"In October 1965, we started to record the album. Things were changing. The direction was moving away from the poppy stuff like 'Thank You Girl', 'From Me To You' and 'She Loves You'. The early material was directly relating to our fans, saying, 'Please buy this record,' but now we'd come to a point where we thought, 'We've done that. Now we can branch out into songs that are more surreal, a little more entertaining.' And other people were starting to arrive on the scene who were influential. Dylan was influencing us quite heavily at that point." -Paul McCartney, 'Anthology'
46 years ago today, Rubber Soul was released in the US (The UK LP was released Dec. 3rd)
Rubber Soul is considered one of the biggest breakthroughs in the Beatles' career and pop music in general. After a long period of cute love songs and entertaining chart toppers, the Beatles were starting to get more sophisticated and creative in their work. With songs that dove deep into introspection ("Nowhere Man", "In My Life"), criticized or mocked organized Christianity, ("Girl"), or addressed more serious and adult perspectives on love ("Norwegian Wood", "The Word"), this album put forward a new side of the Beatles and hinted at the new direction that the band was headed in.
Everything about the album was experimental. With more time in the studio and no specific obligation to make a soundtrack or meet a ridiculous deadline, the Beatles were given a greater opportunity to explore their options. The result was an album that produced exciting new sounds and an abundance of brilliant and meaningful lyrics. Rubber Soul, for example, was the first album to feature a sitar on a rock & roll album (George introduced it on "Norwegian Wood"). In the same way, Paul's fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself" and George Martin's baroque piano solo in "In My Life" added a new dimension to the idea of rock music.
According to the Beatles themselves, much of this experimentation came from the new influence of marijuana in their lives. According to Ringo, "There was a lot of experimentation on Rubber Soul, influenced, I think by the substances". George was a little more frank: "Rubber Soul was the first one where we were fully fledged potheads". Undoubtedly, the use of marijuana in the Beatles career had a major influence on their work and was a major force in opening up their minds to more complex themes and their ultimate emphasis on matters of love and absolute truth. The use of the drug in the songs of Rubber Soul is merely a tiny reflection of the larger direction that the Beatles were headed towards.
Even the album cover is an experimental work of art. According to John, this was the first album cover in which the Beatles were given complete control. The photo is distorted yet bold. George, Paul, and Ringo pensively look into the distance and John's glance into the camera is simple yet complex. He looks as if he knows something that the rest of us don't and thus prepares the listener for a rock album like none before it. The colors are striking and attention-grabbing. The psychedelic font in the top left corner and the distorted and pulled image are far from conventional and only add to the experimental and artistic vibe of the entire album.
Like all the Beatles' albums, Rubber Soul is a unique piece of art that highlights an individual and transitional moment in the band's whirlwind career. It's songs are brilliant and it's impact on the music world is fantastic. A terrific album by a terrific band.
Where does Rubber Soul rank on your list of favorite Beatles albums? What would you say are the best tracks?
Until next time, Peace and Love!
