Rubber Soul

This is tough. There are Beatles albums I like more than Rubber Soul so tempted to give this a 4. But it is still right up there and has some songs who's influence can't be overlooked that I feel this should be rated higher than some of the albums I've already given a 4 to. Oh for a .5 system! Fuck it...a low 5 from me.

The turning point in The Beatles' discography. Great album that heralded even better ones.

2 Supposedly this album marks when The Beatles started getting into drugs, and while it’s noticeably less bubblegum-y than their prior work, I still didn’t find anything here to be overly interesting - even with some new flourishes like the sitar on Norwegian Wood, a song which is apparently John Lennon’s attempt at putting a fun spin on him cheating his wife. F that guy. Paul’s songs are definitely the better ones here (surprise, surprise), but even then I wouldn’t call them great. Really, I don’t think there’s anything here I would call outright enjoyable, but I can point to the opener Drive My Car is probably the worst thing on the album. The only thing worse than the lyrics are the Beatles fans trying to build upon them on Genius. For example, the annotation for “Beep beep'm beep beep yeah!” reads: “This iconic transition utilizes onomatopoeia for the sound of a car’s horn. It serves to illustrate how much fun The Beatles are having with their newfound fame and success.” End me. As if to bring the album full-circle, the group decided to end on another low point with a song threatening to murder a partner if she were ever to take another man. I know it’s based on a song by Elvis and isn’t totally out of place in that era of music, but I don’t think that makes it any better. Everything in the middle is kind of meh, but with there being a song titled What Goes On, I will give a shoutout to my Dad’s guy Lou Reed and his group The Velvet Underground, who have a song with the same name that, despite having half as many Spotify plays, is like 1000x better. Considering that’s the Ringo song on this album though, maybe that’s a given (sorry Ringo). Man, despite usually keeping it in the 30-minute range, I swear these guys always seem to find a way to make their albums drag. That being said, I think some of the art rock/experimental stuff we’ve heard has really redefined for me what true 1 means, so I’m going to go with a 2 here, but either way I won’t be listening again anytime soon.

I think Brian Wilson was right when he said this was the first album where "Every Track is a Gas". But it flows, despite there being 3 different writers experimenting beyond what pop was. It's fair to say this is when the beatles became important. All meat, no bones. Every song here is a guaranteed hit. They last as long as they need to. Right to the point.

After tearing Paul to shreds as a vocalist in the preceding years, this is the one where John shows himself equally superior as a songwriter. Norweigian Wood, Girl and In My Life are a magnificent triumvirate that work through John's complex feelings towards women: confusion, anger, bitterness, devotion. When he brings the muscular second guitar in to punctuate the third verse of Girl, it's because he knows that's the one the tips it into masterpiece. Something similar happens with the sped-up piano on In My Life. So, those three are untouchable genius. What Goes On is... not. Pretty abominable really. George's mumbo jumbo is passable, though Think For Yourself, while the better of the two, is more grating lyrically. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that John wrote The Word as a George parody, especially given its sequencing. Drive My Care and Michelle are two of Paul's more nuanced and therefore best songs. Overall, it's great but not without mediocre moments. Verdict: I could not die without having heard this album.

ehh its a beatles song. makes me want to beat my wife

Unquestionably one of the Beatles' albums of all time

196 albums in and finally The Beatles. They sound like an overweight pig on a skateboard, wheezing in the Autumn sun...in a good way.

I'd argue there are three tranches of Beatles albums (English releases only): the first five are the mania records (PP Me/With The/ A Hard/Sale and Help), the next three are the post mania records (Soul/Revolver/Pepper) and the last three are the post Maharishi adult records (White/Abbey/Let it Be). Please note MM Tour was an EP (American album) and Yellow cobbled together for the film. Context is important here; in 1965 they release Help the film, Help the album, Help the single, Ticket to Ride, Daytripper and We Can Work It Out (as a double A side single..) and Rubber Soul. And they toured the US, the UK and Europe. All in 1965. Now a mere three years earlier they were heading off to their second last stint in Hamburg (still with Pete Best) and arrived at the airport to be met by Astrid with the news that Stu was dead. By 1965 this is important as Lennon is seriously contemplating what has happened to him and to them, we are post Stu but pre Yoko and the nowhere man is stuck in his Surrey mansion musing on how he became a lead player in this global phenomenon. The warning signs were there from Beatles for Sale; I'm a Loser and No Reply, Baby's in Black and I Don't Want to Spoil the Party. In Help we see the same themes, hide your love away, help me if you can, I think I'm going to be sad. For Lennon and Rubber Soul, Stu looms large over this record. Meanwhile McCartney and Harrison are on the move. Paul's 1965 includes dropping Yesterday on Help, and Harrison for the first time has two original songs on that album in I Need You and You Like Me too Much. In amongst all this Lennon and Harrison (but not McCartney....yet) have dropped acid and are now looking at the whole thing through a different prism, with McCartney not joining them in frying his brain until after Rubber Soul. As with all their perfect records the ensemble is working as one unstoppable force. Ringo is tasked with some challenging songs for a 1965 rock drummer, and as always he produces work that is still influencing rock and roll today. His drumming on In My Life is superb, there's no one in that era, not even those jazz cats, coming up with that arrangement. With Michelle and Girl he gives those tunes that distinctive Euro beat, it is so subtle and yet crucial to their feel. Harrison is all over this record, and playing a Strat too for a good part of it, it's George who suggested tracking the guitar and bass lines on Drive My Car, giving it that Otis/Stax feel. George was spending a lot of time listening to Otis and it shows. And of course it's George who brings in the sitar which makes Norwegian Wood what it is. And he has well and truly found his writing feet with his two contributions, especially If I Needed Someone, which has the same chord sequence as Here Comes the Sun (and it is the only George original they played live). And Lennon and McCartney? What can we say other than they are at a very particular creative peak, there are many other incredible heights to be scaled, but here they are lockstep with each other. It could be argued this is their last 50/50 song writing album, their fingerprints are all over each others songs. Back to Stu. The one and only fifth Beatle is a key element in their story, without Stu we simply don't get The Beatles, period. He showed Lennon how to look at the world, how to challenge it, how to interpret it. That then influenced Paul and George. Yoko says that there was hardly a day they were together that John didn't mention Stu. With Michelle, Paul had written it as a French parody song back in the Gambier Terrace days, the flat John shared with Stu. In 65 John, thinking about Stu, suddenly reminds Paul about "that French song", prompting Paul to do that thing he does with a melody, and of course John providing the bridge "I love you, I love you" etc. And in that superb little tune, Paul revolutionises bass playing with the most sublime counterpoint, it is its own melody, stunning. Lennon's contributions are all about loss and sadness, Nowhere Man and Girl and In My Life in particular go to his terrible sense of loves and people lost. In Nowhere he exhorts himself to enjoy having the world at his command, the girl promises the earth to him and he believes her, but after all this time doesn't know why. In My Life is Song for Stu, "and of all these friends and lovers, there is no one who compares with you". Drive My Car, a great 50/50 John and Paul composition, with Paul getting his vocal chops ready for when he rips out Lady Madonna in about 18 months time. McCartney is clearly looking for someone new and different to Jane Asher, she just doesn't know it yet. His two sublime Jane songs, I'm Looking Through You and You Won't See Me are classic Paul, with the latter being a track he could have dropped at anytime in his later career. Lennon's What Goes On gives Ringo his C and W moment, and Wait (recorded for Help but a perfect fit) and The Word are John and Paul doing that thing they do as songwriters and performers. And the vocal work by the Fab Voice Trio is up there with their finest on just about every track. I do find it odd that Run For Your Life is on there, it sounds like a throwback from the Mania albums. Strangely it was the first song recorded, it is surprising that it survived and made the final cut. And yes Lennon was guilty of violence towards women (see Getting Better) but that first line was actually lifted from the old Baby Let's Play House 50's rocker, just in case the cancel culture fascists are out there somewhere thinking of taking it out.. They make this album and then the hard core acid taking takes off. With Revolver Lennon is somewhere else, the themes are darker, his drug dealing doctor, someone (Fonda) telling him what it's like to be dead while tripping, a meditation on sleeping and thinking about turning off your mind. And, as we now know (see the Revolver Super Deluxe reissue), Yellow Submarine was his, "in the town where I was born, no one cared, no one cared". McCartney meanwhile starts his takeover, dominating both Revolver and Pepper. Johnny doesn't get his mojo going again until the arrival of the ocean child Yoko, who finally allows him to move on from Stu. As such Rubber Soul is close to their greatest work of all bar the White Album. As I said earlier, what makes it different from the WB is that that Rubber Soul is the final true Lennon-McCartney collaborative song writing album, while it can be argued that the WB has their finest individual song writing, backed by their finest ensemble performance. This wonderful record is their Girl with a Mandolin, their David Copperfield...their Hamlet. The White Album is my favourite Fab album, but this is a very, very close second.

Full disclosure: I was named after one of the songs on this album. When I was a little kid, adults would randomly sing my name at me and I didn’t really know what that was all about until some years later when I heard it on the radio. And oh, what a lovely, lovely song it is. I was already on the path to loving the Beatles at that point, but that song pretty much sealed the deal. I’m a total Beatles nerd. I listen to all of their music, but Rubber Soul is just one of a few of their albums I listen to regularly in full, beginning to end. This is such a marvelous album. It's a real turning point from the Beatles' early sound into what they would become as a band. It's also probably their first album that functions as more than just a collection of songs, with its own mood and flow, a cohesive work as a whole. The quality is probably slightly uneven when you consider the songs individually, but as a whole, the quality and the beauty is undeniable. This album has some of the best songs the Beatles ever made on it. You know them really well, some of them by heart. I don’t have to tell you this album is great. It’s in our cultural DNA. Fave Songs (All songs, in order from most to least favorite): Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Drive My Car, Michelle, Wait, Girl, The Word, You Won't See Me, Nowhere Man, I'm Looking Through You, Think for Yourself, What Goes On, If I Needed Someone, Run for Your Life

The Beatles are that one band that people just won't let you dislike. "It's influential! It's influential!" they scream at you...uh ok? I thought we were judging how good the music sounds, not what other people thought of it. Was a bit disheartened when I found this site to see that the top albums are littered with the usual bunch of Beatles albums that everywhere else is. I just can't for the life of me understand what the big deal is. And honestly, around their time there were other incredible artists that I think were both more important and influential, and their music has stood the test of time. Bands like The Velvet Underground, The Stooges or The Doors. They definitely have a couple better albums than this, but nothing to write home about.

Amazing what a massive leap their sound and songwriting took between Help and this album

Starts with Drive my Car Norwegian Wood!! Sitar!! Nowhere Man...lalala Meeeshell my belle sunday tre bien on son French French.... “In My Life” is maybe the most beautiful song ever What a fucking album! Perfect mix of poppy and psychedelic, catchy diddies and meloncholy anthems...Feels like the transition album from “early” Beatles to “later” Beatles

Nearly every song is unique and memorable, plus it represents a big shift in the Beatles music and pop music as a whole. To those upset about “Run for your life”, you realize this is intentionally written to demonstrate the extreme emotional depths of jealousy right? The song sheds light on an ugly archetype, but one that nevertheless exists, and one that the Beatles clearly struggled with. Paul McCartney also found it worthwhile to write about monkeys fucking in a road. Another extreme human(and animal) instinct the Beatles wrote without necessarily being monkey fuckers themselves. This is how art works, you don’t have to like it, maybe the point is that you don’t like it.

It might not be the best of their albums but "Rubber Soul" is my personal favorite Beatles album. The lyrics are clever and funny and deep and the musicianship is of course top notch. Great record.

Run for Your Life is a disturbing note to close out on, but dang, the album is so good. I'm tempted to dock a point for it, but in 30 years of listening to the album it's the first time the lyrics have sunk in.

Strikes a perfect balance between simple, folksy pop, and the deep, innovative songwriting that The Beatles would develop in the years following this release. Not a single second of wasted runtime.

It is not hyperbole to say that this album offers what is possibly the most influential musical ensemble of the 20th century at the peak of their powers. The lyrics to "Run For Your Life" have sadly not aged well but damn the rest of this is lights out in every way. I can't pick a favorite Beatles album but would be a fine choice. It's funny this album should arrive today, because somewhat randomly I recently became obsessed with Paul McCartney's badass bass playing on "The Word." It used to be hip to give these guys shit for not being better players but eventually hipsters realized that there is more to life than wanking on your axe. Or at least eventually this hipster realized that. But the wanker in my heart still gets off on his aggressively groovy bassline here. Give it a listen, preferably at a suitably high volume. Finally, I always recommend the mono versions of early-mid 60s pop records like this. That's what these artists actually produced - the stereo version was done later by studio hacks who were waaay too enamored with the concept of stereo separation, which accidentally fucked my skull as an early 80s tween when I got the "red" Beatles compilation from the library and taped it by putting my sister's boom box next to one of the speakers, not understanding the implications of recording only one channel of a stereo mix. My parents had just gotten a beater of a Peugeot but it had a tape deck in it and I didn't often get to use my sister's boom box so that car was my main place to listen to a cassette and I will never forget how seriously it fucked with my head when I got my Dad to play my tape for me and all I could hear were like horns, snare drum and backing vocals. And then the next tune would be just like lead vocal, harmonica and bass. Every time we played it! For months! My Dad was not really in to music and never appeared to notice, which made it all the more surreal. I thought maybe something was wrong with the car, an unfortunately highly plausible explanation, given our family's history with cars. It really twisted my melon. It was only years later - probably more years than I should admit - that I figured out what was going on. 🤣

So many reasons that this album is important; it's the first album that the Beatles made as an album. Although the recording period is ridiculously short (113 hours to record, plus extra days for mixing), it was a generous period of not begin (too) distracted by other commitments. Although embellished with some exotic overdubbing and studio technique, the core performances are still tight band performances as per their early output. Heavily influenced by American rock (soul, Motown/Stax, country rock, folk, Dylan, Byrds) and their first psychedelic drug experiences, the songs have started be more lyrically and emotionally sophisticated. And, because it is the Beatles, it is massively influential and changes the way that rock and pop musicians thought about the album format. Prior to this, even BEatles albums were often really filler, kind of an alternative product secondary to the all-important singles. While not quite at the point where singles are included on UK releases routinely, this is an album that was intended to be of high quality and listened to all the way through. There are no covers or throw-aways. The content is more challenging, philosophical and introspective, and it's got crackin' tunes. Personally, I could do without 'Michelle' (one of Paul's 'granny tunes'), but it's popularity paid the bills. This is one of the albums that changed everything in popular music, and totally deserves to be on this list.

Listened to it a few weeks back, okay. It has Sympathy for the Devil which is a top 5 stones song for me, so I can't rate it less than 3/4

A bridge between the rock n roll of the early Beatles, and the psychedelia they would be dipping their toes into just one album later. Favorite tracks: "All My Life", "I'm Looking Through You", "Drive My Car"

A transitional album for the Beatles - initially conceived by McCartney as a bunch of comedy songs (Rubber Soul is a spoof of the term Plastic Soul, Drive My Car is about a woman hiring a chauffeur despite not having a car), they couldn't help but expand their musical and lyrical pallets beyond anything done before. George invents psychedelia by using the Sitar on Norwegian Wood (The Rolling Stones take notes), John decides he's going to be Bob Dylan on as well, and self flagellates on Nowhere Man. Girl and Michelle show their love of European music and Paul writes one for the grannies with In My Life. This and Revolver feel like 2 sides of the same coin, and it's the most valuable coin you've ever heard.

So great! I know lots of these songs, but hearing it all in a row made a big difference.

I mean, all the Beatles albums are pretty good, aren't they?

Masterpiece. One of the greatest albums of all time. Second best Beatles album. 10/10 1. In My Life 2. Nowhere Man 3. Norwegian Wood

At least the Beatles had the decency to make all their songs two minutes long

fuck beatles ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠈⠉⠙⠻⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⠇⠀⢀⣴⣶⡾⠿⠿⠿⢿⣿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⣀⣀⣸⡿⠀⠀⢸⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣾⡟⠛⣿⡇⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣤⣤⣤⣤⣶⣶⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀ ⢀⣿⠀⢀⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⢴⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣆ ⢸⣿⠀⢸⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⣀⣠⣴⣾⣮⣝⠿⠿⠿⣻⡟ ⢸⣿⠀⠘⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠉⠀ ⠸⣿⠀⠀⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠻⣷⣶⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⢠⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣛⣛⣻⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣀⣀⣀⣼⡿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠛⠛⠛⠋⠁⠀⠙⠻⠿⠟⠋⠑⠛⠋⠀

The Beatles are the worst band in history. There is no reason for their popularity except for nostalgia for the first boy band to go international.

:(

(5/5) The last of the Beatles albums in my head canon that deserves a '5'. I'm more of a late-Beatles fan than early fan -- a post-Revolver man if you'll allow. "Rubber Soul" is a transition period, when they started wrapping themselves up in a drug-fueled cocoon; their chrysalis period. They'd eventually emerge as the most important band of the 20th century. Fight me on that if you want, but it's not a fair fight. The whole album has been analyzed to death so I've got little else to add. Just wanted to set the record straight. This is my least favorite "great" Beatles album. Still a '5', still a 'must hear', still important, but too close to their early stuff to be their best, IMHO.

One of the greatest albums of all time probably top 5. The beatles are the best band ever period and they have no bad albums even the earlier stuff is great. This album has variety and beautiful harmonies that no one will ever match. Buuuuuuuttttt..... the last song Run little girl is a chauvinistic patriarchal song that didnt go with the narrative of the album yet they added cause its a good song although horrible message. This one didnt age well. I still love the song and the album is perfect with the ups and downs including country. Simply an amazing perfect combination.

Hard for me to rate this objectively; it's been such a part of my life since I first got the album when I was 11 or 12. Loved it then, love it now, though I was a little confused listening to this on Amazon Music because I didn't recall Nowhere Man being on my version, so heads up--the North American version is considerably shorter. It's incredible how the Beatles sound developed over such a short time--they always sound interesting and a little different, even their pop, but this is so much richer musically and with a lot more variation. To me, this album is like a work by Shakespeare: somehow of the times and yet completely genius.

Songwriting at its finest!

The number is 210. As in, I was given 210 albums from the algorithm of this little project before I was finally awarded with a Beatles album. That's not a criticism at all, especially considering that Rubber Soul is possibly my favorite Beatles album. I even like the Ringo song. This is the sound of the greatest rock band in history taking a giant step forward. Or to be more precise, it's John Lennon letting everyone know how great drugs can be. His songs in particular standout here - not to state the obvious, but every track on here is great, it's just that Lennon's are on another level that Paul and George weren't at yet (again, probably because they hadn't full embraced the wonders of mind-altering chemicals as John had). Just take a look at two of the ballads in the middle of the album. It sounds like Paul considers singing some of the lyrics of "Michelle" in French as a giant leap forward (his likely inspiration came from when the band recorded a bunch of their previous hits in German). John insisted in keeping a hissing sound on "Girl" that was picked up on the mic, because he thought it sounded like him inhaling marijuana. And then there's George and Paul singing the word "tit-tit-tit" over and over again on the middle eights. Those cheeky devils! John's Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, and In My Life also stand out. George really came into his own here on two great album cuts. This is one of my Desert Island Albums. Some may hear it as a foretaste of the feast to come, and in many ways, it is. Whether it was the drugs, the Byrds or Dylan, the Fab Four was clearly influenced to take their magic in new and exciting directions. And it all starts here.

Certainly not an album that I need to listen to to rate, but I went ahead and listened anyway. Every single song is good. Run For Your Life is a bit of a strange song to end on, mostly given John's history of domestic abuse, but apart from the darkness of that moment the album is incredible. A huge step forward for a band trying to become something other than the simple pop stars they had mostly been up until that point 5/5

With a mindful listen, this replaced Hard Days Night as my favourite Beatles album. Wonder from end-to-end, melodically & lyrically.

I think I may have enjoyed this one the most of what I've listened to so far. I didn't actually know most of the songs on this album, but I liked pretty much all of them.

Yeah this one is overrated. It’s good! Don’t get me wrong. But there are patches of this album that are straight up boring. Some of the arrangements grate the ears a bit too. (The squeezebox on Wait for instance is a godawful accompaniment). I’ve never actually listened to a Beatles record all the way through. I own their singles album and that’s been enough to get me by. So I am eager to delve a bit more into the catalogue to understand what all the fuss was about. No doubt this first appearance on the 1001 merely scratches the surface. All that out of the way, this is still the Beatles we’re talking, and of course they deliver on most of the material here. And there’s something to the hype in songs like In My Life and I’m Looking Through You. Norwegian Wood is nice, obviously. Melody and instrument craft mostly reign on this record. Throw in Lennon and McCartney’s soothing tones and you have super easy listening. Lyrically I question whether there’s anything revolutionary going on with Rubber Soul, but put simply: it’s pretty good. ✨

I don't worship at the shrine of The Beatles. This was a decent album with some recognisable singles. Enjoyable enough but not my favourite from them. It's a 3/5 for me.

I don't care how influential a band or album is, this is boring and misogynistic.

Too much of this overrated band in this challenge.

178. Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965) 8.18.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 5 = 5.0 "Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight" Another one I could just go ahead and rate before listening. But I won't, dear reader. Out of respect for the process I -- it's a 5. It's going to be a 5. Sorry, yeah. I'm not sure what could have possibly changed my tastes since i gave this a spin last so much that I'd ever knock it down even a notch. This is one I've been looking forward to, and I can't wait to jump in. In my personal ranking this one has hovered up in the 3-4 territory for some time now, with Revolver laying claim to the gold, and The White Album the silver. But this has changed many times before, and could again. What won't change is no matter the minor differences I might hem and haw over when making my comparisons, they are all of them ( yes even the even slightly tired Sgt. Peppers) of such a superior quality that any perceived dips in quality are but nits to be picked. Given my personal tastes, it would honestly be hard for me to find much at all with most Beatles albums until we get to the Help and before period ( more than a few times in my reviews the Beatles have come up, and I have taken the chance to belittle the "YEAH GIRL YEAH" songwriting era when I can - despite more or less still loving it). And then it's more of a curve where I'm unfairly comparing the boys to their future selves. I've mentioned before that the Beatles are not my favorite band, but they once were, and as as a result I've read pretty exhaustively ( along with millions of others) on them, to the point of being familiar with even some very minor production factoids from song to song. I'll try ad avoid dipping into the very annoying temptation to pepper these into the review, but I can't make any promises. I'll also try and refrain from repeating the words "catchy", "melodic", "hook" as much as humanly possible. It's just a given that a song doesn't make the cut for these guys if it's not an exemplar all those regards. THE TRACKS Side one "Drive My Car" - Right off the bat we get an unconventional take on the love song, with an amusing tale of the stereotypical relationship power dynamics being reversed, with Paul's narrator being offered the role of driver for a woman with stars in her eyes. Aside from the obvious unfettered, fun nature of the song the bass and the piano really make this one for me. The alternately crunchy and sexy guitar work, the cowbell, and the thumping drumwork all belie the song's reputation as one of Paul's lighter works. The "Beep-beep'm-beep-beep, yeah"s might shoulder the blame for that, but it's unabashedly silly and I love it. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - Again the bass work on here, relatively simple as it is, is fat and really makes your teeth vibrate with a good pair of headphones. This one goes up there with the masterpieces of even the Beatles greatest songs, and I don't think anyone considers themselves even a casual fan could argue against that. Sparsely acoustic at first, we get an early taste of teh Indian influence with George's sitar lines. When I was a kid, I always thought this song was supremely cozy and I never picked up on the darkness, thinking dude was just cold and started a fire in the fireplace. You know, like a normal human might. Even after reading this "theory", at the time didn't even buy the interpretation that this psycho burned this woman's place after being spurned ( maybe an apartment so then possibly embroiling himself in a light bit of mass murder?). But then Paul McCartney hisownself verified this interpretation ( more or less) in an interview! Well... It's still pretty funny though. Maybe even more so, in a pitch black sort of way. "You Won't See Me" - The dysfunctional relationship stories continue here with a guy who won't seem to take the hint. The sad sack vibe is pretty strong, and the "(Ooh, la, la-la)" from the rest of the boys provides a hilariously upbeat juxtaposition with Paul's purposefully whiney lead vocals. It's most certainly not intended that way, but in light of the darkness of the last song, the second "You Won't See Me" of the chorus could very well have made this a much creepier and threatening song if you read the lyric just a tiny bit differently. "Nowhere Man" - One could easily imagine this one might be about the same loser pining over the lost love of the last track. But instead of a personal POV love song, we get a third person examination of someone that's a little bit more complicated of a personality, who seems to have excised himself from participation in the world at large. Whether this is from some overwhelming trepidation in the face of social interaction, or a more philosophical and conscious removal form the rate race of life, is not made clear. The "la la la"s on here seem more gentle and empathetic than the ones on the previous track. I remember disliking this one as a kid. But I've grown to love it over the years, especially beautiful ringing jangle pop guitar work that I think was influenced by the Byrds who in turn had been influenced by earlier Beatles stuff. The circle of Life and all that... "Think for Yourself" - If the Beatles themselves were undergoing a massive bit of evolution here, then George's evolution as a songwriter and voice in the group can be seen to mirror this in a microcosm. This song is leaps and bounds above "I Need You" and "You Like Me Too Much" from Help! and light years beyond "Don't Bother Me" from way back on With the Beatles. This is at the very least playing at the same level of Paul and John's B-tier stuff. Dig that awesome fuzzed out bass. "The Word" - This was another one that never completely worked for me as a kid. I think on the surface it seems pretty shallow content-wise, and how could it ever possibly compare to "All You Need is Love" which perfected the sentiment. This works much better for me now, and I really appreciate the groovy, sorta funky bass work on the verses, and the piano lines throughout add some bluesiness. The drum fills on this are top notch as well. "Michelle" - One of Paul's prettiest creations, and for my money it sits side by side with "Yesterday" even though it's maybe the most traditional love song on the whole album, and could definitely be viewed as a step back, if not instrumentally, then for sure lyrically. Paul's my favorite singer of the group and the only one of the four who can pull off this sort of vulnerable softness. John can be vulnerable, but it's always couched in a coldness, anger, or meloncholy. George is just very adequate, and Ringo sounds like he's winking at you, even on more or less straight song like the one that follows. I've held off on talking too much about melody and catchiness, but of all the songs on the album this gets the crown I think. Pure, undiluted pop perfection, and the kind of tune that will get stuck in your head for days if you let it. Side two "What Goes On" - The Ringo track! After the great success of the "Act Naturally" from Help! we get another snappy country pop song, this time an original ( the first time Ringo was given a writing credit too I think, though co-written by Paul and John of course). This is fun and bouncy, and I'm willing to bet has a lot of awesome bluegrass and country versions. In the overall catalogue, it's pretty inessential, but a good time still. "Girl" - John's companion/ competition piece to Paul's "Michelle", this is very much in the same pretty, supremely catchy traditional love song mode. But where Paul's was much more sweet and straightforward, John's love song is tempered with an acidic resentment in which the target of his love is also the target of his contempt. Another all-timer, but I rank it just a hair below Paul's much more confident, and deceptively simple take. But great nonetheless. "I'm Looking Through You" - A song that has climbed and climbed in reputation for me over the years. Looking back, it seems crazy to me that this was left off the 1962–1966 best of compilation, and in my book would replace "Nowhere Man" as one of the four selection from Rubber Soul to make it. Space considerations and all. It's got one of my all time favorite opening riffs by the band, and also one of my favorite vocal performances from Paul. It's endlessly hummable, and that "pitter patter" beat underneath is SOOOO damned infectious. ( I've read before that this sound was accomplished by Ringo tapping on a matchbox and not dainty little hand claps like I always thought). "In My Life" - I mentioned that even John's sweet songs are usually still presented at a remove, and this might be the sole exception? Though it's still somehow a sad song to me, and full of conflict, despite the moving message. If "Let It Be" is the Paul-penned most popular song for funerals, and "Here Comes the Sun" George's, then this most certainly has to be the John pick. It's intensely bittersweet where the other others are, respectively, comforting and hopeful. It's one of the few Beatles songs that makes me tear up. It feels personal and raw, and the sentiment is a universal one I think. Maybe only "She's Leaving Home" or "For No One" come close. "Blackbird" is too hopeful and comforting, "Yesterday" is gooey and schmaltzy ( though wonderfully so), and "Eleanor Rigby" is too dramatically removed by half. Beatles collaborators don't get enough credit in my opinion, and it's worth mentioning how magnificent the piano solo from George Martin is here, tinkered with so that it ends up sounding almost like a harpsichord. One of their absolute best. "Wait" - As good as this one is in general the bridge GOD-tier, with the instrumentation building and pulling back only to build again to the resolution of the verse. Just all around great A-level material here. People who say Ringo is a bad drummer are fucking high. "If I Needed Someone" - George's second excellent entry is maybe the band's most blatantly Byrds-ish track. The clear ringing guitar tone on this is superb as are the harmonies. "Run for Your Life" - Early on we had some arson, so why not end things with some death threats? This time from another, not nearly as funny, confession from another socially maladapted type. This one was always much more clearly a pretty dark piece, with things literally spelled out in the first line. With what we've since learned about John's sexual politics, and shitty behavior, it could put the song in a much darker light than even intended. As far as the song itself goes, 99% of the time I'm not willing to attribute the POV of a character in a song to that of the artist. Especially so with creators like the Beatles, who place so much value on the artifice and craft. I think it says much more about the time in which it was released than it does about the man who wrote it. In this case it's a great take on the subject of obsession, and (perceived) possession, and I have absolutely no qualms about singing along to it, as it's an hell of a bop. That said... yikes. HIGHLIGHTS - Every last song MIDLIGHTS - LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS As Revolver seems to have secured its place ahead of the pack in recent decades, Rubber Soul's reputation has not withered on the vine by any means, but I do think people seem to discount it a bit more for the big step forward it was in the Beatles' evolution. Hard Day's Night was the first of their albums to have all original material, and this the second ( "Act Naturally" form Help! technically disqualifies it), and sure it contains a LOT of what are, on the surface, songs that are declarations of love, but.. and this is a big BUT - the love songs are no longer of the "YEAH GIRL YEAH" variety, and in addition to being more complex in both arrangement, structure, and melody, most of those turn the concept on its head a bit with the relationship dynamics within the songs themselves being more dynamic and complex as well. With Revolver ( we'll get to it sooner rather than later hopefully) these get more or less fully shed for the introspective and we only get two ( more or less) traditional love songs. ASIDE #1: Because I love me a tortured metaphor - The early day were the ( already immensely talented ) guys building their internal ki reserves up through the harsh training regimen of gigging in Germany and the Cavern Club. They learned to quickly master and focus this ki into the concentrated beam of destructive blue energy in their shockingly immediate takeover of the world Pop stage on Please Please me through With the Beatles. They took things to the next level by learning to multiply this ki, drastically increasing their power, and also were able to soak up the influences from their surroundings enabling a jump forward in complexity and artistry on Hard Day's Night all the way through Rubber Soul. Next they took these newfound powers and concentrated them in the 100x gravity crucible of Revolver, which almost immediately allowed the final breakthrough of multiplying their power by a factor of 50 with Sg. Pepper. Now, surrounded by the yellow, flaming aura of this released potentiality, they were free to refine and experiment from The White Album on. Some might say that on Let It Be they were reaching a sort of senility, and sensing the end, zipped off into the ether, having faded away on an uncertain note, having inspired the next generation of musicians. Overall, this was, is, and will remain to be a classic. For its importance alone in spurring on the competitive nature of the Beatles' peers to better themselves and make the albums a cohesive form of art, it deserves a place on the list and in the great pantheon of rock albums. But it's also filled with some sick ass tunes, many of which are all time classics. There is a range of song tiers represented here, to be sure, but even the worst song on the thing is heads above material by so many lesser bands. I doubt this will ever break back up into my top spot, as I'm old now and set in my ways, but it will always be a welcome listen. Hopefully I'll get a few more spins in before I leave the earthly plane. ASIDE #2: RUBBER SOUL TIER LIST S-TIER - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - "Michelle" - "Girl" - "I'm Looking Through You" - "In My Life" A-TIER - "You Won't See Me" - "Nowhere Man" - "Wait" - "Run for Your Life" B-TIER - "Drive My Car" - "Think for Yourself" - "The Word" - "If I Needed Someone" C-TIER - "What Goes On" D-TIER F-TIER PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Never FURTHER LISTENING - Mr.tambourine Man by the Byrds - Begin Here by the Zombies - Aftermath by the Rolling Stones - Face to Face by the Kinks - My Generation by the Who - Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys

This album was sooooooo close to being genuinely perfect. Compared to earlier albums, John's songwriting becomes more intimate, Paul becomes this amazing bass player out of nowhere, and you can feel the more focused energy from the entire band. I just don't know why they chose a scary ass song like 'Run for Your Life' as a closer. It doesn't ruin anything, but it's just an odd choice. I can't explain it, but this album just feels really cosy. Like a warm jumper. Not my favourite, but if it's someone else's, I'll tip my hat to them and shake their hand.

Full disclosure, I'm a Beatles junkie. With that out of the way, I think Rubber Soul might be my favorite album of theirs. It's the perfect bridge between their more simple early sounds and their later more experimental and emotionally deep records. This is a record that I can always listen to front to back without condition.

This is a pivotal album in the story of the beatles, it marks their transition from "happy 60s boy band" to "what the fuck?" I would love to know what that was like to experience in real time. It's almost a foregone conclusion that it's a 5. There was never any doubt. I wish there was a separate category called "beatles" lol Personal fave is What goes on but Norwegian wood is the best one.

A great Beatles album! Would own.

One of the best album by the Beatles! 10/5 stars

So much variety, sonically, lyrically, etc. One of the best Beatles albums.

I was waiting for this one. It's the last dreggs of rock n' roll/folk-country before the Beatles found their swing. And it's a good album. Probably not my favourite though. There's plenty of fun, starting with Drive my Car and moving later to the 'The Word'. George Harrison flexes his songwriting skills a fair bit on this and even Ringo wrote a few lines in 'What Goes On'. Norwegian Wood is a clever spot of songwriting that ticks the folk box. Michelle is probably one of Macca's better soft numbers. There's still a bit of complaining about Jane Asher (something the last two Beatles albums had on them). And, 'In my Life' is a beautiful piece of music. 5 stars.

I love the Generator because there’s always a chance for a dopamine rush when you get served up a beloved album. I have been listening to this one periodically since childhood. Love all the tunes but I didn’t have to debate which one was going on the playlist. It was always going to be “In My Life”. Gets more meaningful with age.

The Beatles were just on another level. Would be a 5 anyway - and then we have the extraordinary In My Life which still manages to surpass everything else...

If The Beatles never made another album after Rubber Soul, they wouldn't have gone on to be (in)arguably the greatest band of all time, but we'd still remember them as one of the more important acts in the history of popular music. Tagged as their transition record, it's perhaps their most creative & subtle release. I adore its various nods to soul and Motown, especially on 'Nowhere Man' (my favorite Beatles song?), I venerate their vague and not always upstanding decorum, i.e., these aren't your run-of-the-mill hippies: 'I'm Looking Through You,' 'Run For Your Life.' In short, I'm thrilled that an album like it exists, one that you can throw on while putting together a brief dinner or listen to thoughtfully. +, Harrison shines: 'If I Needed Someone.'

It's been said a million times before...but this is where the Beatles start changing from a pop band to what they became in the late 60s. Hard to believe they went from this to Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's in the span of about 15 months. Amazing transformation that they pulled off seamlessly. I wish Chris Cornell had done a dark version of Run For Your Life.

Rubber Soul-Revolver-Sgt Pepper are the best 3 album stretch of any band all time.

This album is fantastic. I haven't listened to many Beatles albums (of course, I have already listened to Abby Road, Sgt. Peppers and others, but there is a part of their discography I have never heard) and I have to admit that I am starting to think that it doesn't matter which album is next, if it's from them, I will like it. This album has some songs that are not great but most of them are really enjoyable, and some really interesting, with different layers and inspirations I truly admire. It's not a ten, but a nine out of ten for sure. What a delightful experience!

Somehow took me 272 albums to generate a Beatles album. This is their first 'great' album in my opinion, when they really came into their own in songwriting and experimentation and most definitely is an album that you should listen to before you die.

one of the best albums of all time

Rubber Soul is like dining at a fine dining restaurant. While both fine dining and fast food may taste delicious, fast food with it's additives and processing will leave you feeling gross. Each track on Rubber Soul adds just the right amount of depth, like a fresh ingredient on the plate, perfectly prepared - no extra BS, not out to impress in any other way than its simple beauty. You can listen to this over and over, each time listening to a different track, the perfectly layered harmonies, surprisingly complex but perfectly balanced percussion, and endlessly intriguing bass and lead guitars. Each part on its own is brilliant, together they create something near perfect. Extra bonus points for In My Life being amongst my favorite songs (by the Beatles or otherwise) of all time.

The Beatles are in a class of their own - just hearing their tight, interwoven harmonies on "Drive My Car" against a relatively simple instrumentation proves it. "Norwegian Wood" feels ahead of its time, and has complex song development and interesting instruments. Every song on Rubber Soul is different and varied but somehow still work together as a coherent unit. More yummy harmonies in "Think For Yourself" Having recently heard other albums from the time this was released makes others feel like a joke, honestly. This album - and The Beatles - are the OGs.

There is one year and one day between the release of The Beatles album Help and Revolver. Pretty impressive to thin in that time they went from Yesterday to Tomorrow Never Knows and all the songs in between. What boggles the mind is that between those albums is this album. Drive my Car, Michelle, Girl and my favourite Beatles song In My Life. An extraordinary output from a band that we will never see the likes of again. A beautiful album with some classic songs! This album, like all Beatles music, will outlive us all.

This album is a must for this list. It is the start of what becomes a very varied style across albums for the Beatles and contains the song Michelle, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, as well as Norwegian Wood, a titillating ballad that set the Paul Anca fans off the rails. An amazing album that I continue to frequently listen to.

Beatles. It's just that good.

yeah

A strong start to the 1001 Albums project. Nostalgic, bittersweet, uplifting all at once. Some music truly earns its reputation. Lyrically simple, but it speaks of experiences broadly shared — you could spend a lifetime memorising and singing along. The songs are often upbeat and easily danceable, even when the narrative is sombre, although the album seems to take a brief detour towards a more serious sound midway through. One thing I'll take away from this is that the vocalists (presumably John and Paul?) harmonise in a way that instantly rejuvenates the soul and may very well be unparalleled throughout music history. I'd like to revisit this when I am more knowledgeable about music in general, and see what other insights I can uncover. Favourites: Norwegian Wood, I'm Looking Through You, In My Life, If I Needed Someone (6th Jan '25, 0726h.)

The Beatles are the greatest group of musicians to ever exist. Their ability of making catchy, enjoyable music is so far above anyone else. All 4 are very talented on their own and they are able to bring their talents together in a way that transcends music.

I like the sitar in this better than in revolver. I think it’s a bit more subtle. All the songs are good, a few I really like. Norwegian wood is a current fav I really like that song have been listening to it alot.

A must

When beatles started to become The Beatles. Favorite track: Norwegian wood other picks: in my life, drive my car, michelle, nowhere man

I often forget that they got great just before Revolver.

Love this era of Beatles. This and Revolver is some of my favorite. Great album. 4.75/5

Best Beatles album

own

i love this, you can def tell they inspired cake

"Rubber Soul" is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Beatles. Ah, where to start? The album was their first time recording an album free of concert, radio or film commitments. It is referred to as a folk album but really incorporates a mix of pop, soul and folk elements. The album is cited as a very important artistic achievement where the album rather than the song became the basic unit of artistic production and also, the first time an album was acknowledged as an art form. The band members admitted to experimenting with marijuana and LSD which led to the some of the songs and album as being a key work in pyschedelia and progressive rock. It was also noted as a transitional album for them going from successful pop act to unparalleled masters of the studio. Whew!!! Commercially, it hit #1 in the US and UK. "Drive My Car" begins with dual lead guitars, the bass comes in and McCartney and Lennon harmonizing. Paul with more throttled vocals and John more subtle. It's about an actress' desire to become a film star and her promise to the narrator to be her chauffeur. An acoustic guitar highlighted with a sitar sets the wonderful melody in "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)." It's an extramarital affair where a mysterious girl goes to bed, leaves the narrator sleep in the bathtub and, well, he decides to set the house aflame. "Isn't it good, Norwegian wood."Harmonies start Lennon's "Nowhere Man." Great guitar accentuation. The famous Beatles' "la'la's." Lennon wrote this after taking some LSD and he expresses his existential concerns. It's apparently their first song to avoid the boy-girl relationship. Ringo gets a go as lead singer in "What Goes On." Bluesy with Harrison's guitar more rockabilly and Lennon's more R&B rhythm. It's about a lover's deceit. "I'm Looking Through You" contrasts a softer, strumming acoustic guitar with harsher organ sections and slashes. Great harmonies once again. It's the second song on the album about Paul's troubled relationship with actress Jane Ascher. We have to mention at least one George song and it's a good one in "If I Needed Someone." Harrison out-Byrds the Byrds with his high-pitched Rickenbacker. This time it's George's love song to actress Patty Boyd. I had as much fun researching this album as listening to it. And it's an incredible album. The glorious harmonies and melodies. The ambiguity and depth of the lyrics. The lyrics address more of the negative aspects in relationships - cheating, anxiety, deceit and lack of communication. Another very interesting and important result of this album is that it motivated bands such as the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and others to up their game. And up their game they did to our pleasure.

1965 Beatles! Duh... 5 stars or A.

I mean come onnmnnn it’s rubber soul

Rubber Soul is the start of the second phase of the Beatles. They have been great a great band before, and many of the songs have been wonderful, but this is where the experimentation really begins. Within a year they will have quit touring and become a studio band and the soundscape will open even more but here we have sitars, and fuzz bass, and double-tracked vocals, more complicated arrangements, a touch of psychedelia. They would push things even further on Revolver and Sgt Pepper's but Rubber Soul deserves to be held in the same esteem.

The Beatles again. They are quite strongly represented in this list. And rightly so. After a clear rejection in my youth, I have been realizing for several years now, and even more so with this project, how good the guys' music is. And it's the same with this album. My favorites here are Drive my Car, Nowhere Man, Michelle and Girl. 5/5

Rubber Soul by The Beatles is a masterclass in rock and roll perfection. Every track radiates brilliance, blending innovative melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and a timeless sound. From the folk-inspired "Norwegian Wood" to the soulful "In My Life," the album shows the band's artistic evolution while remaining effortlessly accessible. It’s hard to fathom that this isn’t even considered their finest work, but that’s The Beatles—raising the bar with every release. Pure perfection, no skips. Rubber Soul is an essential listen, proving why The Beatles remain the greatest band ever.

Sans Rubber Soul, le 80% des albums de cette liste n'existeraient pas. Prefs: TOUT Moins pref: RIEN

In retrospect "Rubber Soul" feels like the end of the first Beatles era and after this we're off the map. "Here There Be Monsters!" I can see how someone who loved this jangly, sentimental version of the band will be surprised and perhaps disappointed with most of what comes next. Was it expected? I don't know. I'm sure that is not an original thought to me. I can assure you that I could spend the rest of my life thinking about the Beatles and never match the obsession some people have for them. So I'll cut straight to the chase, this album gets a 4/5 from me. It sits right at the cusp, below the best albums the band put out. And for me only one of those was prior to this album. For me the majority of their best stuff lays beyond the horizon of "Rubber Soul." Its getting close though. Baby, you can drive my car right to it. So instead of repeating the same reasons other love this album, let me ponder two thoughts about it I had on this listen. They involve the first track and the last track. "Drive My Car" - This is an Elmo song. I can only hear the red Sesame Street puppet singing this song now. I am a dad, have been for a few years now, and whenever, "Drive My Car" comes on now I hear Elmo singing his cover. "Elmo, you can drive my car!" "Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Yeah!" Elmo took this song from the Beatles like Johnny Cash took "Hurt" from Nine Inch Nails. "Run For Your Life" - Wow! Oh man. This is like the preview to "Maxwell's Sliver Hammer" or Eminem. This is the PG version and "Kim" is the NC-17 version of the same damn movie. I ain't observing that as a compliant, I have enjoyed some dark themed songs in my time. This one just seemed to hit me out of left field. Had forgot how dark things could get and how quick these guys could get there. Especially on such a jamming track. Two Beatles albums down, seven more to go.

I found it really odd when I arrived at uni and one of my good friends was a raving Beatles fan, at the age of 18. Of course I knew the Beatles, everybody does! But I actually didn't own any of their albums of my own because I'd always just known they were downstairs in my dad's collection. But that year, he got me started on properly listening to Beatles albums and I came to appreciate them for myself very quickly. Rubber Soul was his favourite album, and In My Life his favourite song of all time. I eventually came to understand why. I still think they got better and better beyond this point but this is a phenomenal album of straightforward pop songs from a band just starting to push the envelope. Even on the less spectacular numbers, you hear the immaculate ear for a melody, while the vocal harmonies are always first rate. I'm probably being harsh giving this a 4 - if it was in anyone else's catalogue it could easily be a 5 (Along with In My Life, there's also the brilliant I'm Looking Through You, What Goes On and Norwegian Wood) but when you know what was coming around the corner, it was about to get so much better, I just have to hold one back. There are four or five Beatles albums I'd turn to before Rubber Soul.

Oh no, it's The Beatles. I don't especially enjoy reviewing music by The Beatles, every opinion on every Beatles song has already been spoken and memorialized, and I don't subscribe to the idea that every Beatles album is flawless within it's context. Regardless of this, I *do* enjoy a lot of Beatles music, and I *do* really like Rubber Soul. In fact, I kind of think of this as the earliest Beatles album that I personally think is truly great. I also agree with the narrative is that this is a huge stepping stone for The Beatles, and that the leap in songwriting maturity, and emotional range here is vital for the band's development. But, I also don't think that necessarily resolves into a perfect album. Although it does give us a lot of really great, inventive pop songs with a lot of range. This album opens with Drive My Car and Norwegian Wood, which kind of epitomizes this. Both are fantastic pop songs: Drive My Car is tons of fun, and Norwegian Wood is sophisticated and melancholy. But The Beatles set a consistent tone and palette between them. Which doesn't feel particularly impressive in 2026, but if you listen to much of what The Beatles were doing before this, it becomes clear how important of a development this is. This album is full of studio tricks and detailed songwriting just like what we see on these songs. I love the really unique melodies on The Word. I love the soundscape work done done on Michelle, it's so simple but effective. I love how the arrangement expands on Girl. And the album is full of cool moments like these. At it's best they merge with the incredible pop songs here. But on occasion, I do think the Beatles haven't quite honed their songs enough to not be overshadowed by the production work. These songs are short, and some of them inevitably end up a little low impact. Which isn't to say that there are bad songs here, just some which aren't especially noteworthy in my opinion. And I think this compounds with how much The Beatles developed their art afterwards. As far as more hit or miss moments on here go, I'd particularly like to mention the closer, Run For Your Life. It's fine, but I have a number of problems. Firstly, I think the song here is not an especially inspired fusion of Elvis-style rock with The Beatles' sound. But this song is also well-known for consisting of John Lennon threatening to kill his significant other if he catches her cheat. It just comes across super weird. Is this to be taken at face value? If so, that's insane. Is this meant to be an acknowledgement of toxic masculinity through the medium of '50s rock n roll? If so, then it's weird hearing it from Lennon, given what we know about his history as a husband. It just doesn't make a ton of sense as a closer, and brings the album down a little in my opinion. Regardless, I do really enjoy the majority of this, even if The Beatles later achieved so much more. I see myself revisiting quite a bit here.

*taking a huge hit of my joint* girl.........

„Rubber Soul“ markiert 1965 einen Wendepunkt in der Karriere der Beatles und in der Popgeschichte insgesamt. Aufgenommen wurde das Album in den Abbey Road Studios in London, mit George Martin als Produzent. Die Band – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison und Ringo Starr – entfernte sich hier deutlich vom typischen Beat-Sound ihrer frühen Jahre und öffnete sich neuen stilistischen Einflüssen, etwa Folk, Soul und klassischem Pop. Bekannte Stücke wie „Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)“, „Michelle“ und „In My Life“ zeigen eine reifere, introspektivere Songkunst. Der Einsatz der Sitar durch Harrison in „Norwegian Wood“ deutet bereits den späteren Hang zur musikalischen Experimentierfreude an. Gleichzeitig bleibt das Songwriting kompakt und melodisch eingängig, besonders in McCartneys „Drive My Car“ oder „You Won’t See Me“. „Rubber Soul“ wirkt insgesamt homogener und reflektierter als seine Vorgänger – ein Album, das den Übergang von der Beatband zur ernstzunehmenden Studiogruppe einleitet. Es verbindet handwerkliche Präzision mit lyrischer Reife und gilt zu Recht als Meilenstein in der Entwicklung moderner Popmusik.

Rubber Soul immediately sparks a memory for me. As a very young kid, my mother would play her organ while us kids would sing songs, like Nowhere Man and Michelle, with her. This epiphany made me realize that I was singing Beatles songs before I ever really heard them. Rubber Soul to me is the beginning of when the Beatles become their best, the touring stops and they start making not just real albums, but really good albums.

Folk Rock

Please don’t tell my boyfriend I gave this a four, I want him to still think I hate the Beatles.

Very good. Fun to see this as a pivotal album between two more distinct periods.

Great album. In My Life is one of my favorite Beatles songs

One of the finest Beatles albums, but not their best. That's yet to come. Still, a big step up in their body of work. Bob Dylan was right to call it their first "grown up" album. There are some all-timers on here. Highlights: Norwegian Wood, Girl, Think For Yourself, I'm Looking Through You, In My Life

The Beatles were already the best known band in the world but their critical acclaim at that point came from similar reasons that Taylor Swift today is getting decent ratings from the music critcs. But as they worked on "Rubber Soul" they added more "experimental" ideas and played with their music more which then resulted in an album that was so cohesive that the Beach Boys created Pet Sound just to not fall behind the futuristic way that this album sounded. 'Drive My Car' opens the album already with a great one. The song really gets you into the typical Beatles Rock n' Roll and Pop Rock sound that we and the people back then knew and loved. The song has a driving piano and cowbell that both add to a sound that feels very Blues Rock similar to the Stones. It's really solid track but nothing that would've completely f-ed your mind back when it released. The weird stuff already gets present with the next song 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)' that not only isn't really Rock but more Folk Pop and it also features an instrument that back then, no one heard of but now is really connected to the Bealtes. This is the first Beatles song to feature a Sitar and Raga Rock, both being mainly inspired by Indian Classical Music. The song therefore has a certain "drone" to it. It's a great song but I personally don't love it as much as many others do although it is really well written both in a lyrical, songwriting and overall structure way. The again more Rock sounding 'You Won't See Me' has some nice influences from Soul and R&B with their typical Pop Rock style. It's a pretty nice track but I am not crazy for it as there isn't much crazy things happening except the harmonies and a few moments in the chorus. The Folk Pop returns on 'Nowhere Man' and in the same breath some great things return. This feels really reminiscent of the Byrds with the way it's structured and song and it pretty much has similar influences as it also has some moments you might already call "Jangle Pop". 'Think for Yourself' gets into more of the earlier terretory the Beatles worked in with a lot of Merseybeat and Pop influence. It's a pretty solid track but mainly shines with the chorus. Same story with 'The Word': pretty good song with a great chorus and nice Mod and Beat influence but without anything that would make it REALLY special. With the Folk Pop, the great songs return as 'Michelle' not only has a great chorus with cure French added but the whole song is beautifully written and cohesive with how its structured. The first song that I would call "incredible" as it aged very, very good. The albums second half starts with a RINGO SUNG SONG!!! 'What Goes On' wan't written by him but his voice fits the song so well. I know not many will agree but this is another incredible song and one of the best ones on the album. It's just so cute and the way Ringo keeps the shuffle steady while singing is really crazy. Lennon returns with lead vocals on 'Girl' which is another pretty solid song and the songwriting is really great as are the vocal harmonies in the chorus. It's a really well put together song that has some really nice moments all the way through but I'm not crazy about it. 'I'm Looking Through You' is a really underrated track. It is a great mix between most sounds and influences that were present thus far and the chorus is incredibly catchy and energetic which complements the rest of song very well. There isn't much to say about 'In My Life' except that it's without a doubt the best song on the album. Everything about it is perfect: the verses, the lyrics, the songwriting, the chorus, the instruments, build-up, and everything else in there. It's also the best Beatles song before Revolver. With 'Wait', I feel like they try to recreate something they already did over and over. It's a kind of annoying song although some parts are quite alright but that doesn't change the fact that it's the worst song on the album. While 'If I Needed Someone' is significantly better, I still think that it's a pretty weak song in comparison. It's written in a very solid way but lacks any kind of interesting part that might hook me apart from it being somewhat pleasant to listen to. The closing track 'Run for Your Life' gets a lot of hate and I get it. It is pretty... controversial in lyrical matter when looked at with todays standards but still, it is groovy as f*ck and it is detached enough from reality that I can enjoy the song regardless of what is sung about. And I have to say that I really like the song. It's really good. favourites: In My Life, What Goes On, I'm Looking Through You, Michelle least favourites: Wait, If I Needed Someone Rating: strong 7 to light 8

Very good and possibly the best of the boy band Beatles. In My Life is one of the most heartfelt songs in their catalogue. You Won’t See Me and Wait are personal favorites I return to the most from this album

This is getting close to Peak Beatles. There are a lot of really solid songs on this album as Lennon really comes into his own as a master songwriter here with Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, and probably the most beautiful song he’s ever written with In My Life. Must be the effect of all that acid he reportedly took during this time. This would get a five but for a few clunkers, especially What Goes On, they really should keep Ringo away but I guess they had to throw him a bone.

Wasn’t going to bother rating this, but it seems like it won’t let me proceed if I don’t. Hmm… Anyway, not sure “Run For Your Life” has aged that well, but then neither have I. More interesting question: what’s the WORST Beatles tune? I gotta think on it some more critically, but my immediate response is “Get Back.” Never liked that one. Feels like it should be on a Bachman Turner Overdrive record instead.

very chill album- luv the beatles. In My Life is probably my fav, ended the album with a banger too- probably a 6/10 i enjoyed it.

FFS! Gets an average score because I can't be arsed to analyse it... Heard before ❌️ never (honestly, although a lot of the tracks are ubiquitous) Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10)

dated. Too many harmonies lmao. A lot of the lyrics are just cringe as hell, probably very out there and punk rock back in the day but these days its a lot like childrens music. Some good stuff towards the mid-end. Idk, maybe would own the LP if I wanted to be performative or perhaps just as a collectors item.

Not really a beetles guy

Are all the Beatles albums on this list?