivalent of quantum leap for The Beatles. While they always made great music, even before this, it was with the release of Rubber Soul that the most popular band in the history of music came into their own.

With songs like 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Nowhere Man' the songwriting team of Lennon/McCartney became REAL songwriters not just writers of pop jingles, especially Lennon, who was more talented in the field of lyrics. 'In My Life' and 'Michelle' would both go on to become radio and fan favorites. But not to totally turn away from their past Rubber Soul does include 'Drive My Car' are pop anthem worth every acclaim that 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand received a few years before.

Rubber Soul was the first real classic The Beatles would ever release, an in my opinion is far better then that of Abbey Road, The Beatles (white album), and the incredibly over-hyped Srg. Peppers. This may not have been as experimental as those releases but is in every respect as good. Rubber Soul was for the Beatles what Bringing It All Back Home Was for Bob Dylan. Essential.

If every generation undergoes a Beatles faze I'm definitely riding this wave out for life! Just bought a huge chunk of The Beatles catalogue and I have to say Rubber Soul is the top-notch Beatles caliber. You have their signature harmony stamped all over this great album and they exemplify that best in 'Nowhere Man' and 'You Won't See Me' The Beatles have an achingly good tempo-switching bent which they express greatly in songs like 'The Word' and 'Wait' But any listener will be able to sink in the soothing ballads of 'Michelle' or 'In My Life' and sing along to the people-pleasing 'Drive My Car' But look out for 'Girl' I think they capture this entire mood really well. So Buy This Album (I totally recommend!)

so many don't appreciate the wide variance of their music - in its time
this album was a knockout - a true classic album!!!

This is my favorite album from the Beatles, second favorite album of all after Plastic Ono Band. This album is the most cohesive album I have ever heard everything works perfectly with what was coming next. The songs are all perfect, even though nowhere man took a while but it has grown on me and no is one of my favorites on the album. The progression in the writing is amazing and the experimentation is not as extreme as revolver or sgt peppers but still there and that is why i like this one more than the other two, nothing is taken to far everything just falls into place so perfectly.

Highlights:
Drive My Car
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
You Won't See Me
Nowhere Man
Think for Yourself
The Word
Michelle
What Goes On
Girl
I'm Looking Through You
In My Life
Wait
If I Need Someone

and yes that is every song on the album, i said it is perfect (for me at least)
Run for Your Life

The Beatles' songs revolve around little moments in life. The lyrics are simple and the music catchy and well-tuned to the message being conveyed by the lyrics. All the songs in this album were an instant hit with me and my wife.

what can i say, it 's the BEATLES and i got this for my 21 year old son and he just loves it, as do i!

I needed the song "In My Life" This was one of the few that had it for a reasonable price. Thanks to Michael J. (I'm pretty sure) you can't purchase any of the Beatles via Napster, etc. A friend really wanted it played during his 50th birthday party slideshow. The show/party went well, the music was just what he wanted so I'm pretty happy. I ordered it one day and it was delivered the next. Too bad tho, in this day and age we still have to buy a whole CD for just one song. Thanks alot Michael. When I was five, you were my 5 year old hero so cute and talented...Look at you now...Dude, REALLY...Sell the rights to Paul!

This is without a doubt a classic in the history of Rock. Every songs is a hit and this album has aged very well. There is no other band like the Beatles, they are just like good wine, it gets better with age.

OK, I came of age in the mid-60's and the Beatles' music was an integral part of that time in my life. Their album "Rubber Soul" marked the emergence of their evolution as serious musician/songwriters. This was not the usual Beatles sound (i.e. "She Loves You" or "I Want to Hold Your Hand"). For serious Beatles fans of the time most of us will remember exactly where and when we listened to this album for the first time. This was an edgier album from what we had been used to from these four. It's hard to imagine that there is anyone not familiar with this particular album/CD, but for someone seriously interested in the music of that radically changing time in music this album/CD is a must.

For the first time in a Beatles' recording , Paul plays the fuzz bass on "You Won't See Me".

And more important, where the hell is "I've Just Seen a Face"?

Sacrilege!

There is only one song with which Rubber Soul should start, and that's the joyous "I've Just Seen a Face", not the not-worthy-of-the-Beatles "Drive My Car."

I grew up in the 60s and memorized Rubber Soul. It's just not right to pawn off another collection as "Rubber Soul."

Maybe this was the UK version, but with all respect to the Brits, I want the record I HAD!

Totally satisfied with this purchase. A classic - a must have for Beatles fans.

If I had just one sentence to describe this album it would something like "This album is the beginning of the unstoppable evolution of the Beatles". As they stepped in the studio and started to record Rubber Soul they started to carve a new whole definition for their music, the push forward all the existing barriers for a LP.

They included some great rock tracks such as "Drive my car" which is always going to remain as a McCartney classic and "Think for yourself" a great rock track from George with the catchy fuzz bass, we also hear in this album an experimenting Lennon, he motivated the group to make the studio into a workshop, it is no longer just making a lot of takes and choosing the best one to overdub, now it is a whole new dimension, they could add more instruments to their music; they are no longer confined in the studio, now they have the authority to make whatever the feel like, why? Simply because they are The Beatles!. For me this is a fascinating idea, they could go the same direction as in "Help!" or "Beatles for Sale", but they decided to reinvent themselves with more complex tunes and lyrics. As an example, "In my Life" one of the most beautiful songs I ever heard, another example "Norwegian Wood (This bird has flown)" the inclusion of George's sitar elevated this track into a classic unforgettable category.

If you are not a Beatles fan, I would recommend this album as a good starter for what the Beatles really were, after this album they release "Revolver" which is another gem, you can hear their evolution, their growing ideas and the perfection of Martin's production. When you hear songs like "Nowhere man", "The word", "Drive my car", "In my life" you'll understand why the Beatles have that place in music history they rightfully own. Another "must have" in any Beatles large or small collection......Buy it and enjoy, a splendid time is guaranteed for all!

I had started a Baetles collection as when I was a teen, I had no use for any of the "British Invasion", as,I was a "Honkey-Tonkin", "Boogie" playing Guitarist who played the blusey styled brand of music that made you want to dance all night and we played as we would have played for free, which we often did, and all one had to say, was: "Would you guys want to play just a few songs"?, so we can hear what you guys do, and all of our stuff was out of the truck and on the lawn, or the patio, as we had to do what we did the best, "Blues", "Steppenwolf", "C.S.N.&Y", "Jimi Hendrix Exp.", many times over, and it took some time but we found the chords that "Jimi" used in "Purple Haze" and in "Foxy Lady" so we always wanted to rock the house, and we were ready at the drop of a hat (I wore a Derby [Bowler] Hat), striped Hip Huggers, long Tall Boots, and we had us a ball, and we wre hot all over the University parties,and we were paid to have the fun of our lives, but, when the Beatles started to get into their "Metal streak", then we started to introduce more and more of the Beatles into our lists of songs, like "Fool on the Hill", "Five o' Clock"and we took a lot from "Sgt.Pepper's" and "Rubber Soul", which were more of the adult natures of the bands that we imitated, for they were far from the three-chord stuff of starter-Blues, and the "E_A_B" songs that repeated the rhythm and just changed some words, while today, I still practice "White Rabbit" by the Grace Slick & the "Jefferson Airplane", as I play the lead and the chords on the Bass, and "Black-Magic Woman" as done by Carlos "Santana"..real Boss, and the "Beatles" then started to mean something to us after they got through their earlier stuff, which we just did not get into, and it was just that we got our inspirations from a different avenue, like "B.B. King", "Muddy Waters", "Clarence, "Gatemouth" Smith", and so many other "Black R & B" groups until we started using a mixture to satisfy more and more of our audiences in the venues that we were hired to play, and we did what we were hired to do, that was our jobs and we loved it all, and the Beatles started a rage that soon swept everyone into their "slipstream", including us!
Now, my Beatle Collection is repeated, redundant, with copies of rarities from Polymor and ,more of their newer more mature, acidic, brilliant ideas from Paul, and John, and when George started with "Cloud 9" and his own stuff, then we knew that we were more than the usual kiddie tunes as we played and danced all over the stage, and grooved to the Beatles as they has grown ans now, I have this record, by twos and threes that I sold on eBay and many other places, and we just might use Amazon..to find the very best of these "British wonders", and may "George" and "John" rest well, for, in spite of John's "Jesus" statement, I understood just what he meant when he stated what he did at the time, and I never took offense as a "Rockin' deacon" of the 70's, as I saw John's point and I guess that he was correct when saying that their group was smore widely known (relatively speaking)
than Jesus , for at His time the populace was what it was whe the "Beatles" were so popular and known by so many...and so was "Muhammad Ali", and many others during their time in the spotlight, as was "Jesus" Christ"!
An easy point to understand in it's context! Geez, will they ever understand??? I really doubt it, as the popperazzi never get the point as the ones who love to "build cathedrals around statements" made by the famous personalities of their own times.
Now, I am "willing to give the 'Beatles' the 'stars' that I gave them, for we did one thing: we caugfht up with them as they began to re-think the many meaningless "thoughts that many have who do NOT mean to say what those who say that they said this or that!" Can you dig that??? I finally did!~!~!
Rick "Fourstrings" Lauzon

The Beatles remain the greatest rock band to ever walk the Earth; and this album entitled Rubber Soul proves their remarkable creativity as well. The sound is quite good and we get the full fourteen songs that were on the British version of this album. Great!

The track set begins with "Drive My Car." The Beatles use the imagery of driving a car to describe making love. The percussion, guitars, drums and piano all enhance this number which rocks well. Awesome tune! "Drive My Car" is arguably one of The Beatles's greatest hits ever; and the band jams really well on "Drive My Car," too.

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" features Paul McCartney singing at his very best; and when John comes in this number takes off like a jet! The guitars work wonders for the arrangement and I predict you will like "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" very, very much. "You Won't See Me" is a great rock ballad that feels a bit like pop in retrospect but it still rocks nicely; and "Nowhere Man" remains another Beatles classic. "Nowhere Man" features the band members singing of a man who is lost; he's not exactly experiencing life to the fullest. He may be on drugs; but this is not clearly stated in the lyrics. The Beatles deliver "Nowhere Man" like the angelic pros that they were.

"Michelle" gives us another Beatles masterpiece. Paul sings this with great sensitivity, passion and a certain degree of panache I rarely hear or enjoy. Many singers have covered "Michelle" as this ballad also fits into the easy listening category; but no one ever did it as well as this band did it. "Michelle" showcases The Beatles's fine ability to put out a truly romantic, timeless love ballad. Wonderful! In addition, "In My Life" is another thoughtful, pensive love ballad; The Beatles sing of how constant their love for their women remains even though times change and friends come into and go out of their lives. The key changes enhance the natural beauty of "In My Life;" the percussion, drums and piano work wonders for the arrangement.

"Wait" starts off with a strong minor key as The Beatles sing of a man who returns to his lover hoping that they can rekindle their love after a bad breakup. "Wait" sports a great melody; and I think this is another highlight of this album. Moreover, "Run For Your Life" uses some great guitars as they sing of how a man wants revenge from his lover if she has been untrue to him. Great percussion, too!

The liner notes feature some black and white photos of The Beatles; and we get the song credits. The cover artwork impresses me greatly.

The Beatles can never be forgotten. They produced a sound unlike any band before or after them ever did. Their harmonies, the lyrics to their songs, and their thoughtfulness about life and relationships permeate every number they ever wrote or sang. I highly recommend this album for Beatles fans; and anyone who appreciates good classic rock will hold onto this album for ages to come.

Awesome work--thank you, guys!

Rubber Soul is the beginning of their journey into musical places no one else had been before. Can you imagine the first time Norwegian Wood was heard (what is that sound, a sitar?)? So many songs of creativity, reaching levels of beauty and talent never reached by a rock and roll band until this album. Great lyrics, a sophistication of sounds and songs far beyond "Hard Day's Night and "Love Me Do". Still only 22-25 years old, they made a collection of songs that still blows people away over 40 years later. A essential part of any rock or pop collection. I brought up my daughters (21 and 23 years old) on the Beatles, and they love this CD. 20 or 65, people of all ages and cultures recognize the quality of this recording. George Martin (the engineer of their music) is the best in the business, too.

This is a classic recording. One of the best Beatles recordings. Is it the greatest? I am not sure. I have all the original 13 CD's and some of the other stuff. If I was to choose three recordings of the fab four, I would take Rubber Soul, The White Album and well here is the problem.

All I ask is a release of the ORIGINAL on CD. The same 12 tracks in the same order. It was perfection at the time, so why mess with it?????? Why can't the company simply re-release the original without, "bonus" tracks, especially without replacing original tracks like putting "Drive My Car" where "I've Just Seen a Face" should be and without "What Goes On" where "It's Only Love" should be. I can live with "Nowhere Man" being inserted out of nowhere and "If I Needed Someone" is a grea song, but why ut them in the middle of the old line-up? Put them at them end. The Beatles were one of the first bands to make albums that were unified wholes and Rubber Soul was one of the first albums that began to show this quality. Please, please, someone release the CD the way it was meant to be. Actually, never mind. My 1965 LP is in great shape ... I'll rip it, save the money, scan the artwork and sell it the damn CD.

Before Rubber Soul the Beatles were a great group, but this is the album where they go from being the beatles to being THE BEATLES! The difference between this and the albums that precede it is staggering. At times rocking and at others (like Michelle and In My Life) beautiful, this is ann all-time classic that easily ranks in the Fab Four's top five.

In less than 3 years the Beatles went from releasing such pop music as "ps I love you" & "i want to hold your hand" to this album! With songs like Norwegian Wood, In my Life, I'm Looking through you (and on and on) this is what is rarely done in rock music...
a masterpiece.

a classic and will remain so... the emerging diversity of the beatles, performed with such musical perfection, such as 'in my life', 'norweigian woods', 'michelle', 'drive my car', with musical extensions into classical music, eastern music, melodic guitar solos, bass-drum-percussion driven rock, etc, etc, etc, are an astonishing achievement by any group in history of music! even during their transitional process they were achieving perfection in their executed works of art... it is also showing elements of musical growth and mastery of instruments more than any of their earlier albums had done which of course would go on to their zenith by the years 1966 to 1969 period... especially with the release of revolver, sgt. pepper's, the white album, abbey road, and the ones in between... rubber soul was a wonderful self-depreciating name that they thought up and it showed evidence of treasures previously unknown in western popular music...

I was listening to this record at the time of release, and after all those
years I'm truly surprised that the time did'nt change it a bit. It is still great, contemporary music, you can listen over and over !

To even allow us to review this masterwork is absurd. I have nothing to say about it, it says it better than any "reviewer" could. I'm simply submitting a review so that the star rating isn't 4 & 1/2.

More proof of the Beatles improving rock'n roll, and themselves once they went to the studios. Best group ever.

Have always liked Rubber Soul. One of my favorites. Was in high school when it came out.

But then how good is a [...]memory? I dunno. It just didn't resonate like the old days. A handful of greats like MICHELLE, but mostly songs that are forgettable.

I was SO disappointed with the CD. I loved the album when it came out, but the CD lacked the sound quality befitting this classic. I was glad to see that it's still in circulation via Amazon, but something went wrong.

One of my favorite Beatles albums. I've had it on vinyl since it came out many years ago and have all of the Beatles compilations on CD, but I wanted to have this whole album on CD, too. Finally got around to it and after I played it once, I was reminded what a great album this is!

At an abundant time of musical creativity, George Martin keeps released material progressing at a pace that connects us with some familiarities found in their earlier music and yet must begin to open the door for us to witness the musical revolution he saw emerging shortly, and still managed well having the support of the four.

Rubber Soul was very different in the approach and sound of the previous albums. Meet the Beatles, Please Please Me, etc were all good albums but for the most part it was just bubble gum music that teen girls ate up.

During the time of Rubber Soul, the guys were getting into differnt styles of music from their own. Bob Dylan was a huge influence on every artist after him, his writting influenced a new direction for John and Paul. Also like everyone else drugs creeped into play.

Drive My Car is a good opening track that is a good transition into this new sounding album. It's what kids in the suburbs expected. Norwegian Wood is basically the same thing as Bob Dylan's 4th Time Around with a sitar.

The other Songs like Nowhere Man are kind of surreal in the lyrics and singing of the three. John and Paul had similar songs in Michelle and Girl. Michelle has that smooth sound that's his bread and butter, and Girl is basically Johns version of the same song (in my opinion).

John always took more chances in his writting than Paul. Paul was a lot more commercial and was hesitant to do anything drastic. In My Life is my favorite track on the album and I think it's one of the best out of their whole catalog.

George and Ringo also have their time to shine. In Previous songs, Rino could only play the back beat cause if he tried anything else you couldn't hear it over the screaming girls. This new direction really gave him more freedom to fill the empty space of the songs. And George is always spot on with his playing. I love how he just seemed to stay true to himself after all the mania.

I look at Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper as almost like a trilogy. All three just have nice transitions that you can some how tell that that's the order they were released in. The maturaty in the lyrics, the new sounds incorporating new instruments and musicians.

Back to Rubber Soul... Overall it's one of my favorite albums of all time. It's definitely an album everyone should listen to. The songs are timeless and it sounds like nothing else. I love how the songs never go out of "style" I don't really believe one can slap a date on the music because it's revelant even today. There's always new generations discovering this music continuing the legacy of the Four Working Class Lads from Liverpool.

(4.5 stars, actually)

This album, which marks the beginning of The Beatles' middle period, is often cited as one of the first real albums. Prior to this, just about all albums consisted of a couple of big hits padded out with a lot of filler designed to boost sales for the popular singles on it. But here we have something which was consciously made as an album as opposed to just a haphazard collection of songs thrown together in no particular or special order. And although this album might not quite be up to their highest artistic level yet, there's no denying these songs show a huge maturity and step up from the type of pop they'd been doing for the past few years. Heavily influenced by pot and folk rock, this album paints a picture of a band whose transitional period from pop songs to more serious and mature recordings was pretty much over, with no going back.

I'm rather amused at all of the people who insist that this isn't the "real" RS but "only" the British version. The British version IS the real RS! From what I've heard, the American repackaging from Capitol probably did have a more consistently folksy feel, but it still wasn't the album The Beatles worked hard on making and meant for their fans to hear! As a second-generation Beatlemaniac, this, the genuine original untampered with version, is the one I'm familiar with; it would feel just as wrong to me to hear it starting with "I've Just Seen a Face" as it might for some nostalgic aging Boomer to hear it starting with "Drive My Car." And though there are a few songs not quite up to the overall level of quality (most particularly the junky closing number "Run for Your Life"), this album is pretty much near-perfect. The songs don't belong any other way. Although at least Capitol recognised how different and special this album was, and thus didn't do as much tampering as they usually did, and even retained the original title and cover.

Overall, this is a wonderful album to get mellowed out to, and a real snapshot in time, of that brief period when The Beatles had matured beyond cover songs and pop songs into more mature and serious artists, yet before they became as heavy and experimental as they did as the decade wore on. The songs range from soft slow songs like "In My Life" and "Michelle," to lighter poppier fare such as "You Won't See Me" and "Drive My Car," to rather deep and introspective songs such as "Girl" and "Think for Yourself," and everything in between. Probably the only major flaw with it is that it has to end with such a throwaway as "Run for Your Life." While not every song on even a great album has to be a winner, it just seems wrong for one of the weakest tracks to be placed at the very end, which kind of disrupts the nice folksy mood that had been set.

As some of you smarty-pants Beatles' historians might not be aware this is not the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. It is the U.K. version, which has MAJOR differences with the good ole USA version. If you want the USA version you can get it in the Capitol Albums vol.2 set. Then you can properly start listening to Rubber Soul with 'I've Just Seen A Face', which was one of their many hillbilly rags.

I love the Beatles, but this CD is definitely a necessary one for the enthusiast. The tracks show a change in Beatle's music from their 64 album "Meet the Beatles." The sounds are unique and with the advancement of sound technologies, can open up a new discovery of what the group did to their music. I do not think it is the best album they made, but I think it was a revolutionary one given the time they made it!!

This recording, one of the last during their "touring" days, features a change in the Beatles sound. No longer content to just sing "happy" light songs, or "British Invasion" songs, the Beatles went into a new direction; using (for the first time) a sitar, thanks to George Harrison, which predates, by two years, its use on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in the song "Within You, Without You". This recording reflects a maturity that would feature in the band's work all the way through Let It Be (and more importantly Abbey Road). Highly recommended.

Bob Dylan, the antiwar, civil-rights, Woody Guthrie-imitating darling of the folksingers, the Voice and Conscience of his Generation, after penning "Blowin in the Wind", stunned his followers with "Bringing it All Back Home". Electric instruments and a turn from trying to change the world by preaching at it to a bemused satire. This is one of the two most influential albums of the sixties, maybe of music history. I remember.

The Beatles were wildly popular with younger listeners, but generally dismissed by music critics of the time as being a wildly sucessful but totally Pop phenominon. Dylan said they were "Bubblegum". Dylan's friend Al Aronowitz (sp?), said that the Beatles weren't that bad. Dylan and friend were introduced to the Beatles at a certain party in Manhattan AUG 64, wherein there was some smoking. Dylan and Lennon talked and found they had a lot in common. Dylan suggested Lennon should put more of his feelings into his songs. Following this party the Beatles became much more introspective, and a few months later "Rubber Soul". See DVD "No Direction Home" directed by Martin Scorsese for details, if you don't believe me.

Reflecting popular intoxicants of the time, some then legal, the Beatles music changed and changed the course of popular music and culture forever (for better of for worse). This album and their masterpiece "Revolver" were the watershed events of the sixties. If one carefully looks at the release dates of ALL music before and after "Rubber Soul" / "Revolver" one can determine what a sea change this was. Most of the music explosion now associated with the sixties, The Doors, The Mamas and the Papas, Led Zeppelin, Cream, the better Rolling Stones albums starting with Aftermath, Jimi Hendrix, etc etc came AFTER this.

Both lyrics and harmonies were much more elaborate than anything the Fab Four had done before. The critics who had been dismissive fell over each other praising. Other groups covered these songs, overnight, even symphony orchestras.

"Norwegian Wood", despite what meaning other critics have projected into it, is little more than a description of a Lennon one-night stand, a nice tune which seems to suggest more. Harrison plays the sitar. "Nowhere Man" is an in-depth Lennon existential statement more revealing than anything Beatles had done before. "Think for Yourself" is a song addressed to a Beatle wife who would soon be divorced. With Paul on fuzz bass. In "Michelle", McCartney digs deeper into his musing melodies than ever before, talking of the problems of having a French girlfriend and not speaking the language.

A number of tunes explore said intoxicants. "The Word" talks of psychedelic epiphanies into the Nature of Reality they found and the importance of love. "I'm Looking Through You" points to instant insights the Fab four, esp John, found therein, a vision of looking down from above. "Wait" points to personal need changes wrought by their acid adventures. But the most heartfelt revelation comes from "In My Life", where Lennon, who led a pretty unhappy childhood, and supressed it into glib humour, started to come to terms with the changes and losses in his life (like the death of Stu Sutcliffe).

"There are places I remember, all my life, but some have Changed. Some, forever, not for better..." it was true for him then, it's true for us, now.

The acid revolution would mostly start in "Revolver", but it's roots are here. This is one of the Four Great Beatle albums: "Revolver", "Sgt Pepper" and "Abbey Road". Wall-to-wall great songs, classic melodies you can hum, which burrow deep in your brain and will last forever. This album is less challenging, perhaps, than the others.

Rumour has it a better quality remix, which better captures the original LP, is coming.

BTW, this is NOT how this album, or "Revolver", were released in America in the sixites! The songs chosen for both albums changed and didn't come out like this until CD release in the late '87! Another great Beatle song, not included on this album, but from this period, is McCartney's "Ham and eggs, oh Baby, I really love your legs" or by it's better known later title, "Yesterday".

The music of the Beatles stand up well against the the greatest melodies of the 20th century, even Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein. "Yesterday" is THE most covered song of all time. People, kids, used to line up around the block overnight the day before a Beatles release, to get the first copies in the city! The Beatles will be remembered when all else from this century is forgotten.

Whenever I listen to a Beatles album, I feel like I'm being swept away to some distant land. The music honsetly moves me. My first exposure to the Beatles was their greatest hits CD, 1. I loved it so much, that I had to hear some more. I was recommended by my friend to get Rubber Soul.

As I said in the title I was absolutely mesmerized. It honestly sounds like a greatest hits CD, but it's just a regular album! John Lennon and Paul McCartney are absolute geniuses. Some of the standout songs for me were:

"Drive My Car": The album opens with a bang. With their glorious harmonies, this song to me was an instant favorite.

"Nowhere Man": Again, the harmonies in this group are impeccable, as shown brilliantly in this track. From the a cappella opening to the poignant lyrics, this song is deffinitely one of my favorites.

"Girl": Just a laid-back, gorgeous tune. One of the highlights for me.

"I'm Looking Through You": My favorite parts in this song are the sharp staccatos in the guitar. Classic.

I'm still relatively new to the Beatles. This is the second album I've heard of theirs, along with the greatest hits one. If their other albums are anything like these last two I've heard, I'll have plenty of new music to listen to.

In conclusion, I would recommend this album to anyone who likes to listen to some good music.

This is just one of those must-have albums. Argueably the best Beatles album (and thus perhaps the best album of all time), you will not be disappointed with this one. If you like the Beatles, then you already know that this is a "no-brainer".

Rubber Soul, released in late 1965 showed that The Beatles have stepped their pop sound up a notch, showing maturity and a more sophisticated sound compared to their earlier work.
Definitely one of the Greatest Albums in Pop/Rock Music history. As it is a High chart topper among many magazines including TIME and it was in the TOP 5 of 500 by Rolling Stone magazine a few years ago. This influential Masterpiece was, and still is enjoyed by millions all over the world from the most Be-loved Band on the Planet!
Sure, I wasn't around in the '60s, but I do fondly remember back in the '80s when I was a child just learning to tie my shoes and my parents would blast "Rubber Soul" all the time from the record player downstairs. A lovely Musical experience I must say! And it is now one of my earliest memories. My Dad turned me on to Led Zeppelin a few years later. What an Up-bringing!
We bought "Rubber Soul" -when it was first released on Cd in 1987 or '88.
I have so many Favorites on "Rubber Soul" - I wouldn't want to bore anyone by re-listing every single track.
I will however list my TOP Faves: "Drive My Car" - "You Won't See Me" - "The Word" - "Michelle" & "Girl"
To me, "Rubber Soul" and "Abbey Road" are The Fab Fours TWO Best!