The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Released - December 1965

Genre - Folk Rock

Producer - George Martin

Selected Personnel - John Lennon (Vocals/Guitar/Piano); Paul McCartney (Vocals/Bass/Piano); George Harrison (Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Sitar); Ringo Starr (Drums/Percussion/Vocals)

Standout Track - Nowhere Man

Or, the album where the Beatles actually started trying. Which shouldn't be misinterpreted as my attempting to be perceived as some kind of iconoclastic anti-Beatles naysayer - a number of their early singles are excellent, and most of their later work is consistently very good. But it's fair to say that up until this point they had done little to try and break beyond the confines of what had been established before them. They had effectively mastered the three-minute pop song, but there wasn't any particular reason why it was them that had achieved such sensational success rather than any number of similar bands, other than luck and good promotion. With Rubber Soul they began trying to expand their musical vision and actually start living up to all the hype, and if they could actually break some entirely new ground while they were at it, then so much the better.

Rubber Soul was the first Beatles album recorded in one continual period, with all their previous output being compiled from various short-lived recording sessions squeezed in between other commitments, and the newfound focus and control that gives them has a profound effect on the music. Pretty much everything of offer here is doing something that the band hadn't done before and, in some places, that nobody had done before. The music itself looks beyond simple pop for its inspirations, being largely inspired by the folk rock style of Bob Dylan, as well as drawing influences from European music on "Michelle" (France) and "Girl" (Greece). The lyrical content is also significantly more mature than the simple boy-meets-girl stories of their earlier songs, with songs here depicting loneliness ("Nowhere Man"), failed relationships ("Norwegian Wood") and, in the darkest subject matter they'd touched yet, the suggestion of domestic violence or even murder on "Run for Your Life" (a song that probably intended to be shocking by marrying such dark lyrics to such an upbeat and simplistic tune, but actually just comes off as slightly juvenile and crass). Then there's the bigger innovations, such as George Harrison's use of the sitar on "Norwegian Wood," foreshadowing the even bigger experimentations and innovations he would indulge on Revolver. I've always found "Norwegian Wood" a fairly tedious song, but it's influence on the development of world music can't be ignored.

The big failing of Rubber Soul is the sheer number of songs included - in the 1960s songwriting fees were paid per song with no consideration to a song's length, hence the fairly uniform length of most pop songs. This frequently results in albums at the time including a good few songs that have clearly received less love and attention than the better cuts and have been included to make up the numbers. There are a good four or five songs here that really do nothing for me ("Norwegian Wood," "Think for Yourself," "The Word," "What Goes On," "Wait,") but they're more than made up for by the rest, which constitutes the most fresh, interesting and mature work the Beatles had made up to this point. "Drive My Car" was simply the coolest thing they'd recorded so far, "Nowhere Man" is one of the most heartbreaking studies in loneliness ever written (along with another even better song on a similar subject to follow in 1966 from the same band), "Michelle" is sweetness and unrequited romance personified, and "I'm Looking Through You" and "In My Life" are timeless classics as well.

Rubber Soul lacks consistency but more than makes up for it with its provision of classic songs and musical daring and innovation. It's also worth my pointing out that I was aware of this album for a good eight years or so before I realised that the title was a pun rather than just a surreal phrase.

Track Listing:

All songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney except where noted.

1. Drive My Car

2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

3. You Won't See Me

4. Nowhere Man

5. Think for Yourself (George Harrison)

6. The Word

7. Michelle

8. What Goes On (John Lennon; Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr)

9. Girl

10. I'm Looking Through You

11. In My Life

12. Wait

13. If I Needed Someone (George Harrison)

14. Run For Your Life