Rubber Soul: A Landmark for The Beatles (60 Year Anniversary)
Wedged in between ‘Help!‘ and ‘Revolver‘, ‘Rubber Soul‘ is what I’d describe as quite a monumental record for The Beatles. 1965 was a period of huge change for the band. They were increasingly becoming sick of touring and wanting to experiment further with psychedelic sounds. After already reaching colossal fame, the band had more room to explore any sound with a guaranteed audience ready to listen.
Sixty years ago, ‘Rubber Soul‘ landed as the group’s sixth studio album. The soundscape pulls from folk, garage rock, and contemporary pop. There are reflective and sentimental moments along with vibrant, bright choruses.
Instrumental Inflections
This album has some of my favourite piano work from the band. Right from the opener, ‘Drive My Car‘, piano chords add an interesting inflection to the song. I notice it again in ‘You Won’t See Me‘, a song which wouldn’t have felt out of place on the previous record. There’s something grounding about the heavy chords holding down the songs, which are quite light in themselves. This LP has been said to be one of the weaker releases by the group in terms of musicianship, so I think this is certainly needed.
Whilst I hadn’t listened to ‘Nowhere Man‘ in a long time, I forgot how much I like it. It reminds me somewhat of The Byrds and other contemporaries of The Beatles. The track is very much a John Lennon song to me. His lyricism often feels personal and as though it reflects him. Following on from doing exactly this in the song ‘Help!‘, it’s clear he was at a time of personal uncertainty. And Paul’s higher octave at the end of the track is such a good addition. I’ve always loved this band for these small features that end up making a huge difference in the song as a whole.
Underrated or Overrated
Following up ‘Nowhere Man‘ is the criminally underrated ‘Think For Yourself‘. It may be my favourite George Harrison track through The Beatles’ discography. The gangly yet distorted guitar is so garage that it’s perfect. George has a great voice that stands out in the group, largely due to how rarely he takes the lead. Considering the likes of ‘Something‘ or ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps‘, Harrison definitely has some of the strongest songs the band ever recorded. ‘Think For Yourself‘ is no exception.
Another classic, for me, is ‘Michelle‘. It’s a beautiful love song, and I think out of all four, Paul is by far the best at delivering a love song. The acoustic guitar, being the centerpiece of the music, is soft and gentle. The harmonies in the background are the type that the four became renowned for. The influences of the doo wop and fifties harmonies they would’ve grown up with are very much felt. Furthermore, this track feels less folk to me than the majority of the record, which helps it stand out.
‘In My Life‘ has become somewhat of a classic for the group. However, it ranks very low for me. Of course, I think the lyricism is beautiful and insightful. Yet, I’ve always found it somewhat slow and not in the way that I like. I almost feel as though I’d prefer it as written poetry. The musicality doesn’t go in the direction I interpret it. I think it’d work better with more of an eerie and ghostly feel to it. Maybe with some more regret or sadness. Then again, who am I to tell John Lennon what to do?
Obviously, it’s difficult to call anything by The Beatles a hidden gem. However, there are certainly tracks that are underappreciated in comparison to others. This LP has quite a few that I’d highly recommend, even if The Beatles aren’t one of your top bands.
The Beatles are on Instagram, TikTok, X, and Threads. You can stream ‘Rubber Soul‘ below and read more anniversary pieces here. Also, you can buy the record.
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