SPILL RETRO REVIEW: THE BEATLES – RUBBER SOUL

THE BEATLES
RUBBER SOUL
PARLOPHONE

ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 3, 1965

1965. You just heard all of The Beatles albums and think you’ve seen them all. Now comes Rubber Soul.

Rubber Soul is the sixth album in the band’s discography and takes on the more folky side of The Beatles. Joyful, yet full of deep-rooted pain, Rubber Soul is a work full of rubber on the outside, but its soul grows through each passing track.

My issues aside, this makes way for the greatest song on this album and one of the best from The Beatles, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”. If you thought The Beatles couldn’t do folk, they seemed to have mastered it here with some of the most haunting yet evocative vocals the band had ever captured. It truly is a testament to what this album is. Rubber Soul is a bold and unique work that paved the way for the psychedelic and bold nature that this band would continue to explore.

Rubber Soul is a textbook example of a masterful album. Each band member excels in their vocal performance, utilising their skills to the fullest, and the songwriting showcases some of the most unique and distinctive elements in their discography, all while maintaining a strong sense of unity. Each track here mostly works together like a story. It’s no wonder Brian Wilson was so inspired that he ended up making Pet Sounds, and it shows. In a sense, every track on Rubber Soul reflects a story of broken love and romance.

Overall, Rubber Soul represents The Beatles at their most unique and innovative compared to their other albums, and it is an album that speaks in spades to each member’s talent.

Artist Links