Reviews (page 3 of 14)
They were originals
I love this album, probably my 2nd favorite Beatles Album. Michelle and In My Life are certainly my favorite songs. This album doesn't probably has lower lows than something like Abbey Road and doesn't have as high of highs as Revolver, but its still easily a 5 for me.
Great album. Pretty hard to peel away from the Beatles bias because I'm sure everyone (except for Kirill apparently) has heard all of these 8000 times, but even after all of that it's just a strong collection of songs that mesh together into a solid brick of music 9.0/10
A beautiful bridge for what was to come for them post 1965! A top favorite of mine
If you have one album that contains "Norwegian Wood", "Michelle", and "In My Life", that's a 5-star album even if the rest of the tracks are blank. But we also get to enjoy classics like "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man". Not all of the remaining songs are gems - "You Won't See Me" and "Run For Your Life" don't do a lot for me. But in addition to the R&B and even country influences, this is where the Beatles started experimenting with sitars and other non-traditionally Western instruments, and started treating the studio as an instrument, which would come to full fruition in later albums. Just great songwriting on full display.
who are "the beatles"?
It’s absolutely nuts that this is the SIXTH album from the Beatles when they’d just really broken out THREE years prior. You get that that’s nuts, right? That’s like if Taylor Swift went from Speak Now to Folklore in just THREE YEARS. I also love that right out the gate Paul McCartney gets his soul voice going. I swear he’s like having two singers inside of one guy. This album gets them out of the “yeah yeah yeah” phase and into the more trippy experimental Yellow Submarine type shit, and these dudes were firing on all cylinders. John’s got his wacky lyrics and they’re not even all about girls this time, Paul’s takin the bass and his voice for a goddamn walk, George brought a sitar along and tuned it wrong to play it oh so right, and Ringo’s there too I guess!
I'm quite familiar with this album. It's not my favorite Beatles album, but it's darn good.
Fire
It’s The Beatles.
Have to give it to them, these songs are all enjoyable while not feeling repetitive. Was a fan of every song, you win this one beatles
é dificil escrever o grande carinho que eu criei por esse album. sou ruim com palavras mas de verdade acho rubber soul uma obra prima e sou muito grata a todo o trabalho, amor e paixao que foi dedicado a cada faixa :) eu te amo beatles eu te amo ahihi. :D
Para mim, este é o disco mais divertido e aconchegante dos Beatles, se não, de toda a década de 1960. A faixa inicial, Drive My Car, evidencia isso claramente. Há uma leveza impressionante nessas canções, é minha primeira escolha quando quero apenas dançar e cantar com os Beatles, e por um tempo já foi até meu álbum favorito deles, mas não mais. Este disco foi gravado antes do grupo decidir parar de performar os concertos ao vivo, então não há aqui nenhuma faixa tão densa e impenetrável como Tomorrow Never Knows, do disco seguinte, Revolver. É notável que este é um disco de transição, onde a banda ainda tem um pé no escopo da música pop, mas os primeiros sinais da sofisticação e aprofundamento musical aparecem aqui. O grupo exibe um amadurecimento sem igual nos dotes composicionais, com faixas complexas, letras profundas e existenciais, e instrumentalização variada e requintada. O maior pulo comparado com o disco anterior (Help) está, na minha opinião, no baixo de McCartney. Suas linhas são coloridas e agitadas, ele usa todo o braço do instrumento, e faz com que toda canção tenha um dinamismo e uma progressividade que simplesmente não existiam antes. Lennon já havia demonstrado antes o seu avanço como liricista, como na faixa titular de Help, onde ele abordava temas de insegurança e insuficiência, mas aqui ele tem faixas como Nowhere Man e In My Life, que falarei mais a fundo em breve. Engraçado que na minha review de Revolver, eu disse que preferia Rubber Soul, agora na minha review de Rubber Soul irei dizer que prefiro Revolver! Drive My Car abre o álbum com um ritmo pulsante e letras sardônicas, eu adoro o plot twist no final da letra. Aqui vai uma (rara) menção honrosa a versão Americana do disco, que inicia com I’ve Just Seen A Face, uma ótima introdução também, mas de resto, prefiro a versão original do álbum mesmo. Um crime a versão americana não conter Nowhere Man, uma das melhores composições de Lennon! Ouvi essa música ao vivo em 2024 no show do Paul, foi a abertura do concerto, e até entendo, é uma ótima abertura, com seu motif de piano e tudo mais. O solo exala personalidade, e os inesquecíveis “BEEP BEEP YEAH!” Em seguida, temos a emblemática Norwegian Wood. Uma composição linda, pastoral, cheia de vida e personalidade. A harmonia Lennon-McCartney na ponte é absurdamente linda “So I looked around and I noticed there wasn’t a chair”. A cítara de George fazendo sua primeira aparição, um instrumento fantástico e icônico para esse disco e para a banda, iniciando aqui a influência indiana que caracterizaria as adições de George na banda daqui adiante. O destaque pra mim é indubitavelmente a voz de Lennon, a forma com que ele conta essa história inusual. Se Rubber Soul tivesse uma música tema, esta seria ela. Tudo que se espera do disco está nessa faixa. You Won’t See Me expõe perfeitamente o que mencionei mais cedo sobre o baixo de McCartney. Essa linha dança junto dos versos, e das harmonias “ooh lá-lá lá”. Uma canção deliciosa de cantar junto, assim como o disco todo! Imagina eles tocando essa canção ao vivo? Seria maravilhoso. Uma grande pena. O pós-refrão é um dos meus favoritos do grupo, “Time after time, you refuse to even listen”. Nowhere Man, uma das minhas composições favoritas de Lennon. Letras maravilhosas, harmonias imbatíveis, e eu particularmente não consigo desprender da mente a imagem do Jeremy Hilary Boob, phD dançando pra essa canção. A voz de Lennon derrete com essa percussão de fundo, parabéns Ringo. Essa canção é como um abraço, parece que tudo está bem quando você a ouve. Todas suas ansiedades e preocupações desaparecem, take your time, don’t hurry. Think For Yourself é uma das minhas canções favoritas do George. Adoro seu tom ácido, e o fuzz no baixo é excitante demais, o verdadeiro protagonista desta faixa na minha opinião. Claramente George teve um crescimento imenso nestes poucos meses desde Help, naquele disco, suas contribuições eram esquecíveis, eu consideraria até o ponto fraco daquele disco (You Like Me Too Much), mas aqui ele virou o jogo. The Word é uma canção que às vezes pode parecer maçante devido a seu refrão, mas com um ouvido mais calibrado você nunca vai se cansar dela. Primeiramente, e eu sinto que estou me repetindo pra caramba, mas O BAIXO DE MCCARTNEY novamente rouba o show. Que linha deliciosa, saltitante, divertida. Temos também o lick na ponte de Lennon, e com tudo isso junto, temos uma das canções mais subestimadas do álbum. Michelle é um dos maiores hits do disco, uma das canções mais coverizadas da história também. Na minha visão, é como uma sequência de Yesterday, do disco anterior. Uma melodia gostosa, a harmonia de fundo é ótima, clássica, a voz de Paul é suplicante e belíssima, uma de suas melhores performances. Essa canção me lembra muito Beach Boys. Gosto muito do Solo seguido do suplício “I want you, I want you, I want you”. What Goes On é a canção Ringonesca obrigatória de carteirinha. Mas é uma das minhas performances favoritas dele, com a rara colaboração Lennon-McCartney-Starkey. O estilo meio Country, com a guitarra Honky-Tonk durante os versos, e as letras melancólicas e poéticas, cheias de Ringonismos do mais alto escalão. Outra canção divertidíssima (e fácil) de cantar. E eu amo as harmonias no fundo durante os versos, e o Paul falando no fundo, bem baixinho, “tell him why!” (aos 1:28). Já dancei pra essa canção inúmeras vezes, ela se encaixa tão perfeitamente no álbum e não parece um shoe-in feito só pra incluir o baterista. Girl existe para desacelerar um pouco o ritmo depois da agitada What Goes On. Ela possui um tom sombrio e postulante. Ela, assim como uma garota, é cheia de traços únicos e peculiaridades, como a aspiração de Lennon no refrão, ou a harmonia de “ti-ti-ti-tis” no pós-refrão, uma canção repleta de charme, extremamente memorável, igual a garota que Lennon canta sobre, provavelmente. I’m Looking Through You é hiper-animada, com os claps, e aquele Riff agressivo, que dependendo da mixagem que você esteja ouvindo, pode até doer um pouco os ouvidos. Uma canção difícil e inacessível, mas que depois que você quebra as barreiras sônicas, acaba sendo bem amável. Gosto muito da ponte, “Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?”é uma melodia cativante e é executada impecavelmente. In My Life… É difícil achar as palavras pra descrever o que essa canção me faz sentir. Essa saudade… Essa nostalgia… É tudo muito lindo, e Lennon toca o coração e alma com a forma que ele entrega seu vocal. Double-tracking perfeito, harmonias lindas que acentuam idealmente cada linha. Beatles têm várias canções que eu considero perfeitas, e essa é uma delas. O solo de piano acelerado que se assemelha a um cravo evoca sensações idílicas, que pouquíssimas canções conseguem alcançar. Se essa fosse a ÚNICA canção que Lennon tivesse composto em toda sua vida, eu ainda assim o consideraria um gênio. De pensar que além disso ele ainda possui dezenas de outras canções tão boas quanto (e às vezes até melhores)... Que ser humano surreal, que alma rica e cheia de arte. Wait é outro dos meus cortes favoritos do disco. Lennon-McCartney possuem vocais imparáveis aqui, as vozes combinadas se tornam uma só. Pode parecer besteira, mas tente fazer isso com outra pessoa aí qualquer hora, é um efeito quase que super-humano. Além dos vocais, temos um ritmo marechal de acompanhamento, com direito até a maracás e pandeiros. Outra canção favorita para cantar e dançar. Acredito que essa seja a canção mais Pop desse disco, ela facilmente encaixaria em um dos discos prévios do grupo. If I Needed Someone é a segunda contribuição de George ao álbum, e infelizmente, não é tão forte quanto a primeira. Acho essa canção um pouco monótona, apesar de gostar dos versos e especialmente do pós-refrão. Felizmente, ela é bem curta, então sua falta de dinamismo não chega a ser um ponto negativo (esse disco não possui pontos negativos). Pra fechar o disco, temos Run For Your Life. A canção mais controvérsia do disco, com muita gente dizendo que ela invalida tudo que a antecede. Já vi cada take doido sobre essa faixa e o quanto ela atrai atenção. Claro, as letras são chamativas. Problemáticas? Eu particularmente não acho. Acho que fica bem claro o tom irônico e humorístico da faixa. Claro que, o histórico de Lennon não ajuda o caso, com ele já tendo (uma vez) atacado sua ex-mulher fisicamente. Mas é o que eu digo, ele era jovem, e francamente, louco. Não justifica, claro, mas felizmente não era algo recorrente. Foi um episódio isolado. O que era recorrente era ele tratando sua mulher como merda, e as inúmeras infidelidades. O cara foi, de fato, um grande hipócrita compondo essa canção motivada por ciúme. Mas apesar disso, eu ainda gosto bastante desse corte, acho uma ótima maneira de terminar o disco, com um ritmo animado, e uma canção deliciosa de cantar junto (apesar das letras). Não acho necessário revisionismo, gosto que Lennon expôs nessa faixa o seu lado mais sujo e desumano. Ele nunca escondeu o que era, de fato, o seu maior defeito, e acho ridículo quando as pessoas acham um “Gotcha” mencionar coisas que o próprio artista admitia o tempo todo, até mesmo em canções como essa. Não estou passando pano, estou tentando enxergar as coisas de maneira justa. E essa música é ótima, entendo quem a odeia por repulsa a seu conteúdo lírico, mas não sou um deles. Rubber Soul é um disco perfeito. Um momento de transição sem comparações, onde a banda estava em um processo de metamorfose, e nós ouvintes tivemos o privilégio de ver tudo em primeira mão através dessas gravações. Esse não é meu disco favorito dos Beatles, o meu favorito é Abbey Road, mas sem Rubber Soul aquele disco não poderia existir. Esse álbum foi um passo enorme na trajetória da banda, e expandiu os horizontes não só para eles, mas também para todo o âmbito da música popular. Um disco monumental, assim como grande parte do acervo dos Beatles. Uma escuta leve e divertida, composições icônicas e eternamente memoráveis, e tudo isso feito em apenas poucos meses. Uma unidade criativa sem igual. Palheta laranja, marrom e verde escuro. Outono. Cheiro de café e gosto de chocolate amargo. Vento gelado no rosto. Névoa matinal, o Sol penetrando as frestas da janela em um domingo preguiçoso. 5/5
I think this is where the Beatles really entered a new era, more mature. It's a great evolution in such a short time. A great listen.
**Rubber Soul** is the album where The Beatles stopped being “the world’s biggest pop group” and became, without anyone quite realizing it yet, the world’s most important band. Recorded in four frantic weeks (Oct–Nov 1965) and rushed out for Christmas, it sounds like four young men who have just discovered that the studio is an instrument, that songs can be about doubt instead of certainty, and that a three-minute single can carry the weight of a short story. Below is a track-by-track autopsy of the record, followed by a summary of its enduring strengths and its unavoidable blind spots. --- ### 1. Lyrics: from “I love you” to “I’m not sure I like you” - **“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”** – A muted account of an affair that ends with the singer burning the girl’s flat down. The first pop song to use an Indian instrument (George’s sitar) and the first to treat sex as something that can leave both parties bored and vengeful. - **“Nowhere Man”** – Lennon writes an existential portrait of himself before he’s heard the word *existential*. No verse-chorus love hook; instead a diagnosis of post-war anomie set to three-part harmony. - **“In My Life”** – A memoir in 2½ minutes. The childhood landmarks are *imagined* (Lennon hadn’t actually lived near those places) but the ache of retrospection is real. The baroque piano solo—played at half-speed, then sped up—turns memory into porcelain. - **“Think for Yourself”** – Harrison’s first great poison-pen letter. The fuzz bass sounds like a Rottweiler let off the leash, the lyric is pure Dylan-style rebuke. - **“Girl”** – A Greek chorus of ironic “aaah” sighs circle a femme fatale who may be cannabis personified. The last verse hints at abortion (“she will promise to you what she cannot give”). - **“The Word”** – A proto-hippie manifesto: love as secular gospel. The lyric is simple, but the seven-vocal weave and suspended harmonium chords make it feel like the first baptism of the counter-culture. Across the album the pronouns shift: *she* becomes *you*, then *I*, then *nobody*. Love is no longer a destination; it’s a problem to be solved or escaped. --- ### 2. Music: Folk-rock DNA with studio sabotage - **Harmonic palette widens**: “Michelle” slips into French *chanson* via ii–V–I cycles; “If I Needed Someone” is built on the Indian *drone* (♭VII) that Harrison would soon export to the Byrds. - **Texture over volume**: Ringo swaps crash cymbals for tambourine and maracas; McCartney’s bass becomes a lead guitar played an octave down (“Drive My Car” intro). - **Varispeed vandalism**: “In My Life” solo recorded at half-speed; “The Word” has backwards drum fills rehearsed, then flipped; “Norwegian Wood” tape runs slightly fast so the sitar jangles like a broken music box. - **12-string Rickenbacker symmetry**: Harrison’s chiming riff on “If I Needed Someone” repays the debt to Roger McGuinn, who had borrowed the same guitar idea from *A Hard Day’s Night* the year before. The result is a folk-rock record that never quite sits still: every acoustic strum is shadowed by an electric drone, a bass counter-melody, or a harmony that arrives a millisecond late. --- ### 3. Production: George Martin’s last night at the pub before the laboratory - **Four-track, no safety net**: Most songs cut live to track one, overdubs (sitar, fuzz bass, harmonium) added during the final evening. The scrambling created bleed and ghost-notes that digital would sterilize later. - **Close-miked vocals**: Lennon and McCartney share a single Neumann U47; you can hear teeth click and throat swallows, giving the lie to the myth that Beatles records were squeaky-clean. - **Fake stereo**: Capitol’s US master folds the bass to one channel and the treble to another, accidentally creating a “duel” mix that makes headphones feel like eavesdropping. Martin later called *Rubber Soul* “the first album I would play to people who asked what a record producer actually *does*.” --- ### 4. Themes: the five o’clock shadow of Swinging London - **Alienation in affluence**: Cars, girls, apartments—yet the singer is still “nowhere”. The Beatles have money and speed, but the songs smell of burnt toast and stale perfume. - **Cannabis as lens**: Dylan had handed them grass in August ’64; a year later the drug’s slowed time-sense shows up in the languid tempos and circular lyrics (“Girl”, “Wait”). - **Gender realism**: Women own flats (“Norwegian Wood”), dictate terms (“Drive My Car”), or simply leave (“You Won’t See Me”). For 1965 pop this is revolutionary; the Beatles stop writing about girls as trophies and start writing about them as adults with mortgages. --- ### 5. Influence: the hinge on which the 60s turn - **Immediate**: Brian Wilson hears the acoustic-guitar/organ texture of “You Won’t See Me” and heads back to the studio to begin *Pet Sounds*. The Byrds hear “If I Needed Someone” and invent jangle-pop. - **Long-tail**: – **1980s indie**: R.E.M.’s entire first LP is basically “I’ve Just Seen a Face” at 45 r.p.m. – **1990s Britpop**: Oasis crib the two-part harmony moves of “The Word” for “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. – **2000s freak-folk**: Joanna Newsom’s harpsichord lines on *Ys* trace back to the fake-Baroque piano solo of “In My Life”. Without *Rubber Soul* there is no *Pet Sounds*, no *Revolver*, no *Sgt. Pepper*—and arguably no concept of the album as a self-standing art object rather than a singles receptacle. --- ### 6. Pros & Cons (the short, honest version) | Pros | Cons | |---|---| | 1. First Beatles record conceived as an *album*—sequence matters, mood sustains. | 1. McCartney filler: “What Goes On” is a Carl Perkins retread; “Wait” was dug out of the *Help!* sessions and sounds like it. | | 2. Lyrics reach adult complexity without surrendering melodic immediacy. | 2. Stereo mix is an afterthought; instruments slammed to one channel can feel lopsided on headphones. | | 3. Harrison emerges as a songwriter (“Think for Yourself”, “If I Needed Someone”). | 3. US Capitol butcher-block sequencing deletes “Drive My Car”, “Nowhere Man”, etc., and substitutes weaker *Help!* acoustic cuts, diluting the conceptual punch. | | 4. Production innovations (varispeed, sitar, fuzz bass) that still sound fresh. | 4. Running time: 34 min 42 s—over before side-two themes fully bloom. | | 5. Bridge between Beatlemania and psychedelia—accessible enough for radio, weird enough for dorm-room debate. | 5. No Ringo vocal; his personality is missed and the band would correct this on every subsequent LP. | --- ### Verdict *Rubber Soul* is the sound of four people realizing that pop music can be literature, interior design, and political argument all at once. It isn’t flawless—McCartney’s country shuffle and Capitol’s track-shuffling see to that—but its best songs (“Norwegian Wood”, “In My Life”, “Nowhere Man”, “Girl”) are perfect miniatures whose hairline cracks let the future leak in. If you want to hear the exact moment the 1960s stopped being black-and-white and turned into color, drop the needle on side one, track one—even if, on the UK edition, that track is the cocky “Drive My Car” announcing that the Beatles are now in the driver’s seat of both their career and the culture.
Interesting... Been on a bit of a Beatles deep dive recently. But I feel like this album is the album where they became THE Beatles. Not really sure how or why, but I think John and Paul fully started to become great songwriters. Its obviously very bluesy, but I think there's rumblings of very interesting stuff, like the sitar on Norwegian wood, as I guess Rubber Soul was only a year later. There's a fair amount of acoustic-based songs on here, which are great. I feel like John Lennon was making largely more abstract/arty songs like nowhere man and Norwegian wood, Nowhere man is (I think) one of if not my favourite Beatles song, its so interesting. Not too much else to say why its good, its the Beatles, I think its surpassed by pretty much every album they did past this point though. Favourite songs: all. Overall around 9/10
Greatest album of all time
Mega. Great hearing them evolve from the pure love song format on this. Some of my favourite Beatles songs on this. The Elvis cover at the end is a bit odd
Among the albums I've had so far, some are really great, some are boring, some are just shit, some just have a really good sound and is interesting and creative but maybe the songs aren't all there but you feel generous so give out a 4. My first Beatles album in this exercise and just when you listen to them it raises the bar considerably, much like they were doing this time 60 years ago. The first few Beatles albums have great hooks and melodies and are influenced by 1950s rock n roll but around this time they start to be influenced by their peers: Dylan, the Byrds et al. It's dreamy and mellow through most of it (they're on cannabis at this point), but the lyrics are often cynical and sarcastic and they tell great stories. The songs you don't often hear (You Won't See Me, Girl) are almost as great as the ones you do (Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man) and Harrison comes into his own with the excellent I'm Looking Through You. Run for Your Life may sound lyrically dated these days but is a pretty good tune, and Michelle still sounds beautiful today. If I were to pick a worst track it would be 'The Word' but that fits in OK too. And of course, In My Life is one of the greatest songs ever written. Hardly the only classic album the Beatles have made, but for me it vies with Revolver and Abbey Road in their top 3 and might be the best album I've had in this so far.
Beatles near their best, nothing to say that hasn't been said a trillion times before. This is really the ruening point of when they become the band that changed everything. 9/10
De mis favoritos de ellos, me encantaaaa especialmente: - norwegian wood - nowhere man - michelle - girl - im looking through you - if i needed someone
The apex of their pop mastery. A comfortable looseness, like George's guitar parts on What Goes On, and great swing. Just hinting at the experimental era to come. Not a weak track on the album. I have heard this record 1001 times, and this is my first time listening to the mono mixes, which are the only mixes the Beatles supervised. It takes away a lot of the gimmicky panning, and makes it more immediate, and curiously, less dated.
One of the best Beatles album, forgot how much I’d liked the song girl, all of my life is one of my all time favorites
Almost the best Beatles album. Certainly the shift from pop to their own brand.
Rubber Soul is a layup for the 1st album out 1001. Transitional Beatles album with no bad tracks.
Best Beatles album. Nowhere Man is awesome. ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, NOT A SINGLE BAD SONG.
Author's note: I reviewed the US release and not the UK release. It turns out to have made a world of difference (or at least 1 star...) 1965, 6th (SIXTH) studio album, all songs originals and no covers. Always viewed this as a bridge album from the pop albums to the psychedelic ones. Opening song I've Just Seen a Face is an absolute banger. Great first track, impossible (for me) not to sing along. Norwegian Wood a classic. Same for You Won't See Me. Classic 60s sound in both. Think For Yourself and The Word both good not great. Followed by Michelle, an unbelievably tender song. Supposedly the name Michelle was the most popular girls' name in 1966, after the release of this album. True or not, it's a great story. Other classics abound, from Girl, to I'm Looking Through You, and In My Life. Supposedly, the Beatles took more control in the studio, defining the sound they wanted. Unbelievable album, easily one of their best. I had literally forgotten just how good it was/is. Supposedly George Harrison's favorite Beatles album, and that is hard to argue with.
I always enjoy listening to the Beatles and I feel like I hear something new every time I listen.
Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. The album that transitioned the Beatles into my favourite era of theirs.
this is one of my favorite beatles albums of all time. it's such a spectacular representation of them as artists, and i also just adore i've just seen a face.
Classic. I’m glad I listened to the whole thing with today’s ears, though. It’s not my favorite record of all time - not even close - but it’s still a 5.
Reminds me of my childhood! A very deep place these songs occupy in my heart
Norwegian Wood is top ten. What a record.
Oddly pretty nice
This is another favorite of mine. To me, more than Revolver, it represents the Beatles’ inflection point into psychedelia. But also the narrative throughline of heartbreak and nostalgia (Norwegian Wood, Michelle, I’m Looking Through You, Think for Yourself) makes it arguably the most cohesive Beatles record, maybe tied with Sgt Pepper or Abbey Road.
Bangerrr
Me: “Jane, these are called ‘classics.’” Everybody likes this music.” Jane: “Daddy put on music from Auntie Cora.”
Fine setup for Revolver & Sgt Pepper
Before listening: this is my second favorite Beatles album and I just love it. After: This still holds up! I forgot how many of my favorite Beatles songs are on this album and the vocal harmonies throughout are otherworldly! I will say that I still don’t really care for Run for your Life, especially as the closer. My favorites are In My Life, If I Needed Someone, Norwegian Wood, and If You Won’t See Me
My sister, when we were in high school, was really into this for a while. I think this is my first time as an adult listening to it front to back. I can hear the roots of so much music that I love in this album. It's the ur-album for so many subgenres of pop and rock music. I can do without Run for Your Life, but otherwise pretty perfect.
I mean, what is there to say about this album? The Beatles are the best. This is their consensus, what, 5th best album, and it’s got hit after hit after hit. Songs added to the playlist: Drive My Car Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) You Won’t See Me Nowhere Man Michelle What Goes On I’m Looking Through You In My Life Wait If I Needed Someone Run For Your Life
The moment when the Beatles became something more. When I first heard heard this, it sounded like any other album. But on closer listen, there were more layers, more experimentation, seeds that would pave the way for their future sounds. Rumour has it that this change was a result of meeting Dylan and smoking cannabis for the first time. Whatever happened, it’s a great album.
Easy 5 stars. Fantastic Beatles album
I think Rubber Soul is probably "the" Beatles album for me. A trim 35 minutes of great original material... no covers and no bad tracks. "Drive My Car" is really fun ("Beep-beep-mm-beep-beep, yeah!") and I also like "You Won't See Me," "Nowhere Man," "Michelle," and "Run For Your Life." And then, operating at a level above all of the rest, is the all-timer "In My Life." "In My Life" was one of my mom's favorite songs; I think that was a good call.
The album where they turned the corner into a great band. Probably my most frequent Beatles listen.
norwegian wood is my fav song by these dummies
Another perfect album by the greatest band that ever was or ever will be!
The first truly exciting Beatles album.
The first truly great Beatles album
The most significant album ever?
unquestionably the 4th best beatles album
Someone should sign these guys
Another Beatles album! Rubber Soul has always been a favorite of mine- it really represents a turning point in the Beatles sound and approach to songwriting. So many hits including Michelle which is a masterful pop love song. The album is not without it's flaws though. There are still a few leftover cheesy pop rock numbers from their early sound. Still- nothing that glaringly tarnishes the album. Overall- i would give it a 4.5/5, but given its impact at the hits, it can br rounded to a 5
Amazing album
This is honestly one of my favorite Beatles albums! Every song is a banger and for me this is a no skip album. I love how this album had more of a folk rock influence and you can hear the influence of Indian music on Norwegian Wood which is one of my favorite songs on this album. Overall, I always have a great time listening to this album and it is one of my favorite albums of all time!
Heard it before. Wow, I forgot what a fantastic album it is. Might be one of my favourites from Beatles 5/5
The main trait of this album for is that you can hear that Murakami likes it. Love how the 2 first songs are just about powerful woman. Nowhere man is for sure one of my favourites from the first listen. Than I also like I’m looking through you, drive my car and in my life. I don’t really enjoy the energy drop in the middle of the album
AMAZING
Fun and classic. Nothing quite like the Beatles.
absolute classic and it makes me so happy!
Classic Beatles album. It's mostly all hits, and nothing new for me.
The bridge album between early and late Beatles work. Great songs.
Great Album 👍
I grew up in the 70s and remember a worn copy of this classic album among my siblings’ records. It was the American version, in which Capitol Records removed songs like… “Drive My Car” (??!!). To this day I have to wrap my mind around the original British offering, and remember that it’s not merely an album of acoustic gems. By the way, during these recording sessions (which lasted just one month in 1965!) also included “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work it Out.” Capitol Records was squeezing every penny out of this band and their revolutionary run. But the Beatles were just giving us so much. Anyway, the American version rates 9/5 and the actual album with the original track listing rates 10/5.
I have loved this album for many years now since I had gotten into The Beatles. Rubber soul feels like the bridge in-between the Beatles boy band years into their more folk and psychedelic rock sound. This album is full of great songs. Standouts for me are; Norwegian Wood, Girl, and In My Life. Rubber soul is an incredibly easy listening experience that I have and will have many more times over the course of my life.
The best Beatles album
This album inspired Brian Wilson to write Pet Sounds which is the Beach Boys' best album. Only about half of the songs are in a different direction from their previous work. But the songs that are like their previous work are excellent examples. Any album that has Norwegian Wood, In My Life and Girl on it is five stars. Yes, the lyrics to Run For Your Life are not John's best, to say the least. But, he has probably taken those words back and they pale in comparison to some of the songs nowadays. Musically speaking, it's an excellent example of the Beatles in their old style
I love the Beatles!
Perfection
wow the beatles!
5 out of 5. My second favorite Beatles album, lots of good tracks here.
This album is often cited as the time where the Beatles shifted their sound away from the earlier stuff, and while I don’t fully agree with that (Help is the turning point), this is where that phase two sound is fully realized. This album is full of beautiful songs (in my life, Norwegian wood) and perfect pop rock tunes (you won’t see me, nowhere man, I’m looking through you, if I needed someone… could go on). I’m also partial to ringo doing country
This isn't the best Beatles album (Abbey Road) but some of their most beautiful melodies are here--Michelle, In My Life, Norwegian Wood are timeless inner circle pop songs. I understand the appeal of being needlessly contrarian but I really can't imagine genuinely not liking the Beatles.
Maybe a 4.5, this album marks the transition from the pop Beatles to the mature Beatles. More exotic instrumentation, more creative lyrics, there are a couple of highlights (Norwegian Wood, Michelle, Nowhere Man, I’m Looking Through You) but this album is more high floor than ceiling.
ok this was perfect. in my life u will never not make me cry
I realized that theres not one song on this i don't like so that's fun.
incredibly influential album. it’s intentionally self aware and I have the utmost respect for what this album does.
Not an album I'm familiar, even though some classic songs on it. A good listen with lots of detail. Nice to hear music that has space to breathe. More a 4.6 that rounds to 5 than a full 5.
The start of my favourite era of the Beatles. Love this album, wall to wall, no skips, bangers.
One of the first albums I ever listened to - what great songs in this!
The album where The Beatles went from being just the biggest band in the world, to the greatest band in the world. There’s plenty to love about what came before but Rubber Soul marks a major shift for the group, as they become a purely studio-based band and push their songwriting into new territory. You can hear elements that would come to the fore in future albums, like Harrison’s sitar work on Norwegian Wood. And here, Lennon and McCartney are entering the peak of their writing partnership with songs like Drive my Car and In My Life. There would arguably be greater, more varied music to come but Rubber Soul stands out from other records because of how cohesive and refined it sounds, giving it its own clear identity. An undisputed classic.
There a couple of my all-time Beatles favorites on this one - 'Norwegian Wood' and 'In My Life'.
Wowsers !!! I get to listen to the whole album - hurrah !!
Beautiful
un rato fue mi favorito de los beatles y es de los que le tengo más apego desde chiqui. lennon en su momento más misógino (girl y run for your life en el mismo disco está cabrón), pero uta sí andaba on fire: norwegian wood, in my life, nowhere man y girl (mi problematic fave). el paul más lowkey pero you won't see me y wait de sus rolas más infravaloradas, george con sus mejores rolas hasta ese momento y hasta el ringo partiendo madres en what goes on. el remaster del 2009 es criminal para oir con audífonos pero en el carro no se oía mal (aunque sí urgen los nuevos mixes)
Hell yeah. This was a heavy hitter, by far my favorite Beatles album so far,
Making All His Nowhere Plans For Nobody 1001 Albums Generator 173 (12/1/2025) December already! Wow. Wat better way to start the month than one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands? Rubber Soul is the first "great" Beatles album (although their early stuff is slightly overlooked by modern listeners in my opinion). But, this is the first album that is really, truly great cover to cover. There are only two songs here that I don't love, which are Lennon's The Word, which feels just like a bit of a leftover, and Run For Your Life, which is one of the weakest Beatles originals generally. Besides these, we have an excellent platter of songs here. Norwegian Wood sees the band playing with psychedelic and Indian influences. You Won't See Me is one of the most underrated Beatles tunes and has some of my favorite vocal harmonies. Nowhere Man is notable for being the first Beatles song not about love in some form, and is generally one of the catchiest Beatles songs ever. Michelle is a beautiful love song, while What Goes On is a fun, country inspired jam. Of course, In My Life is one of those special songs that will really affect you in different ways at different times of your life. What a tune. Overall, I don't have a lot of notes and these 35 minutes fly by. 4.5/5, rounded UP to a 5. Favs: Norwegian Wood Nowhere Man In My Life Least Fav: Run For Your Life
Lots of songs i liked individually would deffo revisit
Classic Beatles, what’s not to like.
God
“I got no car and it’s breaking my heart. But I’ve got a driver and that’s a start.” Properly wonderful record. The album that first truly starts to separate The Beatles from their lovey dovey early work which, whilst brilliant, revisionists would have you think makes up their whole discography. An album with no weak points save for the unfortunate closing track which I would hope would have been considered tasteless even when it was written. To counter this the album contains In My Life which may be the single best pop song ever written and only grows more meaningful to me with every passing year. I have heard this album many times over the years and the individual songs therein even more so outside of the context of the album. Despite this it feels as fresh today as it did the first time I heard the opening lick of Drive My Car years ago. An album which sits alongside multiple other Beatles projects in a category of records I will never grow tired of.
BANG! so great. a great era from the beatles
The beginning of the turn toward a totally new direction for the Beatles. Prefigures what they will do on Revolver when they totally launch… also great in its own right.
In my opinion an underrated Beatles record if that's possible. Some great harmonies and some stellar guitar work from George. One of my favorite Beatles record
BANGER
Everything has been said before. Top tier Beatles album with autumnal vibes.
The best Beatles album, the missing link between their early poppy phase and their weird psychedelic phase. This album has the best of both worlds and none of the fluff of earlier or excess of later stage Beatles. Perfect.
It's Rubber Soul - what possible novel praise can be written about this album 60 years after its release? On my umpteenth listen here I was surprised that it's not quiiiite as great as I remember it being - it's definitely better than Sgt. Pepper's, but can it compare to Abbey Road? But that's probably not a fair comparison for any band, even the Beatles themselves. In either case at a tight 35 minutes though Rubber Soul maintains a strong energy and a fun, upbeat vision that I adore. This one's full of fun-loving hits, from the raja-infused semi-satirical Norwegian Wood (which lent its name to a pretty good Murakami novel) to the pre-Bowie Bowie-esque navel-gazing of Nowhere Man. Girl is probably just beaten as a personal favorite by Michelle, only because that teeth-whistling noise in the former drives me nuts. Actually, maybe You Won't See Me is my top pick: I like the catchy harmonies. Drive My Car is also a head-bopping classic - really, they all are (or mostly are, those last three tracks are a little forgettable compared to the heights of the A side which admittedly is a high bar). It's great music and delightfully re-listenable. fav tracks: Norwegian Wood, Michelle, Girl, You Won't See Me
Absolute classic, not a bad song on here.
One of the best rock albums of all time by one of the best bands of all time.
Easiest 5 so far. In My Life is the best song these guys ever wrote. And these guys were the best ever to write songs.
enhanced by all the wife beating songs
Classic album. Almost every track is gold. Gotta be a 5.
One of their best
Possibly my favorite Beatles album. It's not as experimental as Sgt. Pepper, but not as juvenile (relatively) as their earlier albums. It's just a good album that's easy and interesting to listen to. Is it the Beatles at their best? Perhaps not, but for me it is quite enjoyable.
One of the best albums ever and the Beatles have 2 or 3 that are better than this one?
Es que claro...
The Beatles pop years distilled into this classic.
I think this is the first Beatles album on here for me. Not one I've listened to all the way through before. Seems I have the US release which omits Drive My Car and Nowhere Man. Folky, strong vocals, enchanting. I'll seek out the UK release and relisten.
Classic.
This is the stretch of their discography that makes you realize why they are considered the greatest band of all time
There's little I can add to any discussion about this album that hasn't already been said. Nowhere Man, Norwegian Wood, In My Life - all amazing. McCartney and Harrison turn in a few decent tracks too! I can't think of any reason not to give this five stars. Correction: I can't think of any reason, besides What Goes On, not to give this five stars, and even that is not reason enough. Every single track crackles with confidence, enthusiasm and energy.
I'm not a big Beatles fan, but I've always thought this was a great album. It's thr transition period between their early straightforward music to their later goofier stuff, and it just comes together really well here. Probably my favorite Beatles album Best songs: Think for Yourself, Girl, I'm Looking Through You
A collection of great songs back to back
This might be their best, right where a gig-hardened super-tight Beatles give way to the hermetic studio alchemist Beatles. The catchy idiots ("Beep beep! Yeah!") transition into armchair existentialists ("Making all his nowhere plans for nobody"). Even the cutest boys in the world become gruesome on the cover and that typeface launched a thousand psychedelic posters. It's the Panama Canal lock and dam complex of 1960's popular music.
This album doesn't get the credit it deserves. Plenty of great songs
I mean come on. Some things are universally regarded as classics for a reason. The Beatles will be studied and performed 300 years from now like Bach sonatas are today.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually listened to this all the way through as an album. It is really gratifying to hear the transition between bubblegum pop and their edgier, artier stuff. Plus, so many amazing songs. In my life, and Norwegian wood. I have fond memories of starting to figure out the intricacies and complications of adult sex and romance in that song.
One of the iconic Beatles Albums. These songs are still great decades later.
Hello, old friend. I am being rewarded after a week or two of dismal offerings. Thank you, based generator.
Quintessential 60s. Top track: Nowhere Man / In My Life / If I Needed Someone
I really enjoy this album, it’s sometimes my favourite Beatles album, sometimes not. It’s that sweet spot between the pop mania of their previous releases, and the psychedelic territories they will explore later. This is the Beatles do Bob Dylan - that move away from boy meets girl romance songs, and looking towards more conceptual themes. It’s good such a fresh clean sound, and it has a straight forward charm. Although the piano made into a harpsichord sound on In My Life points the direction the band will take. The tracks are all over the place, different genres all mixed in together, but it flows really well. It’s not too grandiose, and Lennon and McCartney still have enough cohesion to produce a decent album. This is great. Psychedelia starts here!
Dripping with creativity. My favorite Beatles album.
Across the universe ❤️❤️❤️
This is actually right on the edge of 4 stars for me, it is the weakest great Beatles album. Some of the tracks are so good though that it saves it. Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man and If I Needed Someone are incredible.
It took me longer to come around to this than some other Beatles records, but now I'd count it amongst my favorites. The melodies and harmonies on this are incredible. Imagine being a girl called Michélle when this came out, must've been wild.
I should stop giving all Beatles albums five starts, but I don't think that'll actually happen
Classic beatles
easily my favourite beatles album. always has been and always will be.
This is where everything turned into perfection. until now, it was mostly about great songs in ok albums, but never thinking of the album as a whole. for the first time, they went into retrospective mode and wrote about themselves, their feelings, and stories that went beyond the usual "I love you and you love me". Production was sublime, the songs reach a new higher when they are though and conceived with time, no need to rush. The sitar in NW, the piano arrangement in "In my Life", the vocal harmonies in "Nowhere Man", the lesser known Im looking thru you and You wont see me are perfect and could has well have been singles, George's first real great composition with "If I needed someone". It's a perfect 10 (or 5 here), and well deserved a new listen.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE STARS? 5 IS NOT ENOUGH.
like constant unfathomable nostalgia playing these albums.. i need to see an analyst asap.. anyways 2/10 of my fav beatles trax on this album... In My Life and If I Needed Someone
Such a lovely album, and one I own a physical copy of. Revolver is my favorite Beatles album, but Rubber Soul isn’t far behind. Favorite tracks: Nowhere Man, In My Life, If I Needed Someone & Drive My Car *beep beep*
Sooo good
This is the absolute sweetest of sweet spots for the Beatles.
Euphoric. Absolutely brilliant. Rich, inventive, full of surprises. This is the first time I've put an album back on to play again from the start. It's hard to believe that they carried on getting better than this.
Released a week before I was born and still sounds innovative, fresh and exciting. If the songwriting, production, lyrics, vocals and harmonies weren’t enough for you, then there’s McCartney re-inventing rock bass playing on his new Rickenbacker. Every song apart from one is under 3 minutes and that’s all they needed. Girl still sounds spine tingling and Michelle sounds like it has always been there just waiting to be transported through McCartney’s brain. Can’t find enough superlatives for this masterpiece and there’s more and better to come from this ‘good little band’ as Paul is fond of saying. Easiest 5 stars so far!
Beep beep. Beep beep. Yeah
Up there as one of my favorite Beatles record. Not too much Paul. Musically you can hear them stretching. Might have gone too far on the stereo mixing.
Half the tracks are timeless classics, the other half are just really nice folk/pop songs...but the whole thing just sounds so warm and breezy. I think it's a bit underappreciated within the Beatles' catalogue, easy 5
Yeah brilliant, lovely to have on. Love nowhere man, Michelle, in my life. Not a band song. Beep beep…..beep beep yeah! (Norweg)Ian would recommend.
It could easily be argued that the entire Beatles catalog lives in five-star, must-listen territory. Subtract a half-star for the uber-creepy lyrics in "Run For Your Life."
This is my favorite Beatles album.
Best of the best
best of the best
Lennon and McCartney are locked in on this one. Excellent album overall that demonstrated their transition from basic 60s boy band to a more mature sound
Love it
A classic and solid showcase of how these guys took over the world and continue to influence it today.
Literally my favourite album by the Beatles. Even though it’s surpassed in some ways by « Revolver » the difference is there is no filler here. Yes, even the song sung by Ringo. And ‘In My Life’ has to rank as one of the all-time greatest songs ever. Top-tier.
Knew most of the songs and it was good music!
The beginning of the greatest album run of all time. The cover may seem simple but I quite like it. It took me a while to hold this album in the same regard as the other great Beatles albums but it just keeps growing on me. It's great from front to back, constantly interesting, and pretty well written. John has some of the most incredible tracks here - Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Girl, In My Life. I think these really make the album special. I also think Paul's tracks are very strong although not as impressive as John's. George's Think For Yourself is quite enjoyable too - I like the idea. Best - Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), You Won't See Me, Nowhere Man, Think For Yourself, Michelle, Girl, I'm Looking Through You, In My Life, Run For You Life Worst - What Goes On (sorry Ringo)
Incredible
The best Beatles album. Just masterfully crafted song after song, with pop sensibility full intact and the experiment serving the song rather than vice versa as could occasionally happen revolver onward. Paul figured out overnight how to play like James Jamerson. Ringos got the beats. Ludicrous. I'd hack the site and give it 6 if it weren't for run for your life.
Classix
There's a guy in the reviews here who claims to be named after one of the songs on the album. I think their name is Wood.
So good to listen to this again and recall what songs are on it. The remix is really excellent and the musicianship superb. Paul's bass in particular is genius and the whole thing really is the epitome of a 'band'. Given the 5 or 6 long time hits as well has to be 5 stars. Also note how many songs they pack in 40 mins without dropping solos, breaks, repeating backing etc.
I find it incredibly hard to impartially review my favorite Beatles album and, quite possibly, my favorite of all time. I'm a millennial but my wife and I had our first dance after our wedding to "In My Life". It's the album that solidified my Beatles fandom and opened my eyes that they weren't just a boomer's equivalent of a boy band. It's their first album in their move away from the early "I Want to Hold Your Hand" style songs to something more experimental and revolutionary. It was also their first album that I feel that went together as a cohesive unit rather than a bunch of singles. The US version of this album (which had a slightly different track list) ultimately inspired Brian Wilson to write Pet Sounds for The Beach Boys. The morning after hearing Rubber Soul, Wilson wrote "God Only Knows" with Tony Asher. My favorites: - Norwegian Wood - Nowhere Man - Michelle - Girl - I'm Looking Through You - In My Life (favorite Beatles song) - If I Needed Someone Yes, I understand that's half the album but making even that list was tough because I genuinely love it from start to finish. I have listened to it dozens, if not hundreds, of times and will continue to cherish it for the rest of my life.
Oh boy! Rubber Soul is one of my favorite Beatles albums. Paul McCartney is tearing it up on these tracks - apparently he switched to a Rickenbacker in the studio from his usual Hofner and it sounds much punchier and forward as a result. Spotify just dropped Lossless streaming and with good headphones hearing the layers of vocal harmonies and the quality of the mixing is fantastic. The bass is panned hard left on Drive My Car with piano and lead guitar panned hard right. Classic Ringo with the cowbell that just sits in the pocket - nobody else would have added cowbell to this track. You Won't See Me is almost Beach Boys-esque with the vocal harmonies. Sounds great! Nowhere Man is a classic. Lots of great harmonies and a ton of neat little guitar licks on top of the basic acoustic strumming in the rhythm part. The bassline is busy as hell and walking all over so the acoustic guitar helps keep the tempo. The Word flips the bass to the right track. It's funny listening to early stereo albums, the panning was out of control by modern standards! That riff before the bridge is straight arena rock played on clicky 60's guitars. They really were ahead of the curve musically. What Goes On is a country song, more genre-bending which is neat. In My Life is one of my favorite songs. Reminds me of family, memories and reflection. It's simple, beautiful, and so sincere. Overall, definitely a 5. I really enjoyed listening to Rubber Soul again and was reminded how solid the music was.
Great album! So many great songs!
This is your brain on weed
My personal favorite Beatles album. There's just something so homey and inviting about the songs, and I love this in-between-eras feel that is reflected throughout. Blending their pop sound with more experimental elements. Criminally underrated with some of their best work
baby u can drive my car
Obviously awesome.
Guys. I kid you not. Yesterday I got a call from my friend, with whom I haven't speak for two years. Our last talks before that were on bad terms. He told me that he don't want material things in his life anymore and gave me collection of LPs he got from a neighbors few years ago. Mostly Russian bootlegs. But when I looked closely, it has 60s-70s British presses of Rubber Soul, Revolver, White Album and Please Please Me. My hands were shaking, it was a dream. After shitty summer and september it was just a miracle. I don't if it was God or karma, but it felt that rainy days are finally over. And it felt like some kind of sign. I listened to Rubber Soul yesterday. This morning I got Rubber Soul here. The universe is trying to tell me something. It can't be coincidence. I listened to it again. I love it since I was 5 years old. The Beatles are the reason why I love music more than anything else in this world. It still sounds as beatiful as it sounded 27 years ago for me and I believe it sounded just the same in 1965. Favourite songs: In My Life, Think For Yourself, If I Needed Someone
We've gotten other Beatles albums on the list, and I haven't been much of a fan. The reason, I thought, was that despite their admirable experimentations, at their heart they still had that 60s rock sound I didn't much care for. Tell me, then, why this album -- with no hits and as pure in the 60s rock sound as I've heard them -- is the one that truly gets me bopping?? Every single song here is a slapper! Fantastic album! Standouts: You Won't See Me • The Word • Michelle • In My Life • Wait
Another great, classic Beatles album. This was a turning point in their career, where they broke away from the cute aesthetic and moved toward a more mature and experimental sound. The guitars are harder, the themes are deeper, and the style encompasses a lot of different elements. A lot of which had never been heard before. Not only in Beatles music but popular music in general. This album was highly influential and really credited with taking rock ‘n’ roll to the next level of being so much more bubble gum rock. The days of “I want to hold your hand” were over.
A masterpiece !
Yeah, I’m biased caus I’m a Beatles fanatic who grew up on them with my whole family, etc. so will probably be giving most of their albums 5 stars. Nonetheless, I think this album is a turning point for them, as it captures a time where Lennon and McCartney were really maturing as individual songwriters but also still collaborating, working, living together; there are no token covers or filler material like some of the early albums - this was an LP made up entirely of strong, original material, which was just not typical in 1965 (especially for rock bands). Even the weaker songs like (in my opinion) “Think For Yourself”, they enhance by trying new sounds in the studio and adding sounds like the fuzz on the guitar that hold you attention and curiosity…Paul’s bass playing also seems to take a leap here, particularly on “Nowhere Man” and “The Word”. Even if you don’t like it, it’s 40 minutes of melodies at 3 minutes a piece, which is more than we can say for a lot of other “important” albums on the list
Noo oli ikka hea küll, peakski enda plaadikoguse selle võtma
Not typically my go-to Beatles record, I always enjoy it when I do visit it. An intentional shift from sugary pop singles to artsy albums, the songs are strong decades later. The three-part harmonies and experimental instrumentation are still interesting after hundreds of listens.
Many classics on this album.
Rubber Soul is the moment where the Beatles truly grew up as songwriters, moving past simple pop and diving into deeper, more adventurous territory. Right from the opener “Drive My Car,” the sound is fuller and more confident, while tracks like “Norwegian Wood” bring in new textures with the sitar and a more reflective mood. The melodies are still as sharp as ever, but the lyrics are more thoughtful, hinting at the maturity that would define their next few records. The album flows beautifully, shifting from playful tracks like “You Won’t See Me” to the aching melancholy of “In My Life,” which remains one of the band’s most timeless songs. “Nowhere Man” stands out for its stark honesty, while “Michelle” shows a softer, romantic side. Every member contributes something memorable, with George and Ringo stepping up alongside John and Paul to make it feel like a true band effort. What makes Rubber Soul so special is how natural the transition feels. The Beatles expanded their sound without losing the charm that made them famous in the first place, creating an album that feels warm, human, and endlessly replayable. It set the stage for their most groundbreaking work, but on its own it stands as one of the finest and most cohesive records of the 1960s.
Tim face. #1 album for me.
Back to back classics sent to me. 🤯
Love that. Classic
Sterkt album. Mye gull fra Lennon her. Ikke i tvil. Fem stjerner.
Very familiar with this one.
I can never settle on my favorite Beatles album, but it's sometimes this one. It perfectly captures the mid point between the early Beatles sound.and the more experimental albums that followed. In my head you can really feel the coopetition between John and Paul as they try to outdo each other.
I can only look at this album through the lens of the 1970s and 80s - I was too young to experience Rubber Soul when it came out. What amazes me to this day is how forward looking this album is. It was only 1965 but the Beatles had ditched their previous "yeah yeah yeah" pop style and were not adopting the bubblegum pop of the era. Instead, they pioneered both Power Pop and Soft Rock in the same record. That's mind blowing. Songs such as Norwegian Wood, You Won't See Me, Nowhere Man, debuted the Power Pop that would become the hallmark of their next album, Revolver. It wasn't even called Power Pop until more than a decade later. It was just the Beatles. At the same time, songs such as In My Life and the wedding favorite Michelle, introduced the idea that a quite love song could still be a rock song i.e. Soft Rock. Soft Rock would come into its own in the 1970s, though the Beatles would often pepper their albums with this type of music. Here's the controversial part of little diatribe: Sgt. Pepper is not their most inventive album. That album was the Beatles take on something that was already in progress. Rubber Soul and the next year's Revolver were true invention. They created something new from the air.
I should make an effort to listen to this once a week or so. My personal favourite Beatles I think. It might be more straightforward songwriting than the later records but I think it's the last one that sounds totally coherent from start to finish. In my life is super beautiful.. But so many of these tracks are in there own way. Ends on a horrible sentiment. That's a shame.
Obra maestra, sin discusión. El primer álbum de The Beatles que realmente muestra la dirección que iba a tomar la banda de experimentación y de profundización dejando atrás el sonido Mersey que abanderaban. A excepción de “Run For Your Life”, bastante prescindible en mi opinión, el álbum muestra ya un dominio absoluto de la situación, y ya se intuyen rasgos que serían clave en la siguiente obra maestra “Revolver”. Es un disco orgánico, con una producción inteligente donde la formación instrumental base todavía suena en todo su esplendor antes de que entraran a jugar un papel esencial los teclados y demás experimentos. Es una obra desnuda de florituras donde la composiciones destacan por su perfección en sus justas armonías, santo y seña de la banda. Tremendos éxitos como “Drive My Car”, “Michelle”, “Girl”, “Nowhere Man” o el culmen de la banda”In My Life” que no dejan destacar otros temazos como “You Won’t See Me” o “The Word”. Imprescindible.
A huge advance artistically – when they started to get a bit weird, a bit arty and subversive Even if they wouldn't (and couldn't) have known where they were headed, they don't put a foot wrong in advancing their work; every note is crisply executed and snaps perfectly in place in beautifully structured pop songs that aren't as sweet or simple as they seem on first listen. Or there's a lot suggested beyond the shimmering surfaces. Just great and a delight to listen to. Remastering is pristine. Maybe Revolver is just a hair better but definitely the journey to their eternal legacy started here.
It took me over 24 hours to write this review because I simply didn't know what to write. Rubber Soul, like the entire discography of the Beatles and its members, is as common and frequent in my life as a glass of water. Writing a review of Rubber Soul would be like writing a detailed text about the appearance of my big toe. It's with me every day, there's nothing new to say about it, but still, I'm eternally grateful to have it in my life. That's all. 5 stars, of course...
Absolute 5 - Probably my favorite Beatles' album (most of the time -depends on mood) I remember listening to my mom's "North America" version which did not contain "Drive My Car", "Nowhere Man", "What Goes On" and "If I Needed Someone" all of which are fabulous songs (I guess they were on the next North American release). I really don't understand how you could just cut those songs for a whole continent and expect people to wait but . . . I guess those were different times. The album is MUCH better including these 4, and excluding "It's Only Love" and "I've Just Seen a Face" which belong on Help! and do not match the musical style of this album. "Norwegian Woods", "Nowhere Man", "Michelle", and "In my Life" are all in my favorite Beatles' songs of all time. Also "Day Tripper" and B-side (technically double A, calling both sides the A side) "We Can Work It Out" were released as singles during the Rubber Soul recording time period but not included (as was the style then) on their albums. Add those two songs and there is no doubt this was the Beatles at the peak of popularity.
The Beatles are one of the greats for a reason!
:)
Everything’s been said that could be.
I've listened to this album a countless amount of times. Some weak songs, but the strong songs really make up for it. Tracks like You Won't See Me and Think For Yourself really highlight the album for me. 5 out of 5 stars.
Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Drive My Car, Michelle, I'm Looking Through You, In My Life, Run For Your Life I imagine there have been whole bodies of work written about this album. It's divine. Not my absolute favorite, but excellent nonetheless. To me, this is the turning point for the band, where they went from the most popular boy-band in the world to being one of, if not the most popular band in the world. Rubber Soul bridges the gap between their pop-heavy, girls/lovey-dovey/covers quartet harmonies and their later psychedelic rock work found on Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, White Album and Abbey Road. This album has no bad tracks. Many of them are quite memorable, and they're both upbeat and sneakily subversive all at once.
I think this is their high point. I would say it's "Revolver," which goes a bit harder, but my socialist principles preclude me from giving the nod to an album that opens with "Taxman."
Probably the best album by the best band of all time. What else needs to be said?
awesome
I really enjoy this album and Revolver since they are still in the short pop songs but starting the experimental era
"In my Life" +++ "Nowhere Man" +++ "If I Needed Someone" ++
Rating: 10/10 One of the greatest albums of all time, and the most consistent Beatles album from start to finish. The consistently excellent songwriting, creativity, and diversity of this album is simply remarkable. It is the perfect balance between creating catchy songs with wonderful melodies while also experimenting with different sounds. A timeless masterpiece.
Great album full of familiar songs. Easy to listen to over and over again without getting sick of it.
I split Beatles into two camps - 50s/60s pop music and odd, experimental 60s/70s music. I think this one splits the difference. Songs with substance but also easy to listen to
Yep, One of my favorite Beatles albums. Norwegian Wood is one of my favorite songs of theirs. Ever heard of em? You should check em out!
I don’t think I’ll ever stop being in awe of the pace and consistency of the Beatles’ output during their short run. Here we are in the so-called “middle period,” but this album is anything but mid! They sound so different from earlier offerings like A Hard Day’s Night--more mature, more adventurous, breaking out of their boy-band mold. The moods vary and it’s not the most cohesive listen, but it’s solid from start to finish, all songs great in their own ways. One song here, “Norwegian Wood,” is especially nostalgic for me--as a kid I loved this song, and I always thought the lyrics were cryptic yet funny: no chairs to sit on, crawling off to sleep in the bath, setting a fire in the morning. Still makes me smile.
Great album. Every song. Have heard theses songs zillions of times and never tire of them. Best group ever.
this was my first beatles album, and as such it is my favourite one. its just perfect pop, right?
This is the fifth Beatles album on my journey, and I admit that my feelings toward Rubber Soul seem to align with the consensus. To wit, while I consider Revolver to be a superior record in overall experimentation and variety, this album is still amazing in its own right. Rubber Soul is the first Beatles record to feel the fullest in production, as the group largely abandoned live performances to focus on studio tinkering and enhancing the low-end frequencies. The result is these songs maintaining a crisp quality. From the laid-back opening R&B number "Drive My Car", to the sitar-led "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", to more intimate love songs like "Michelle" and "Girl" to the elegant piano ballad "In My Life", this album resonated strongly, as if it had been well preserved over the passage of time. The only song that felt at odds with the rest of this record was the closer "Run for Your Life", where John took a break from the overall introspectiveness of the songwriting to write a weirdly threatening jig towards the love interest. But even I still consider that song a bop, despite the shift in tone. At the end of the day, Rubber Soul remains a wonderful record, one that proved foundational to the development of popular music as we know it.
Easy 5. Got lucky that this was my first album in the project, great start
Its a great beatles album, what to say
This is really when they started to get good. I think I'd put the next 4 Beatles album ahead of this one but who knows when I'll get to them on the list.
One of my favorite Beatles albums. “In My Life” is always the highlight. I have been mesmerized by that song since I was a teenager, so beautifully written. The rest of the album is no slouch either, quite a few popular Beatles tracks on this album. No skips required.
Yes, I understand the influence of the Beatles. But I don't think what feels like every single one of their albums needs to be on this list. That said, compared to the others, this seems to be one of the most consistently good Beatles albums. I find their later experimentation a bit too hit or miss, whereas this one is pretty much quality throughout.
Perfekt
1965!!! Invecchiato benissimo
"The title derives from the colloquialism "plastic soul" and was the Beatles' way of acknowledging their lack of authenticity compared to the African-American soul artists they admired." - Fascinating. So this album was a kind of pursuit of authenticity as the Beatles' style developed. Gorgeous, classic album. Not much to say that hasn't been said.
Não tem discussão, muito bom.
Best Beatles album. By far.
The perfect transitional record, starts to show the studio magic, refining the straightforward pop and rock that preceded it. There's eastern sounds, soul influences, chanson, proto-Byrds numbers, it's perfect.
As always, Beatles music is always so easy to listen to and this one is no different. Lots of super known Beatles songs including my personal favorite on the album, In My Life. 9/10.
Well, what can I say? "The Beatles" created songs for the ages. After listening to this album, I felt like I had touched something beautiful and endlessly lovely. I give this album a well-deserved 5 stars.
Love this album!
I like this one a lot, the highs on this album really outweigh the few I am not so into. Favourites are Michelle, Girl, Wait and Think for yourself. I am actually not a huge fan of Norwegian Wood and What Goes On.
Not a clunker in the bunch
can almost always listen to this
The BEST !!!
Classic
This is such a fun album! It may be one of my favourite Beatles albums
Wonderful, It's not exceptional by any means. If anything the music might even come off as average. But the Beatles just have this sound character and this feeling that no band can replicate. This album inspired many genres and rightly so, I had a great time listening to this.
Fantastic! I was head bobbing the whole time
Seeing the Beatles album on this generator always fills my heart with joy
an all time face since childhood days.
Pretty fucking excellent. Very my sound, each song was unique and fresh but all were jolly? Super enjoyable will defo be a repeat listen
Love the beatles, adore this album. Drive my car, michelle and norwegian wood are prolly the know hits from this one. But imo the word, in my life and you wont see me are very much hidden gems in their catalogue. And im looking through you will always have a special place in my heart. Also just a fun point in their development as a band. Feels like the first grown up album after their early period.
I can never remember track listings for The Beatles, so I don’t think this is my favorite of their albums, but I can’t remember which one is. I’m sure it will be on here at some point. Ironically, this was my album on the day Taylor Swift announced a new album.
This is my favorite Beatles album. An amazing mix of their original rock stuff and their more experimental instrumentation and holy shit does it slap
Un álbum completó en general, cómo dijo McCartney en 1995, es un álbum muy diversificado y también se nota mucho la influencia de Bob Dylan en él sonido de todo él álbum. Tiene grandes hits y en realidad no tiene canciones malas, solo algunas normales. Mis favoritas fueron girl y drive my car, considero qué la mejor hablando en cuanto experimentación, lo qué querían lograr, sonido, ejecución y demás cosas, es Michelle o think for yourself. Es él primer álbum de los 1000 qué me quedan, sin duda de una escala del 1 al 10, un solido 9.2 considerando sonido, arreglos, instrumentos, influencias y él momento en él qué venían los 4 Beatles.
The beatles
Primo album che conoscevo già a memoria. Capolavoro
This is my third favourite Beatles album, which is really saying something. I rate it higher than Revolver. I think it's the perfect mix of serious and silly, old sounds and new sounds, folk rock and psychedelia. It's a bit funny that I got Rubber Soul, the first Beatles album featuring George on sitar, the day after I got a Ravi Shankar album.
You know I love the Beatles.
Classic album! There are so many great singles packed into this record that it’s hard to know where to start. You’re treated to 14 songs in under 40 minutes, and while all of them are good, most are genuinely great. Best songs? Honestly, about half the album. If I had to pick just one, I’d go with "In My Life". The song is more contemplative than much of the rest, and it really stands out compared to the faster paced songs. If there’s one small critique, it’s that Rubber Soul can feel more like a collection of singles than a cohesive thematic album. That fuller sense of unity would come in the Beatles’ later work. This record, though, sits right on the precipice of that transformation. The vocals are excellent, the melodies are full of earworms, and nearly every track leaves a lasting impression. 5 stars.
Aww c’mon. Does anybody not rank this is as an All-Time classic?
A fantastic effort by the boys. There were times in my life when I would have considered this 'peak Beatles'. John's Run For Your Life is a bit dark but otherwise a great little tune. Not much to complain about here.
on drive my car, McCartneys bass goes hard. wonderfully recorded. some of the lyrics are abit dumb but its really well made and the songs are classics. Norwegian wood is nice but abit dull, not my favourite song. you wont see me and nowhere man are nice songs, well made and just nice musically. as ive listened on ive grown more fond of the album, its very very decent.
I own this album on vinyl and it's one of my favorite Beatles albums. Every song is perfectly written, performed and recorded, no skips. Five stars, easily.
Primera semana de agosto con Los Beatles, una conexión directa con mi infancia, mi presente y mi futuro. Rubber Soul es una bisagra en su discografía. Hablamos de una banda que venía haciendo mayormente reversiones y canciones propias pegadizas y, a partir de éste trabajo, deciden hacer las cosas mucho más en serio con su música y letras, mezclando géneros, formas de escribir y álbumes conceptuales. Siempre a la vanguardia los tipos. No puedo agregar más sobre ellos que no haya dicho en otros análisis. Hasta mañana y gracias por el mimo musical.
Easiest 5/5. Absolute, no-skip classic.
But of course
Excellent lp, one of the best the beatles did and still stands out today
Obviously incredible even if not my favourite of theirs.
Great!
Fantastic!
Once you hear this as 'rub arsehole' you'll never get it out your head.
Really great stuff!
Just because it's not as good as sgt. Pepper, it doesn't mean it's not a 5* affair
This is my favorite Beatles record... probably. I've heard it tons of times. I have copies of the US version (which I don't mind). The instrumentation gets a little weird for the time - fuzz guitar, sitar, harpsichord, and organ, but still is a pop record. I don't like Drive My Car and Run for Your Life is kinda creepy nowadays. I like Michelle which, normally, a overtly pop ballad from Paul will catch my ire. I love Wait, If I Needed Someone, and I'm Looking Through You.
Obviously peak
It's the Beatles and it's great. Not a huge number of hits like many others, but still a handful of all-time great songs.
I tend to gravitate toward music produced by bands in transition, and that is exactly where The Beatles were on this album. Moving from jangly pop to experimental fusion, Rubber Soul retains the upbeat, tightly written sensibilities of earlier albums while simultaneously adding a layer of complexity and variety to the tunes that was badly needed. The result is an awesome group of songs that pushed boundaries and gave birth to new genres. Listen to a early 2000s post punk/emo band like Jets to Brazil and you will hear concrete connections to this specific album...and that is a pretty cool thing.
What’s to say that hasn’t already been said about this album. It’s the Beatles. Perfection.
A treat to start the week with. Rubber Soul marks the beginning of my favourite Beatles era, where they emancipate from their rock'n'roll beginnings and start to experiment with their sound a lot more, but still sound very much like a group and not like four solo artists like in their late years. This is one of my favourites, one I can listen to All the time and enjoy it every time anew.
4.5 stars, rounding up because if you can’t give 5 stars for a Beatles album, when can you? Rubber Soul isn’t my favourite Beatles album (that would be Sgt. Pepper’s or Revolver), but I’ve been listening to it lately, well before it happily came up on here. I only have a basic knowledge of the details of their career trajectory but a quick glance at their chronology shows me Rubber Soul was the inflection point between their early work and their more sophisticated later albums. It bridges the gap nicely and there are some great songs on here. Let’s just get this out of the way: The lyrics to Run for Your Life are the absolute worst (wtf, John… it’s even worse because he was an admitted abuser). Annnnd, I’m just going to pretend it’s not on this album. Luckily they shoved it at the very end so it’s easier to overlook it. I was going to take off a star but I’ll just ignore it. Getting back to what’s good (basically everything else): Drive My Car is funny and catchy, the sitar lilt of Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, the Gallic charm of Michelle, the bittersweet reflection of In My Life. Lovely album and I was happy it was the weekend pick.
el mejor
One of the greatest albums ever made
Almost every track is a winner
Gosh I think this is my favourite Beatles album. Love it that’s all I have to say.
Where The Beatles truly became THE BEATLES. Ok obviously a 5. ...even if there are a few weak(ish) spots (for them - they set their own bar, it's their fault dammit) this was among the first albums anywhere to be a true *album* as opposed to a collection of singles (although speaking of which, they couldn't have included "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper"? "Paperback Writer????" Damn- it'd be a 6 star with those...) which eh it doesn't really matter - here's where they became beyond unassailable. 10/10 5 stars
This is one of the best albums ever made. A true touchstone of 20th century pop culture and where the Beatles really started to experiment and put depth into their songs. I love this album start to finish.
um dos GOATS
This album is a great mix of their earlier, simpler pop songs and the weirder, more mature songwriting of their later era. So many incredibly catchy bops.
There we go! This is the good Beatles shit.
po eu gosto d+++ do rubber soul essa inicio da virada de sonoridade dos cara é mt interessante
Classic
I have played a scratched-up vinyl record of this album on blown out speakers at home and it sounds better then 99% of all other music since released in 1965. Rubber Soul (ever heard of it?) is, imho, the first record of the Beatles post "Fab Four" stage. Longer hair, unshaven, no more suits, and of course, the songwriting. Clearly these guys had "opened their minds" at this point. The songs are still about sex and drugs, but also very introspective and almost metaphysical. Who am I to suggest any of the songs on this sacred scripture are better or worse than others, but Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, In My Life and Drive My Car are incredible musical and lyrical works of art. Michelle, Girl, I'm Looking Through You and The Word are other standouts. As I was not around then, I can't say, but I don't think many other mainstream, world dominating, pop bands were telling fans to think for themselves and do what you want to do in 1965. We'll even murder you if I catch you with another dude!!! (not a great look on Run For Your Life, but it's a damn song not an actual event) It sounds like it was the first album where the Beatles basically realized they can write and do whatever they want because they are the Goddamn Beatles. If you don't like it (which you will), then fuck off, sorry kiddos. We'll even murder you if I catch you with another dude!!! (not a great look, but it's a song not a literal threat) 10 out of 5 stars, no notes.
Literally every song in this album is a banger - in the folksy sort of way. Tracks to Track: Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Nowhere Man
Such an incredible album. All the songs are short, to the point and catchy. Revolver was good but this blows it out of the water!
Not only does it have “Norwegian Wood” on it, but also “In My Life”. And everything else is great as well. A fab five stars!
This album marks the start of Beatles "5 star" album run 65-70
Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Nowhere Man, Michelle...just mind-boggling that guys in their early 20s were writing and recording these songs in 1965 out of thin air.
Never listened to this album in one sitting. Thank you, what a joy ride. How great is this band? Nice, tight compadres on this piece of vinyl that sizzle. Some songs I never heard before and they were great too.
It's easy to see how the Beatles got so popular
First time I can remember seeing this album name but I knew quite a few songs from it! I love nowhere man. Great album overall.
I had never heard of this album before but I recognized a few songs on it. Loved it.
I've heard good things about this album... This was the first Beatles album I bought for myself, at Hegewisch Records in Calumet City. at around age 11 I think. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that at the time I wasn't yet aware of the difference between the US and UK pressings so silly me bought the US version. Sometimes when I listen to this I say it is my favorite Beatles album, an honor reserved for only like 6 or 7 of their releases so I guess I think it's pretty good. In all seriousness, this is a perfect album - no notes.
Well, I never thought I'd say it, but I've actually found a Beatles album that I consider worthy of entry into my collection. I don't know whether I have become conditioned to actually like the Beatles as a result of listening to several of their albums presented by this project, or whether this album is an outlier. I guess time will tell. I guess I just like the fact that Rubber Soul seems more mature than their earlier releases, but less weird than some of those that come later on in their career. In any case, I'm giving it five stars and adding it to my Tidal library.
Amazing, groundbreaking, every song is a banger, listened to it many times, nobody can do it better than these homies can do it
Best Beatles album by far
Great album
Classic -
I know half the songs from this because in junior high school, I had the Beatles red double disc. It's hilarious that on Drive my Car they actually say, beep beep 😅 The song Norwegian Wood reminds me of me ma. Nowhere man reminds me of me da.
My Dad is a big Beatles fan and I got into them through him. They actually played at a park in my home town of Urmston in Manchester on 5th August 1963 on the tour for Please, Please Me, presumably booked before the album broke and made them superstars. My Dad was there and cemented his love which eventually transferred to me. He quite literally passed this love on when he gave me his original Mono version of the vinyl album which, along with Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ became the first vinyl album in my collection and holds a special place for me and In My Life is my fave Beatles song.
track 1: A great opening, nothing too fancy but BEEP-BEEP, MBEEP-BEEP YEAHH track 2: OKAYY SITARRR, I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH ARGHH track 3: I'm in love every time it's Sir Paul singing, UGHHHHH track 4: A sweet track with dark meaning :') track 5: okay distorted guitarsss, and yeah f the politicians track 6: THE BASS THE DRUMS THE LAST BRIDGE OH LOVE LOVE LOVEEE track 7: ALL THE PEOPLE NAMED MICHELLE ARE SO LUCKYY, WHAT A LOVELY TRACK track 8: IDC WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS SONG, RINGO IS SO UNDERRATED. PEOPLE SHOULD APPRECIATE HIM MORE track 9: OKAYY MICHELLE TWIN TRACK!!! I love it when John slurps HAHAHA track 10: THIS TRACK IS SO SEXY MMMM BUT THE MEANING BEHIND IS NOT SO SEXY AT ALL track 11: ONE OF MY FAV FROM THE ALBUM AGHHHHH track 12: My least fav compared to the other tracks, but still this song is so GOOOOODDDD track 13: What a sweet love songg <3 track 14: A great closing track, though the meaning is so darkk (9/10) ONE OF MY FAV ALBUMS FROM THE BEATLES AND ALL TIME
No need to listen, it’s The Beatles and it’s in my soul
Kedvenc/Favourite: In My Life A Beatles mindig jó, ezt az albumot meg különösen szeretem. Minden számhoz kötődik egy-két nagyon jó emlékem, az egész album koherens, de elég változatos. Sokszor meghallgattam már, és még nagyon sokszor fogom is. The Beatles are always good, and I particularly like this album. Every song holds one or two very good memories for me, the whole album is coherent but quite varied. I've listened to it many times and I will listen to it many more.
listened to it before it was released here yesterday for michelle's 40th bday weekend
Really good (keep saying that ) good to listen to again.
More of what I expected a Beatles album to be after the massive disappointment that was Sgt. Peppers.
Beatles is the pinnacle of pop/rocknroll so 5 stars!
Is this my favorite Beatles album? Insane production quality. So many bangers.
Ok
A friend of mine burned this for me in high school and I used to listen to it all the time. Michelle was my favorite from the album for a long time, but I think maybe now it’s Drive My Car?
If you look at the Beatles discography, this seems to be the inflection point before they put out their more classic albums (and also did a buttload of drugs). Other than What Goes On - a corny, poppy song that feels out of place - there are no down points in this album. It starts off strong with Drive My Car, then leads into the beautiful-sounding Norwegian Wood (is this the first time they break out the sitar?). Nowhere Man is another song that offers some dense lyricism on a catchy riff. Michelle and In My Life feel like the emotional heart of the album. They're great songs on their own and probably underrated in terms of the top songs the Beatles have put out. Run For Your Life is damn catchy. Great ending song. It is ironic this album is titled "Rubber Soul" but features a lot of songs that feel more authentic then stuff from their previous albums. I would say I've probably slept on this album when comparing to the other Beatles classics. I think this deserves to be in the 5-tier, albeit on the lower end.
Of the Beatles discography, Rubber Soul is the one I am drawn to the most frequently, and it's not even close. While I love Abbey Road, the "White Album," and Sgt. Pepper's, Rubber Soul has a sort of comfort food element to it that I can't explain. I love the songs front to back and find myself enjoying every listen. To kick things off Drive My Car is fantastic. Such a fun and catchy little jam that has aged marvelously. Blend over to Norwegian Wood -- a more somber / dark folk ballad about burning down a girls house for snubbing him. Love The Word so much. Simple, but delightful little jam that feels very 60s in content and tone. Following the theme of simple, but wonderful is In My Life. Love the simplicity and cleanliness of the guitar + drums. Following that up with Wait, which tonally reads as if it is a Cake song. Run For Your Life is probably the darkest upbeat song that I can think of immediately. Quite a creepy note to close on. I do sort of wish they had sequenced that a little differently. This is a low 5 for me. No skips and always a good ride.
Weird we played the vinyl of this the other day. I tend to think this is the most beautiful album the Beatles have ever put out. With the exception of What Goes On every track is great. In my opinion this was also the start to the psychedelic albums that were all to come. Not as psychedelic as Revolver but you can hear the transition. This album is perfect for a nice crisp fall day. In My Life is a top tier song of any band imo.