The Beatles, “Rubber Soul”

Tom Heerman:

Interestingly, Rubber Soul was kind of rush-recorded by the Beatles in about a month so as to get some product out before Christmas in 1965. As you listen to it, think about this: “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper” were recorded during the same sessions, but the band chose to leave them off the album, releasing them instead as a double-sided single. Lennon and McCartney were on an incredible wave of innovation and creativity.

Keven Decker:

I love Rubber Soul. Is it the best Beatles album? No. Would it be the best album by almost any other band? Of course. In that way critiquing Rubber Soul is sort of like picking the best Van Gogh.

The album is full of great, timeless songs. “Norwegian Wood,” “Nowhere Man,” and “In My Life” stand out. In fact, “In My Life” is probably one of the best 5 Beatles songs ever. Perfect harmonies, lyrics, and that instantly recognizable piano.

This album can play in almost any setting; it doesn’t require a certain mood or occasion. With that said, I don’t believe the fit of the songs is quite as tight as on other Beatles albums (e.g., Revolver) or other all-timers (e.g., Pet Sounds or even Joshua Tree). Rubber Soul is closer to a collection of brilliant songs than a hand-in-glove album. For me that’s what holds it back from being a top 5 album. Again, we’re talking about the album being Lou Gehrig instead of Ted Williams, or Thomas Jefferson instead of James Madison. But we’re ranking, so picks have to be made.

I give it 31 points.

Chris McJaggerly:

I’ll take James Madison over Thomas Jefferson. But that’s an argument for another day.

Tom Heerman:

“You Won’t See Me,” “Girl” and “In My Life” are so brilliant. I think its fun to imagine their process of writing and arranging the songs. The vocals are so intricate on Rubber Soul. Their singing is just astonishing to me. You can identify each voice in the harmonies because you have heard them for a lifetime. Can you envision them in the listening booth, after they got a take done, and hearing it back? It’d be like, “Yeah man, we that good. We be tossing this shit out like it’s trick or treat candy. We rip a masterpiece everyday if we want, bitch!” Or something like that.

I give it a 33.

Chris McJaggerly:

I don’t know how a rock album recorded in 1965 could possibly be better than Rubber Soul. It still sounds fresh today, 50 years later! Think about that.

You guys both singled out “In My Life” as a standout, and I seem to recall the British public voted that song as the greatest song ever recorded by British artists. I think it’s probably only the 8th or 9th best song on the album. That shows how brilliant the record is.

My favorite is probably “Norwegian Wood” because the words are so twisted and the sitar weirds it up. Or maybe it’s “Michelle” because it is amazingly delicate and beautiful. But, hell, they’re all good. A song called “Drive My Car” should be dopey and annoying, but it’s irresistible due to Paul McCartney’s bouncy base (see my review of Sgt Pepper’s) and lyrics that aren’t nearly as dumb as you might think at first. “The Word” should make you cringe because of the outdated sixties peace and love message, but splashy rhythm guitar during the verse and the thick lead guitar during the bridge turn the song into a gem. I actually kind of like the lyrics because of the music, if that makes any sense. “What Goes On” should be filler — a country song with Ringo taking lead vocals — but it’s solid twang right out of the Buck Owens songbook, and I never skip it. I turn it up. How about the cool percussion and sudden guitar blast on “I’m Looking Through You?”

Rubber Soul is often referred to as a folk rock record, but on my most-recent listen, but it doesn’t sound as folky as I remember it. That might be because of one of these annoying original U.S. release issues (the 1965 U.S. release started with “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” which is kinda folky, but was part of Help! in the U.K.) It might also be because I’ve listened to more Dylan as an oldster than I did as a youngster, and now that voice like sandpaper and glue (David Bowie’s line, not mine) just sounds like folk to me, and “good singing” doesn’t. But the fact that the Beatles were good singers doesn’t mean their music was any less meaningful than Dylan’s.

Rubber Soul is also referred to as the first true album in rock, because it was recorded in one continuous session, with the intent that all the songs be released together. I buy that designation more than the folk-rock designation. The record holds together. The songs fit.

I give Rubber Soul a 33 1/3.

Kevin Decker:

The more I listen to the album the more I’m convinced that their songwriting looked a lot like the scene in “Old School” where Will Ferrell blacks out, produces brilliance, and then comes to. I can’t imagine a process that led to their production; it seems incapable of process but rather the product of sheer genius..

Chris McJaggerly:
Another thing. It’s a great album title.