Reviews (page 7 of 15)
4.5
Þarf ekki að hlusta, bara veit. Besta plata ársins 1965 og eitt sín mín uppáhalds Bítlaplata. Hún er enn á topp fimm listanum mínum þar.
Likely my favourite Beatles album behind Revolver. Insanely good.
Got be 5 stars
in my life best song of all time?
I really enjoyed listening to this album. It was a different time. The music was simpler but so much fun.
It's the Beatles, so always amazing, quirky, and innovative.
The transition album from the classic rock n roll-oriented Beatles phase to their more experimental work. Here we see a focus on folk music, inspired by the Byrds and Dylan, pushing Lennon and McCartney to write more complex melodies and stories. Harrison's interests in raga is first shown here, which will be a defining feature of psychedelic rock starting in Revolver. The production is among the best of the era. There is such a dramatic shift from Help to Rubber Soul in the sound that I often declare 1965 as the year music started sounding "modern"... that is: clear, crisp, and hifi. It's a perfect collection of pop hits ranging from many different styles. Some look back to their classic days, while others show something evolving. There is not a single song I even remotely dislike; I sing along to all of them with enthusiasm. I couldn't just pick a few to talk about, so I decided to say my thoughts about each of them. Note a lot of things I love from previous songs are implied for the later ones cause I didn't want to repeat what I like. These reoccuring aspects are fantastic songwriting, harmonious vocals, impressively high production, and a perfect blend of instrumentation. Drive My Car: As with most Beatles albums, album kicks off immediately with a banger irresistible to sing and bop to. That short guitar intro is enough build-up to get anyone excited. Fantastic harmony between Lennon and McCartney. Nice cowbell, Ringo. Tell me you know someone who won't go "beep beep, beep beep yeah." Not to mention the writing is great, telling an interesting relationship between an aspiring girlfriend and a devoted boyfriend. Norwegian Wood: One of the best storytelling in a song, with engaging and mysterious lyrics, supported by the atmospheric sitar. Clearly inspired by Dylan since he was the big folk-rock artist of the time. It's impressive that Harrison managed to master the sitar and raga so perfectly in rock music in such a short time. You Won't See Me: McCartney gets his shine with a melodic tune. Another example of amazing songwriting by the duo. McCartney's vocals match well with the emotional longing for a lost lover, supported at the right timing and intensity by the back vocals. What I love about Beatles songs is that they're usually so busy. Never a second where there isn't something that draws your attention. And sometimes like here, it's obvious, while others you have to look closely. Nowhere Man: It's a sin they kicked this song out the US versions. This song really stuck out to me as a kid. It wasn't about love, I thought about a strange "nowhere man" who isn't concerned of normal human needs or affairs, but is in his own little world. I love everything about this song. The instruments are orgasmic, as is the slow and harmonious vocals... It was probably one of the first songs I was able to sing along to due to clear and peculiar yet catchy lyrics, and likely helped me appreciate folk music better. Think for Yourself: The first Harrison song on the album. Holy shit those transitions between major and minor are absolutely insane. The song is on the harder side, and my favorite part is how the lyrics go between solo Harrison and the three-way overdubs. The Word: I don't have much to say, but I again love the harmony overdubs. It's another song I love singing along to, which is hard not to do so with the tonal changes to the repetitive line. Michelle: Another song that supported my decision to have McCartney as my favorite Beatle. This is one of my favorite songs to hum to. The pitch varies with each note that it's so fun. Love his voice (and the choral harmony), the slow folk-like nature, and how majestic the tune sounds. Apparently, McCartney was initially inspired by French songs. What Goes On: Hilarious how I'm used to the sudden jump from the most peaceful track "Michelle" to something this rough. Yes, this is my least favorite track, but it's still melodic, the writing isn't awful, the country adds a nice contrast that fits with the diverse nature, and I like that unusual staccato plucking. I'm shocked they put this on a single. Girl: I need to stop saying "this song is one of my favorites." You can tell by now I am obsessed with almost all the songs on this album. But yes, this is ONE of my favorites. I love Lennon's yearnful voice and the back vocals that scream "I can't sit still until I find this girl." My favorite solo on the album... I think. I'm Looking Through You: Best demonstrates the transitioning state of old Beatles to their new style. This is definitely something you'd hear off "Help" except better production. It's hard with a rock n roll finish. I can't unhear that fapping noise. In My Life: A song I never really got how deep it was until several years ago. Obviously you're not gonna understand reminiscing at 11. Never noticed Ringo's bells until now lol. Love Lennon's vocal range, and the classical piano bridge. Wait: The jump from "In My Life" is so ingrained in my mind. Another song that sounds like it's from the Help album. There's so much excitement it's really fun singing to this song at the top of my lungs. If I Needed Someone: The harmonious vocals and baroque pop sound like the folk rock style that the Byrds invented in their first two albums. Harrison back at it again with Indian-sounding music, although this time no sitar. Run for your Life: A simple one, another that I could hear coming out of Help. Not a favorite, but I still like singing along to it, and the lyrics are funny. Thought it was an appropriate closing. All other songs on this album sound like there's something more to come, so I can't think of a better closer... But then again, that might just be because I've heard this a million times.
JOYA
While this is still a classic album, I think it’s my least favorite Beatles album. It’s not bad by any means but I find revolver and sgt peppers to be a lot better. Fav songs: nowhere man, Michelle
I feel like this is my sweet spot for the Beatles, that kind of in-between from their Beatlemania stuff and the later Sgt Pepper/White album stuff. "In My Life" is an all-time favorite for me. The rest is wonderful.
Perfection
Great album
Exceletne album! grandes canciones aunque no lo recordaba tan melancólico. Duración perfecta. El primero de una serie de grandes albumes de los beatles que marcaron a futuras generaciones
It's so interesting to hear the blues influences throughout this album and consider what a point of difference or is to the earlier stuff - and how again this is going to transform into entirely new just a few years later. Holy shit, "run for your life" doesn't age well does it?
That's easy, know it already well, easily top 10 of my favourites ever
Knew more songs than I expected. Their songs permeated through everything. Gave it a few listens and really enjoyed most of it.
One small step for The Beatles, one giant leap for Rock and Roll.
My favorite Beatles album
A strong 4.8 There are songs on this album that are unforgetable. Each song is so different buit the album rocks.
Drive My Car Norwegian Wood Nowhere Man Michelle Girl In my life Run for your life Excellent, pas leur meilleur mais tellement de bons titres qu'il mérite son 5 étoiles
It's good. They might have a future if they don't break themselves up.
One of the best Beatles albums. More creative and mature... definitely more varied. Incredible.
One of my personal favorite albums of all time. I personally believe it is the best Beatles' album as it encompasses such a wide range of melodies and creative moments. A truly magical project. My favorite song has to be "Girl", John's vocals are unmatched on that one!
Classic Beatles, every song rocks except Run For Your life… Yikes
It's the Beatles !
Love it
Excellent, brought back memories
Dude, it’s Rubber Soul
Finally some fucking Beatles. It's impossible to choose a favourite Beatles album but this is one of the very best. This is the one where they transitioned from the poppy boy band into cool as fuck absolute #lads. The drugs came in and their music changed for the better. 1. Drive My Car - classic opener 9/10 2. Norwegian Wood - First of many Beatles sitar tracks and easily the best 10/10 3. You Won't See Me - Lovely stuff from our Paul 9.50/10 4. Nowhere Man - Lennon delivering another 10/10 5. Think For Yourself - Lovely bit of guitar 8.5/10 6. The Word - cool as fuck and good fun 9/10 7. Michelle - used to think this was about a monkey playing piano 8.5/10 8. What Goes On - Not Ringo's finest hour 7/10 9. Girl - bonus points for saying 'tit' 9/10 10. I'm Looking Through You - always been a favourite 9.5/10 11. In My Life - The best song ever written 11/10 12. Wait - Another worldie 9.5/10 13. If I Needed Someone - Them harmonies though 9.50/10 14. Run For Your Life - For fuck sake haha 6.50/10
A great album! I love it a lot! My second favorite Beatles album, and the first one that I ever listened to all the way through around November 2020. I love the folkier style, and "In My Life" is one of my all time favorite Beatles songs. "Drive My Car" is also one of the best album starters that The Beatles ever had. Just incredible!
El disc on es nota l'inici de la seva progressió a l'hora de buscar noves fórmules i experimentacions dins del pop. Les cançons continuen estant, a més ara amb uns arranjaments més interessants i unes harmonies de primer nivell. Una altra de les seves obres mestres
Good as ever
A classic
So many classics!
Where do we start. Ok well firstly anyone that dislikes John Lennon probably does have a rubber soul. If they have a soul at all that is. This album is absolutely phenomenal in every way shape and form. Another fine example of scousers ruling the world!!
Never heard of this lot but I predict big things for them, they'll go far.
Only 1 song on this album that wasn’t amazing!
Nowhere Man alone would make this record a 6-star, but then you've also got Girl, Norwegian Wood and ... hell, go on and listen to it!
95/100 Top 3: "Michelle", "Girl" and "In My Life"
Very very enjoyable, vocals are insanely good, harmony is great. Only negative I can find is that sometimes the instrumentals are a bit repetitive, very similar sounding drums in most songs, “Girl” was nice because it had a drastically different composition to most of the other songs in the album. On all songs though, the guitar lines all sound amazing. 5/5
Jockeys with Revolver as my favorite Beatles album. What more is there to say.... 5 stars
I mean... it's the Beatles. Rocky, poppy, sweet 'n nostalgic.
Oh man. My favorite. So many great songs. Guess I get a free day today, cause I been listening to this album since I was 12.
Top class 🤩
I like it.
What a great album. I’m guilty of really only knowing Beatles’ hits. What an awakening.
5/5 very very good album. One of the best Beatles albums in my opinion. Favourite songs: drive my car and Norwegian wood
Just sublime. How extraordinary The Beatles were. Their consistency in such a short space of time. Songs that will endure forever. There is so much to enjoy here and a variety of style and mood whilst still sounding like a cohesive record. I really loved listening to this on repeat and has been my highlight so far of this project.
Good album, one of the only Beatles albums I hadn't heard before, consistent
Can’t go wrong with the Beatles
Love Rubber Soul!! This was the first Beatles album I ever bought on vinyl, there was an old copy at a thrift store. It's beat to hell and sounds a little scratchy but that just adds to the charm of it.
Bangers only
Beatles always great love how they keep album length short and songs aren’t super long
Turning point in music. Groundbreaking.
This was maybe my first favorite Beatles album.
One of the highlight rock albums of the '60s. 9.0/10 Best Tracks: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" "Michelle" "In My Life"
This is one of my favourite albums of all time. This is just before The Beatles started redefining music with every subsequent release and you can hear the experimental ideas bubbling under the surface. Love it. It is a bit bad that John Lennon says he's going to kill that girl, but it was the 60's.
This is the first Beatles album I've listened to from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. The album felt cohesive, and I kind of wish each song was a little longer! I don't have any gripes with this album.
Classic. I love the fact that The Beatles hit a ceiling with this album and The Beatles in general. After the release of Beach Boy's 'Pet Sounds', 'St Peppers' was a desperate attempt to compete by creating an entirely new fictional band.
Soul/motown-inspired rock and roll at the Beatles' finest. In My Life is one of my favourites on this one. Also, it's said that the inhales on Girl are Lennon inhaling a joint
Man, just wall to wall excellence.
This might be my favorite Beatles album...
In my fav Beatles albums.
One of the Beatles best. One of my personal favourites
Would listen to again
This album is beautiful
Saved Prior: None For all 5 star albums I'm going to be ranking the songs worst to best with tiers after one day of listening. Not Saved Tier: 14. The Word 13. If I Needed Someone Cutting Edge: 12. Nowhere Man (wish there was a little bit more going on, will probably grow on me) 11. Girl 10. Run For Your Life (would be higher if the lyrics weren't so sus coming from John Lennon) Saved Off Rip: 9. In My Life (didn't especially like it at first, already growing on me, could easily rocket up) 8. What Goes On (simple but hits the spot) 7. Drive My Car (again, simple but hits the spot) 6. Wait 5. Think For Yourself Top 4 are essentially toss-ups, not confident in this order: 4. Michelle 3. I'm Looking Through You 2. Norwegian Wood 1. You Won't See Me This album is incredible, might be a Beatle stan. I get the Beatles. Nothing sounds quite like them, and goddamn they refuse to miss on this album. Even the two I didn't save are at least 5/10 songs.
Nunca había escuchado este álbum de the Beatles completo y en orden, no sabía que drive my car o Michelle eran de este álbum
Masterpiece
Best Beatles album
Un disco maravilloso que además representa esa madurez que alcanzaron y les llevo camino a la gloria
this was one of the 4 albums i had for my cd player as a small child and i remember i thought that the beatles were all brothers. anyways its good but not quite the beatles at their best. 9/10
9! Groovy. Great as an album, fun tracks individually
Got a sudden urge to purchase insurance
Narrowly a 10/10. A couple really good songs, and none that let the album down. And while it's not the most exciting or emotional music, it just sounds really good. Except maybe the bits where he inhales in "Girl". And it's a very reasonable length for the style of music.
What to say that hasn't been expressed a billion times?
Uno de los que más me gusta de ellos. Genial
Maybe my second favorite Beatles album. 10
4.5* great album just TOO SHORT!! great album though
I would feel guilty not giving this 5 stars. I am too soft.
I mean, it's a great album. Not my favorite Beatles album, but a great album.
My favorite Beatles album
It's the Beatles what more can I say! I haven't actually listened to this album before, but I enjoy most of the rest of their discography and this album has significantly sitar so that's a plus.
One of the best albums ever recorded. Full stop.
No es su mejor disco pero indudablemente genial.
I already knew this album well. Perfect 60s vibes. You really get to see hints of what the Beatles would become next.
❤️
An absolute classic what else to comment
Citando a un hombre sabio: "me daría hasta miedo no ponerle 5 estrellas"
Incredible as always.
Hitsen och många andra låtar e ju solklara 5+, andra låtar e ganska mje. Men ja, det e ett mycket bra beatles album. Men vad fan hände på sista låten hahah hur mådde dom??
9.5
in my life good song
Easy 5 pointer.. Beatles doing what they do
Amazing
alma de borracha total
Classic album. Four stars.
One of my favorite album from them
A very strong album. Diverse tones between fun and bright to more relaxed and easy grooving. Favorite track: Wait
Na urodzinki dostałem, co tu dużo mówić, śliczne melodie, piękne harmonie, i wspaniały klimat
Lubie bardzo ten album wspomnienia mile z nim mam
Love.
Awesome album. Every song.
Its the Beatles - come on
duh
Banco mucho que fue súper experimental y que metieron un montón de instrumentos y sonidos interesantes.
I have heard so many of these songs before but never listened to the album as a whole before. Classic and there are some great songs I’d never heard that have been added straight to my playlist. Rubber soul rubbed my soul fr
The start of a new Beatles era: solid songwriting all around with increasingly diverse influence, compacted into a beautiful half-an-hour.
I always mix this up with the tracks on Revolver. To me, these albums are interchangeable. And even though both are great and contain some absolute hits, and even though people whose opinions I hold in high regard perceive the Rubber Soul/Revolver era to be the best of The Beatles’ eras, I think it’s the worst era. You don’t have the extremes of White Album/Abbey Road or the absurdity of Magical Mystery Tour. You sense we’re close, but we’re just not there during RS. At the same time, the poppy innocence of the Baby Beatles days is gone. We have songs about cheating on your wife, murdering women, driving cars and taxmen, etc. Recently, relistening through the discography, I had a batty revelation that I’d become tired of the late Beatles, and that Help is my new favorite Beatles album. By Rubber Soul, Help is in the review mirror, and so is that fun outlook on life and love that drug them onto the international stage in the first place. Still, this is Rubber Soul. It can’t get lower than a 4. Like 94% of other albums on this list don’t even match it.
Favourite Tracks: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) Nowhere Man Girl In My Life
Definitely the album that moves them from “early” to “late” Beatles. For the most part it is excellent with some absolutely amazing songs on here but there are a few that are just not up to snuff, here’s looking at you Ringo! It’s hard to give this a 5 as it probably does deserve it but I know there is better coming…
The Beatles' first great album is a bit of a transitional one. There are hints of the psychedelia they would explore on their next few albums, such as the sitar on "Norwegian Wood," the album's strongest track. But it's mostly just a pop album, though a very good one of course. The songs are more fleshed out than on their earlier albums, and the structures more varied. "In My Life" is the best example of that, though I'm partial to "You Won't See Me" and "If I Needed Someone" as underrated tracks. It's not a perfect album; the chorus of "Girl" is weak, "Michelle" is a bit sappy, and the less said about "Run For Your Life," the better. The band would go on to more adventurous things, but the strong melodies on this one mean it still holds up next to their best work.
i enjoyed this one quite a bit, it's not hitting the same highs as the white album but i like how u can feel the sound kinda starting to morph from the pop rock feel of their earlier stuff into the more experimental psychedelia of their later work. much like their haircuts on the album cover, really.... it's a little up and down for me, i don't think any of the tracks are outright bad but imo it's strongest when they're playing around with a more folk sound like on "norwegian wood" and "i'm looking through you".... although having said that, i think their more "traditional" pop rock stuff on this album is way stronger than on their earlier albums, and my favourite track, "nowhere man" is kinda somewhere between the two genres. i gotta mention the weird sharp inhales on "girl" too cos like, idk i think they're neat? a lot of work goes into cutting breathing sounds from vocal tracks so including loud and deliberate breaths is pretty interesting. it's a fun little flair! i've been debating over this but i think this is just barely strong enough for a 4. it definitely helps that it's so short, cos it's exactly as long as it needs to be. any more tracks and i think it'd outstay its welcome i think.
Don't like the beatles at all, but recognize why everyone loves them
These guys are GOOD and this is VERY GOOD. This isn’t my favorite of theirs though!
drive my car ++ norwegian wood + michelle + what goes on + girl ++ wait + run for your life ??
Yeah. I am beginning to realize the Beatles really are a 4 star band for me. I actually think this and Revolver are them at the top of their game, their most unified, their best. Abbey Road is actually a mess. So is Srt. Pepper’s, really. But here, they’re functioning as a fully functional band and the cracks aren’t showing. You have Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, In My Life - some of their most iconic songs. But. Then you have Think for Yourself - which is fine in 1965 but man, I don’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear it in 1985. It was old and trite already then. And What Goes On, which again is fine. But actually annoying. But the real doozy, the Maxwell’s Silver Hammer of the album? The closer. Run for Life. There isn’t a context I can imagine where this song is actually ok. 4 Boolean: True. I mean, it’s the Beatles
Listening to a Beatles album very much makes you realise how many songs you've heard before without really knowing. Anyway, I really liked it! Is this the start of my being a Beatles fan??
It has some really great songs and I like the adventurous (for it's time) approach. A few songs I would skip but overall I enjoy this.
I loved this album! Enjoyed listening the whole way through.
Classic
Controversial take, Good not their best (barely even top 5 imo). Standouts are Norwegian Wood, The Word, Michelle and In My Life.
I didn’t think I’d like this one because I’ve always been a fan of louder/faster rock music and I’ve only heard snippets of the Beatles. Safe to say I was proven wrong. The instrumentals and production was awesome and it doesn’t feel dated at all to me. Absolutely timeless and I think it’ll hold up for a long time
Not my favorite Beatles album but it definitely had some hits. With Girl, Drive My Car, In My Life, and Norwegian Wood it is a great album but just lacks all the hits other albums have.
The album in which the Liverpool guys started their musical maturity. They will still go way further than that but it's nice to see where their creative blossoming began.
The turning point for when The Beatles get good. Quite a few weird and more interesting sounding songs, but still slightly bogged down with the boyband pop. Norwegian Wood is underrated.
Run For Your Life is the only thing standing between this album and a 5
I spent this album trying to figure out a new way to go about choosing my highlights, only to completely change my approach to reviews in total by the time I relistened to this album. I heard a lot of praise for this album recently, specifically within the context of its influence on the sound of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. With that buildup in mind, this album honestly felt pretty tame for the Beatles. It's still plenty good, with great vocal harmonies here and there, but it's lacking the experimentation and versatility I've heard in other Beatles projects. This feels like an instance where time has rendered the influencial and noteworthy aspects of this album relatively tame nowadays, but it's still certainly a good rock album. Highlights: The Girl, I'm Looking Through You, In My Life, Wait, If I Needed Someone
Super enjoyable but audio mixing is weird. Sometimes vocals are barely audible while the instruments are perfect
It had been too long since I relistened to this entire album. An otherwise superb album marred by the awful "Run For Your Life"
I'll caveat this by saying that The Beatles were never my thing - if they were, maybe this would be a 5 star rating - but those harmonies on You Won't See Me got me in the feels. That was the point at which I knew this would be a good listen purely for the vibes. Transported myself back to the 60s for a few minutes and wished I could stay.
knew a lot on here already but it just works brilliantly in sequence. john really stands out as a songwriter here, in my life is gorgeous... would be a 4.5 if that was an option. only because i prefer some other beatles albums in here
somehow beatles were my most listened to artist last year so i'm a little bit beatle-pilled. i didn't realize how many bangers were on this one i just know they have even better stuff. probably more like a 4.5 for me tbh.
Tolles Beatles Album mit dem für sie typischen Sound, absolut nichts zu meckern, außer das mir ein bisschen der "pep" gefehlt hat, der einen umwirft oder mitwippen lässt.
Durchwegs gutes Album, schön anzuhören. Gute Länge.
Schönes Beatles Album, mehr aber auch nicht
I would not consider myself a Beatles fan. I also am not a hater. I like some songs, I do not own any albums. I liked this album. I liked most of the songs. I would listen to it again. A solid 4 for the Fab Four.
todas parecem iguais… ou ndv? afff mas eu gostei nunca tinha escutado muchas músicas dos beatles e achei essas boas
Fun, catchy, interesting sounds, soft psychedelic rock?
1. 8/10 2. 7/10 bo vibes książki 3. 6,5/10 4. 7/10 5. 6/10 6. 7/10 7. 7/10 8. 5,5/10 9. 9/10 10. 7/10 11. 8/10 12. 7/10 13. 6,5/10 14. 8/10 Album 7.10/10
I mean, it's the Beatles - how can I not give it a high rating? I'm feeling very lucky to have gotten two Beatles albums generated this early on in my 1001 albums journey, not to mention two that I think will likely become my forever favorites. I think I still prefer Revolver, but you can hear how their sound is actively transitioning in this album toward what they would achieve in their subsequent album. As much as people tend to highlight Norwegian Wood, I personally think the short & sweet In My Life is the true masterpiece on this album - in my opinion, it's one of the best Ringo contributions on any Beatles song. Favorite tracks: Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, In My Life
As a person that has never listened to the Beatles up until now they are way better than I originally thought they would be Great Album aswell
LOVE the beatles and rubber soul is a brilliant album of theirs, not as good as some of the others but still great through and through. it’s got a very distinct sound to it and i was so happy to be able to return to it
First Beatles album of the project for me. Could probably have been any of their albums, really… there's no musician out there with a catalog more full of probable must hears. The Beatles were a milestone in popular music, arguably a complete reset. And this album is, in and of itself, a milestone and reset for the Beatles, the dividing line between a girl-crazing pop group to a genre-hopping, experimental powerhouse. Rubber Soul is an album that has probably killed forests for all the ink spilled on it, so for me, I guess it's a matter of explaining why it isn't five stars. And mostly, that's the bookends. “Run for your life” is dated and weird, and weirder still as an ending track. But honestly I like “Drive My Car” less. Bottom 5 Beatles song. It's corny and feels indicative of the worst of pre-Beatles rock and roll. “Beep beep, beep beep, yeah” can fuck right off. And the honest truth is that there's a host of lesser Beatles songs here, songs that are good but not as memorable: Girl, Michelle, The Word… But there are also some real special tracks. Sure, we have early sitar experiments in Norwegian Wood, an early emotional gem in In My Life, the stunning harmonies of Nowhere Man. But you also have the take on the classic unrequited love song with You Won't See Me, the psych-adjacent Think for Yourself, I'm Looking Through You, which might be my fave song here. By this point, you probably knew that the Beatles were smart and solid songwriters, but this is where we start really seeing those seeds grow. From here on out, there isn't a Beatles album that's less than a strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ at minimum.
This may be one of my most listened albums. Rubber Soul is my favorite Beatles album. Not much else to say. Norwegian Wood is my favorite John Lennon-led song. It’s the first album that the group made as a studio only band. It shows their growth as songwriters exploring different genres more in depth for the first time. Love it. Upon re-listen, I don’t think it’s as strong. There are some duds on this album and I would rate 3 other Beatles albums higher. Still a fantastic album.
found out i like the beatles
Love the Beatles. Rubber Soul has gems like In My Life, Michelle, and Norwegian Wood.
Ahwwww yes een beatles album! Dat moet wel goedkomen denk ik. Als ik zo door de titels keek zag ik niet echt grote hits, maar dat kan ook door mijn kennis van songtitels komen. Want bij de eerste zat ik al, ohja deze! Lekker zeg. Haha, en jahoor ook bij de 2e is het ohja! Norwegian wood. Bijzonder nummer met die sitar. Derde nummer ken ik niet, maar is wel lekker typisch Beatles. Ook leuk om nieuwe nummers te ontdekken van hen. En eigenlijk ken ik de volgende nummers allemaal ook niet. Maar het is lekker om naar te luisteren en heeft die typische jaren 60 rock style. Weetje, bij elke andere artiest had ik waarschijnlijk gezegd; 'luistert lekker weg, maar veel van hetzelfde 3 reten'. Alleen dit zijn de fucking beatles en ik ben biased. 4 reten.
ach norwegian wood...
Good album, but not my fav from the Beatles.
I love The Beatles, but can't pretend it's a perfect record when it has "The Word", "What Goes On"... step in a great direction, "In My Life" is one of the best songs of all time.
Didn't quite hit like the other Beatles albums but this was pretty good
I've always thought of Rubber Soul and Revolver as occupying a similar space as the transitional records between the loveable mop-tops era, and the band's more experimental, facial hair years, but listening now, I think it's this record alone that bridges that gap. Revolver definitely seems to lean more into the studio techniques, which makes Rubber Soul an especially interesting listen. George's contributions really start to shine through here too. I've docked them a point for Run for your Life, which is just plain nasty. I don't think it will do them any harm though.
beatles!
I hate the Beatles. I hate how good this was. Lots of unique, excellent songs that I will unfortunately be choosing to listen to in the future (I added about half of them to my library). There were a couple of uninspiring songs that were just fine. I really only disliked one or two (Girl was the worst). I’m a sucker for their melancholy tracks like In My Life (Norwegian Wood not included as it sucks). Irritatingly high at a 4 and I know for a fact this isn’t their best album so I’m sure a 5 is coming.
Wonderful album, has my favorite Beatle’s single
Fantastic like a solid 8.5/9 out of 10
* A major turning point in The Beatles’ sound, with more mature songwriting. * Strong folk influences and subtle musical experimentation. * Memorable harmonies and consistently great melodies. * Themes of love, self-reflection and growing up. * Timeless album that gets better with repeat listens.
Great album 4/5
Run for your Life is the scariest Beatles song I’ve ever heard.
This album feels so personal
One of those middling Beatles albums I never bothered to look at. Boy I wish I'd checked it out sooner! Just brilliant songs well made, the perfect blend of their early and late work
fav songs: you won't see me michelle in my life if i needed someone melodic, romantic, classic 70/100
Obviously, this ought to be a Five Star album. Except that not all of it has aged well. Famously, Lennon’s ‘ Run for Your Life’ is a horrible song, that I think he later disowned. The Ringo and George outings are also backward looking - although the rockabilly ‘What goes on’ would be great on someone else’s album by someone else. The negatives might have dragged this down to three stars, but the album also contains some stuff that is timeless - ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘In My Life’ - so it’s four stars from me.
Very iconic. Old funky vibes that I love. In my life is my favorite
Jeg har aldrig dyrket Beatles. Faktisk har jeg aldrig rigtigt lyttet til det, til trods for alle de roser de får. Med det sagt, så forstår jeg godt hvad folk ser i dem, når jeg hører det her. Det spiller! Det bliver ikke en 5'er og for at være ærlig, så har jeg svært ved at forestille mig, at jeg skal kunne give et Beatles album 5 stjerner - vi må se om jeg ændre mening :)))
Ik was eigenlijk wel weer een keer toe aan een lekker gezapig Beatles-albumpje. Ja, ik weet dat ze er veel te vaak in staan, maar als je dus Revolver uit de lijst haalt en alleen dit er in zet uit die periode van de Beatles, dan was het prima geweest. Ik heb bij het album Revolver al aangegeven dat ik dit album een 4 ga geven. Dus dat ga ik dan ook maar doen.
Very good, very Beatles. Love these guys and their odd haircuts. Strange last song but hey I liked it overall.
Great album. Very listenable. I don't have any nostalgia for the Beatles, not really getting into them until my late 20s, but this is easily one of their better albums.
my favs were: 1. girl 2. you wont see me 3. in my life pretty fire but im not crazy about it
This is when the Beatles start to get interesting I think. I enjoy some of their earlier material, but it's quite poppy. This album has a lot of great songs on it, including some of my favourite Beatles songs. As an album though it is not perfect, and some of the songs are forgettable.
I’ve never quite loved the albums as much as I expected I might.
Pretty decent album, still waiting for the good Beatles album's. The one thing I like about the Beatles is that their album's are short, sweet, and mostly catchy.
Rubber Soul has always felt like the album that bridged the gap between the old boy band Beatles and the later psychedelic rock Beatles. It's never been my favorite, but there's some undeniably good songs on here like I'm looking through you, Norwegian wood, and in my life. Some of the other songs are very forgettable, and the last song is both really creepy and outright bad. All in all, it's a good album, but I much prefer their later albums.
This sounds like an album of Beatles music if the Beatles decided to make good music instead of sappy pop love songs. The folk and rock blend really shines on a couple of songs, especially Norwegian Wood, which highlights the success of the fusion and the band's execution of it. The use of syncopated rhythms appear on other tracks, and even introduce the album on its first track, Drive My Car, which could speak to the progressive nature of the sounds on this album. Overall, this is an exemplary album that illustrates the talent of this band beyond pop radio hits.
Enn ein hörkuplatan frá Bítlunum.
- Used to prefer Revolver to this, but Rubber Soul now hits me harder. I find the more folk-heavy aspects nostalgic and enjoyable and, unsurprisingly, there is so much creativity here. - Every song has something great, even if I do not care for it that much individually. "I'm Looking Through You" going into "In My Life" are my fav tracks. - Some tracks ("Run For Your Life") have not aged super well.
8/10 Rubber Soul marked the moment at which the Beatles began their transition from a singles focused band to one that began to embrace the album as an artistic medium. It was also the point at which they began to introduce a broader sonic palette, with the use of instruments like the sitar and harmonium, as well as a broader range of musical influences, such as country and folk. Having honed their sense of songwriting, particularly with a focus on pop melodies, blended with stacked harmonies, on their earlier work, there is undoubted quality all over this record. From pop songs like Drive My Car to more Motown soul inspired songs like The word and melodically gorgeous love songs like Michelle, there’s a good range of tracks on this album. But where it really begins to step up is with tracks like In My Life and Norwegian wood, where we can really hear a development into more considered and exploratory songwriting. There are great moments from each of the band members across the album, and you’ll see reference to various of these moments in my track by track summary, but they’re such a tight and coherent band by this point that the advances in their songwriting and production cam easily be taken into their stride without those musical developments feeling unnatural. With all that being said, there are a few tracks on here which fall somewhat short of having the best of the Beatles pop writing, while not adding enough of the progressive musical developments to make them more than filler. Good filler, but filler nonetheless. And the less said about Run For Your Life, the better. This album is undoubtedly a vastly important one in the developments of both the album as a format as well as the Beatles as a band, but for me, it points towards the greatness that they would achieve rather than being a true example of it. But it’s still an incredibly solid album and, without what was to come, maybe it would be easier to see it in a stronger light. Drive My Car - A classic Beatles pop tune straight out of the gate. There are great riffs, the main vocal hooks are excellent, and the band plays as a quality unit. It’s simple, but really well delivered with a bluesy swagger. Yes, the beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah! bit is cheesy, but it’s just the right amount of cheese. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - Is this the start of the Beatles delving into more varied instrumentation, adding a sitar to the mix? I think so. It’s a really pretty piece and some of the melodic work is lovely. I’m a big fan of the middle eight, with the added vocal harmonies and change in mode. You Won't See Me - This feels a bit less free-flowing than the first couple of tracks and I’m not entirely keen on the drumming, which feels a bit stilted. It’s still a decent track and the chorus is decent, but as a whole, it feels a bit weaker and more generic (particularly the oooh-la-la backing vocals) than the better cuts on the record. Nowhere Man - There are some lush harmonies in here, and there’s a nice swing to the groove. I think the occasional piece of lead guitar that accentuates certain moments is cool too. It’s a touch one-paced, but that’s a bit offset by the bittersweet emotional tone of the piece, sitting halfway between an upbeat pop song and a more sad, mellow tone. Think For Yourself - This kind of continues the vibe from Nowhere Man, but then strides off in its own direction through the chorus. I love Ringo’s use of triplets in the chorus and the change in emphasis between verses and choruses is really nice. Harmonically, this is strong, but the main melody, while decent, isn’t quite as hooky as it could be. A decent, if unspectacular track. The Word - We’re back on better melodic footing now and this definitely has a bit more of the pop-soul sound that they riff off on the album title. Ringo’s drumming on this is really good, especially against the offbeat guitar work. Nice harmonies too. McCartney’s strolling bass is also excellent. Michelle - Ah, this is a beautiful song. The stacked vocal is gorgeous, and the lyrical, organic flow of the vocal melody is superb. It’s a lovely blend of folk and soul, and it drifts from minor to major tonalities so fluidly that it just pulls you along on a wonderful musical journey. Really top stuff. What Goes On? - An up-tempo country-blues number now. Harrison’s guitar work is great and Ringo’s vocal is pretty decent too. It’s a touch derivative of that country-blues style, but it’s got great groove and feel to it, and it’s expertly executed, so let’s just let that slide, shall we, and enjoy that hooky vocal melody? Girl - There’s an element of southern European traditional music to this. It’s decent enough and I think the slightly slurred vocal delivery in the chorus is very nice, but it’s not the most interesting of tracks, necessarily. It’s rhythmically a bit stuttering in places too. I'm Looking Through You - There’s a cool change of pace between verse and chorus here and the push to the top of McCartney’s vocal range gives it a nice bit of drive and intensity. The chorus vocal melody is a great hook, and this has a nice bit of swing and swagger to the delivery. In My Life - This is another really beautiful song. The harmonies are really well arranged to allow the lead melody to shine, and the whole vibe of the track is gorgeous. The lead guitar work bounces off the vocal melody brilliantly and even the baroque-style solo adds an extra bit of flavour to the mix. A real standout moment. Wait - The rhythmic emphasis makes it a bit too stop-start for me. There are some great vocal harmonies in places, but some sections feel a touch rambling. Again, not bad, but not one of their better efforts. If I Needed Someone - We’re back on something stronger again now. The interplay of the bass and guitar work against the wandering quality of the lead vocal melody is really nice. The general vibe of folksy pop about this is just pleasant to the ear and the performances from the whole band are excellent. Run For Your Life - Ok, well this is a bit of a weird one, and feels a bit off lyrically against the rest of the album. Some of the lyrics are lifted from Elvis Prestley and while there’s some decent elements of melody to it, it also feels a bit generic. Also, the whole vibe of it, particularly lyrically, feels at best misguided and mean-spirited and at worst… Well we know John’s reputation with regard to women. Sheesh.
YAAAASSSSS!!! Excellent album, defo one of their best and I love it.
Currently, this is my daughter’s favourite Beatles album - and it’s a good pick! Favourite track: I’m Looking Through You
-1 for Drive My Car.
Conocia The Beatles pero nunca escucho y la verdad que me encanto, siento que por lo menos este disco me hace sentir una persona feliz, me dio vibes a cuando matilda se quedaba sola en la casa
A landmark album for The Beatles. I think this one stands out more if you listen to it within the context of their discography, because you can really hear how much this record departs from their previous work and begins their more experimental "later years" sound. I'll argue that the shift starts with "Help!" but this record made their growth undeniable; they weren't the mop-headed boys from Liverpool anymore.
Probably a very high 3 for me, album felt a bit everywhere but it was also very good, I can see why its so highly regarded.
Drive my car: fengende, artig Norwegian wood: fin melodi, sitar, mørk humor You won't see me: melodisk, bra trommespill, oo lala Nowhere man: vittig, aa lala Think for yourself: repeterende, george sang Word: repeterende Michelle: søt, fint gitarspill, ooo What goes on: litt enkel, ringo sang Girl: fint gitarspill, kynisk/bitter kjærlighetsang, dududu, girl ffff Im looking through you: bitter breakup sang med futt, klapping My life: utrolig fin, den piano delen <3 Wait: tamburin, liker opptrappingen på ref If I needed someone: tamburin, harmonisering, bedre george sang, fortsatt noe repetetende Run for your life: fin melodi, fæl tekst Jeg foretrekker generelt Lennon sine sanger på dette albumet. Norwegian wood, Nowhere man og Girl er alle vittige med en kynisk og bitter undertone. Run for your life tar bitterheten litt for langt. In my life derimot er utrolig varm og nostaligisk med en nydelig melodi. Muligens favoritt låta mi på albumet. Michelle og Drive my car er begge artige og fengende sanger. Noen av sangene er litt repeterende og enkle som Word, Think for yourself og What goes on, men de fleste av låtene var veldig gode. Selv de mindre minneverdige sangene på albumet er interesange å høre på fordi det skjer så mye på hver sang. I tilleg til gitar og trommespill er det mye harmonisering (oo lala) og noen ganger tamburin og klapping osv. Et veldig fult lydbilde.
Pretty good if you don’t mind the jaunty threats to kill in the misogynistic song “Run For Your Life” It’s weird to think they were already six albums in when releasing this and were forever transforming.
No es el mejor de los beatles pero tiene grandes canciones. Cada vez que escucho In My Life me dan ganas de llorar
Let it be known that I declined to give this album five stars solely because of "Run for Your Life."
4.0 and good memories
This isn’t their best album, but it’s a classic for a reason and definitely belongs on this list.
last song is fucking crazy
Bitels
轻松又欢快，运用许多新元素
Actually a decent album. Probably my favourite of theirs.
Favorite Track: Michelle Least Favorite Track: What Goes On
Front to back solid with some classics across its 50 min runtime
Pop Rock Favorite Tracks: Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Nowhere Man, Think For Yourself, I’m Looking Through You, In My Life, Wait, If I Need Someone. Least Favorite Track: Run For Your Life I throughly enjoyed this album. I did enjoy more on the A Side than the B Side of this album. They’ve now fine tuned from their earlier stuff and made it a bit more mature than their earlier works. That being said, some of their other stuff like Girl and Run For Your Life is where I either thought that I didn’t like certain elements of the track or just flat out hate. Other than that, great album. 8/10
Always tough with a Beatles album to say it’s perfect because there’s always some bollocks on it somewhere. There’s a little here but also some out and out classics, so a 4!
Mad that this was their 6th album in under 3 years. You can see the shoots of progression whilst still mostly being a solid pop album. A 3.9 for me.
I always thought the Beatles were quite good, and some of their songs aren't my favorite, but these are very great.
I like this album, I like all the different instruments they used and I like Paul and John's voices so this would probably be 4 stars.
Really really good I like all aspects of this song and I really recommend to most
4.4/5 Favorite Songs: Drive My Car Norwegian Wood Nowhere Man Think For Yourself If I Needed Someone Run For Your Life
Probably my favorite Beatles album. The standouts to me are You Won't See Me, Girl, Nowhere Man, and What Goes on, but there's other good and great songs. By no means perfect, even adjusting for the era, and honestly not so far removed from what they did before like diehard fans like to think, but still great.
I'm a fairly new Beatles listener (last 4 years) but I will say this album has a few of my all time faves of theirs: Nowhere Man and In My Life. Rubber Soul had a very cohesive feel throughout it.
This is a classic, quintessential pop/rock album that shaped the music industry as a whole. Without Rubber Soul, there is no Pet Sounds.
1. beepbeep beepbeep yeahhhhh 2. sitar :0 3. great song - thank u paul 4. maybe the best song 5. i like this one a lot too 6. funkyyy 7. meechelle 8. yes 9. crispy breath sound girl 10. good 11. definitely the best song 12. 13. classic 14. true
Начало очень стильное и многообещающее, драйвовые и балдежные первые два трека. Если бы так было весь альбом, это было бы супер, но потом начинается типичный трынь трынь гитарно-балладный. В конце еще немного классной музыки. В целом, неплохой альбом, но в серединке сдувается...
4.5
8.0/10 Great album... really close to 5 stars for me
Great album, though far from The Beatles' best. They were really starting to find their magic here though. That said, -1 star for the annoying stereo mix. Favourite tracks: Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Girl, I'm Looking Through You
The Beatles. Great record, ofcourse. For Albums lik this I the possibility for half stars. Because this is a much stronger 4 then other fours I've given. But it is still not a five. Although very solid tracklist. You can feel the band moving forward. But it still doesn't compare with the albums after this.
Lækkert album! Et skelsættende værk hvor jeg synes Beatles begynder at bevise sig selv som mere end et coverband eller en one-trick pony. Det er på samme tid et overgangsalbum hvor man stadig kan høre den ikoniske tidlige Beatles formular. Dertil kommer en række smukke bangers som Norwegian Wood, Michelle og In my Life. En af mine yndlings beatlesalbum, men har ikke hørt den sindssygt meget. der er desværre et par numre på albummet der ikke har siger mig så meget... endnu? Herunder The Word og de tre sidste numre.
The songs flow very well; they are smooth and easily digestible. This album marks a fundamental change in sound, more modern, but also with a somewhat rustic feel.
When I saw McCartney live the opening twang of Drive My Car dragged genuine uncontrollable Beatlemania screams from deep inside me. The cover is brilliant, the title is brilliant, the mood is brilliant. It is The Weed Album, after all. They’ve bought a sitar and by God they’re going to use it. Nowhere Man is a gentle, empathetic attack on us all and I find it incredibly moving. Michelle is delightfully lovely, and so is The Word, though the laziness of John’s line ‘in the good and the bad books that I have read’ astonishes me every time. In my Life is MONUMENTAL (and sort of about Paul, right?). A song tentatively accepting that nothing will ever be the same again, generally and also specifically, but with no conception (because how could they have imagined it?) of how much that is true. There is absolutely an undercurrent of bitterness to this album, which comes to a head properly when Run For Your Life pours a bucket of cold water over the good times and the misogyny becomes unignorable, casting everything that went before it in a new light. I suppose he did burn down the house in Norwegian Wood, I suppose the woman in Drive My Car is being mocked, I suppose they could be more fair to the women who have broken their hearts (What goes on, think for yourself, you won’t see me, Girl, I’m looking through you.) I used to wish they had just not included the final song, but now I see it has its place, and pretending it doesn’t belong on the album is cowardly. It unfortunately does, but it’s why I cannot award full marks.
Not much I can say about this. The production is great, every song is played to perfection and each one has some interesting instrumentation. I would be interested to listen to this on Mono, as I know the songs do sound different. Lyrically, there's a lot of woman-hating, but overall I enjoyed the songs a lot more on a second listen. The violence on 'Run For Your Life' reminds me of 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', which used to scare me when I sang it as a child in primary school. What's changed? Or has nothing changed? Would probably listen to a lot of this again though.
Interesting to go back and listen to. It's the Beatles, so of course it's well done. But it sits at an interesting point in their musical career. Not sappy boppy like their earlier commercial work, but not yet crossing that Sergeant Pepper line into real experimentalism. Frankly, this is lest daring than the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds'. You can hear them trying to rise to that bar. So it remains a very solid album for what it is and very enjoyable to listen to. It has some excellent songs that remain relevant today. But not growing up with this and really experiencing that musical transition, I would expect this to feel very "meh" to a lot of newer audiences.
Short and sweet in terms of quality, but it’s a bit of an interesting mix of cheer and melancholy. You have the archetypal jolly Beatles songs but I enjoy the deeper cuts like Nowhere Man and I’m Looking Through You, and in spite of it being a love song, In My Life is a little bit of genius despite some eclectic medieval style bits on what I assume was a keyboard... Speaking of which, the album in general makes use of quite the variety of backing music. A highly enjoyable listen.
"Drive my car" - pretty standard Beatles pop classic... "Norwegian Wood" is much more my thing. it's an amazing off the wall sound with sitar. Cool fusion and really helps support and shape the review of this album. This is where I pivot to why this is not just another classic pop album. They have an eclectic maturity at this point and when combined to their instrument collection, styles and lyrics it sets itself apart from the typical. Injecting foreign influences and oddities is the key sauce that made them culturally significant, and ultimately their exceptional story telling gave them the platform. Unlike some other albums hard to find a real duffer and this whole album continues to allow some artistic freedom and clearly some commercial throttling as many songs can't be considered complex surely in their music. It's their composition and lyrics that build them to epics. At least on this album, their pop roots are not an anchor in my mind. Sometimes simple with an excess of glossy sparkles but ultimately a great.
It's the beatles innit
This is a solid album from them. Their first really good album IMO. But since Revolver is better this one isn’t quite 5 stars I don’t think. Great though.
Great album, just like with literally every other genre from metal to ska to avant-garde to R&B to hip hop to shoegaze to breakbeat to hyperpop, The Beatles invented the laidback 'stoner rock' genre with this record, as most evidently shown on Norwegian Wood, Think For Yourself, Nowhere Man, or really, ANY of these tracks that crawl deep in your head and make you go, "where'd that sound come from?" I'm sure they're more often known as the speed or LSD kinda band, but they're clearly not as head-banging as they were on Please Please Me here, nor are they shooting up into space the way they do on Sgt Peppers. Throw some ice down the pipe and let it rip, In My Life will blow you straight towards a sunflower field.
Great album, surprised it took me this long to find a Beatles album. In My Life was my fav song of the album. Nowhere Man and Michelle (my fav first listen were my other highlights)
4/5 Favorite Song: Norwegian Wood
Would have been but last track not aged well. V odd
Comecei ouvindo pela manhã já no trabalho, achei que combinou com a vibe. Gostei do álbum, ele acabou e eu nem percebi... Algumas músicas até tenho vontade de adicionar na minha playlist
Much much better than White Album, not as good as Abbey Road in my opinion.
4 AmbI being harsh maybe
great classic, but at the same type it's not my cup of tea
This is the first in a series of perfect or almost perfect albums by the Beatles. It all, really started here. These were the new Beatles, leaving the teenage craze and beat music behind, mixing pop and folk and psychedelic rock and Indian influences into iconic songs like "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", "Michelle", "Girl" and "In My Life". "Rubber Soul" foreshadows album masterpieces like "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper", "The White Album" and "Abbey Road".
A 4 given the bigger hits on the album that drags it up.
Hgh
fantastic album! heard it before obviously but damn it is good 1. Abbey Road 2. Revolver 3. Rubber Soul 4. White album
pretty good, but so short! makes total sense how much this busted through norms, sounds really good even today
Good variety. Classic.
Haven't liked the Beatles in the past too much, but this album continues to grow on me. Very peaceful and has great vibes
Dober
Rubber Soul marks a genuinely crucial moment in the Beatles Discography. Half the songs were never performed live, and it's a totally different sound from all of their previous hits. In My Life is still one of my favorite songs ever. Without Rubber Soul, there is no Revolver. But it's important for another big reason. Was it their most forgettable? No it isn't Beatles For Sale. Was it their most unique? Nope that's the White Album. Was it their most famous? Still no, that's Abbey Road. That's right, it's Ringo's first writing credit on a song. Ringo stocks have skyrocketed.
Very clearly a transitional album for the band moving away from their simpler pop roots into a more experimental direction. Some of the songs here are all timers and some are just good to me. Probably my fifth favorite Beatles album. Favorites were Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, You Won’t See Me, Michelle, and In My Life.
Muy lindo haber vuelto a escuchar lo beatles.Son una banda que no falla y cada canción es hermosa.Muy buen album
beatles r gud whoulda thunk it
A classic
Another great album with Norwegian Wood and In My Life being the top tracks.
I prefer the earlier/mid Beatles stuff. I think this is the point before the albums start turning into sums of their individual parts rather than feeling a consistent album.
One of their better ones…
Beatles are always pretty good. I'd definitely rather listen to them over the majority of other bands on this list
cant beat the meatles
The cover of Rubber Soul shows the Beatles we know and love from the early 60s, but the image is stretched, tilted and distorted, as if the old mop-top image is being pulled out of shape. This was the turning point. I like to organise things into clean categories. In my mind, there are two versions of the Beatles. You can essentially split them down the middle of their discography: there’s the early 60s guitar pop group, and then there’s the later more experimental group. The earlier band suffered Beatlemania, screaming fans and fainting girls. The later band grew facial hair, embraced Eastern culture, took LSD, and created experimental masterpieces that pushed boundaries while sounding great. But his clean-cut categorisation falls apart when you consider Rubber Soul. It doesn’t fit in either category. It’s a record that catches a moment somewhere in between those two versions of the Beatles. Like the cover, it was still the fab four, but they were distorting themselves into something that was a bit more out there. They ease us in with “Drive My Car”. It’s a great tune with Paul’s gravelly vocals and George’s bright guitar breaks being particular highlights. But, it’s still very much part of that “old Beatles” sound. The biggest shift comes as early as track number two. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” must have absolutely blown people’s minds back in 1965. The acoustic guitar melody is more folk than guitar pop or rock ‘n’ roll for a start. But then George’s sitar comes in and signals a whole new direction for the band. Bob Dylan could be a real asshole. It was clear that John idolised him at the time, and this song was clearly John taking a stab at a Dylan-esque folky composition. Dylan was apparently bemused by what he saw as imitation rather than inspiration, and wrote “Fourth Time Around” as a parody. Both songs came from imitation or parody, but because both Bob and John were such amazing songwriters, we end up with two of the all-time great songs out of it. “Michelle” is pure Macca. It’s got some fantastic acoustic guitar playing and Paul’s bright-eyed optimism is peppered with impressive French pronunciation. I always group it with “Girl” being Lennon’s rebuttal: darker, wearier, and more suspicious of the whole romantic ideal. Then there’s “In My Life”. Lennon’s fantastic lyrics are as simple as they are profound, and that guitar riff is as iconic as it is gorgeous. It’s one of those songs that’s just perfect in every way. I always think of that later version of the Beatles starting with Revolver, but really it started with Rubber Soul. It’s such an important, key moment for the band. It’s the first step in their transition towards the more experimental. The distorted cover wasn’t some grand psychedelic statement, it was basically a happy accident. But the warped photo suited where they were at with Rubber Soul: still obviously the same band, but starting to stretch into something stranger. 4.5 stars
thought it was pretty good! still dont really get the Beatles. im sure I will one day and then I'll be pissed I never got around to it earlier. I liked the first song.
The whole album sounds like the beginning of something wonderful.
now we're GETTING somewhere with these blokes
Beetles
Pretty standard Beatles stuffs gets a higher star for that but I can’t say I was massively excited to keep listening
Tää on yksi parhaista bändin levyistä. Hyviä biisejä ja tätä on tullut kuunneltua aiemminkin.
The greatest example of those early Beatles records. Probably as good as they could get before something had to change, and deepen. And man, it's pretty damn good. Still pop-y with some extra depth to it; basically every song is a hit; and some are iconic even until today. Not perfect, but a great listen.
First Beatles album on the list! Obviously not their best, but still a great album 4/5
4/5. It’s kind crazy how smoking weed with Bob Dylan irreversibly changed the course of the Beatles career. All jokes aside, Rubber Soul was a major turning point for the band. It marks the transition point where the Beatles shifted from the Boy-band they were on their first five albums to the album focused studio wizards they would be from this point forward. And there’s a lot of great cuts on this one like “Norwegian Wood” which sees John Lennon trying to write a Dylan-esque song (something Dylan himself would respond to with the song “4th Time Around which shares an extremely similar vocal melody and progression.) or “Girl” which has this great section halfway through with chugging background vocals, or even “Michelle” which sees Paul getting a bit French with it which is cheesy in the best possible way. And of course there is “In My Life” which is one of the Beatles best songs. My only real complaints with rubber soul actually lie with the two songs that bookend the album “Drive my car” at the start and “run for your life” at the end, neither of which I personally care for particularly much.
Great album
3.5
Off to a pretty good start! I wasn't familiar with most of this album but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely dropped in quality a bit in the middle but the rest of the album is strong enough to carry it.
Highlights: In My Life, Wait, Girl, Michelle, The Word. In a nutshell: something for everyone. Appropriate that this is the last Beatles album I pulled from the deck. I think this is my favourite of the lot. It's the transition album- you hear the A Hard Day's Night style guitar riff on Nowhere Man and the sitar on Norweigan Wood. This would have been surreal, but a delightful one, for a new listener in the year of its release. Overall: 8/10
There are better Beatles albums. This one's alright
Bra. Väldigt Beatles förstås. Michelle, norweigan Wood och In my life gillar jag bäst. Det är oförargligt men tänker också att det inte är helt fel. Musik som är lätt att gilla och sjukt trallvänliga låtar. Det kommer man långt på.
Not sure if much needs to be said here. One of the essential classics. So many examples of masterful songwriting. So amazing to think of where they’ll go from here towards their end.
"Norwegian Wood" has always been one of my favourite melodies from The Beatles, but Rubber Soul is probably one of my least listened-to Beatles albums. Definitely a good record but not their best, in my opinion.
Great album. Banger album even
The first great Beatles album. No duds, but the highlights pale in comparison to later albums. 8/10
Listen, I love the Beatles as much as the next guy/girl, but their biggest problem is that they lean HEAVILY into stereo sound. Sure it was groundbreaking tech of the time, but nowadays when you have one earbud in at work and just hear the digeridoo and bassline while the other 50% of the sound plays in the other earbud it gets kind of weird. They sound great with both headphones in or on a surround-sound stereo system. Stereo sound complaint aside, this album is very good. Standout tracks are "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", and "In My Life". I am particularly fond of "Nowhere Man" because I grew up watching the Yellow Submarine animated movie and that particular sequence was always a good time. 8/10 because of stereo sound, otherwise at least a 9/10.
I was just arguing with nick gentry about how In My Life has annoying and gay lyrics.
This is some great musicianship. It's also the Beatles. Sometimes they can be so...the Beatles.
light 4.
Liked it but some blah songs.
I guess I hate the Beatles less than I thought.
classic and cant give this anything lower than a 4 since i literally have this vinyl. the instrumentation is really interesting though and u can tell that they were doing some kind of substances.......
Bueno, in my life esta aquí!
비틀즈는 비틀즈네...
This was better than I remembered it being.
люблю битлз
About two years ago a gay guy i was pretending not to have a crush on in my Beatles class who would later sour on me as a friend once i started wearing a Jewish voice for peace button around made fun of me for liking Michelle. Immediately following this we watched a documentary as a class which opened with some self-described Beatles expert spending a good 2-3 minutes ranting about how much he fucking hated Michelle. You would think Michelle was a real person who had personally slighted him. This guy fucking hated Michelle and by extension Paul McCartney, he said it revealed his weaknesses as a writer or some stupid shit like that. It was maybe the hardest I have ever laughed at anything. I don’t care if it’s slop I still like Michelle. I feel kind of silly “reviewing” this album having not experienced what popular music sounded like before it existed. But from my limited perspective I feel like a little most than half of it is like the best shit around at its time (DRIVE MY CAR!!!!!!!) and the other half-ish is them still figuring stuff out with mixed results, some of which I still enjoy. I love this album overall but it’s not a fave Beatles album for me. Definitely worth going back to though.
Hell yes. In My Life. Oh yeah. George Harrison shoulda put down that mf sitar though, out of pocket. Ringo is the fucking best
4/5
While I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, there are still some excellent songs on here, most of it is pretty catchy, and it _doesn't outstay its welcome_.
I honestly didn't finish a couple songs at the end, but that was just because I was busy. I really enjoyed the album! This was my first one and I'm really exited to explore more music.
Great album - really like Norwegian wood, In my Life and Michelle. Fun dual audio in remastered versions
ziemlich cool
Drive my car is awesome, always loved it - harmonies are cool, lyrics are funny - I also like what they are doing with key changing and dissonance, i think its fun and easy to listen to, i shall rate it highly. Point off for the remastering, sounds weird in my headphones.
Really love this one, but there are others that are better!
4.8 - Excellent album. Top 3 songs: Michelle, Nowhere man and Norwegian Wood
*1965. *Only 35 mins, but lots of gems: Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, In My Life, You Won't See Me. *This is mostly really solid, with just a few meh songs. *It definitely doesn't sound 61 years old. Wow. RATING - 8/10
Bless all the Beatle haters, truly they are the paragon of all contrarians. The world is a richer place for them and their condescending disdain for us normies and our pop music. Alas, I think The Beatles are good. Melody, harmony, all that fundamental song craft that still maps the pattern for popular music today, yes, it's good music. This is not my favorite album from them, but whatever, it's still easy to listen to and there are still a handful of all-timers on here. Anyway, there is very little left to say, nothing really to elucidate here other than the Beatles are a good band. Shocking, subversive take, I know.
I love da beetlea
Very nice!
Fifth Beatles album, and just as solid as the majority of them that I've gotten. Most of this album I'm not super familiar with, but basically everything is great. Still in kind of a transitional period between their older pop sound vs the sound that will come on albums like Sgt. Peppers or Abbey Road. The songs that are more pop aren't quite catching me, but the evolutionary songs on this one like Nowhere Man (One of my favorite Beatles song) and In My Life are just fantastic. Of course, it still has a great pop hit in Drive My Car. So far, my ranking of the Beatles albums I've gotten would go: 1) Abbey Road (5/5) 2) Rubber Soul (4/5) 3) Sgt. Peppers (4/5) 4) The Beatles (4/5) 5) With the Beatles (3/5) Just two left. Guessing both of those get 4's just from my general knowledge and experience with them.
Girl, into I'm looking through you is the high point for me.
The music is nice, but most songs are just that. Nice. The parts I liked the most were the ones with bluesy guitars, and weird chord instruments. But I was not there when the album was released, so the part where The Beatles are pioneers and very innovative, I don't know. 3,5/5.
Ma belle…..
Like, it's an okay album. Imo not something spectacular and only a few songs stuck out to me - Drive my car, Norwegian wood, Nowhere man, Michelle.
Well another Beattles album. Thos is a solid one, lots of songs I love and a clear direction to a more mature sound and lyrics. It's still not my fave Beatles album but a really solid one. I would give 4.5 but rounding it to 4.
These guys again. I think they might really be going places.