Rubber Soul: My First

I was somewhere between 4 and 8 years old and living with my family on a small Army base near Ogden, Utah when I looked through a drawer containing several of the CDs that my parents had been accumulating.  I don’t remember what inspired me to pick up the CD of the album “Rubber Soul”, maybe it was due to some kind of subliminal attraction to it based on my Mom’s lifetime love of the music of The Beatles, but I unloaded the CD and put it into the stereo.

I still remember that when the CD was loaded into that old player a triangular “play” symbol would flash for a few seconds before the CD would begin.  I went through this same process that day with that album, without programming it first or skipping to a specific track, and just let it play.  This is the first time I remember listening to an album from start to finish in one sitting, and looking back I am grateful that I had such a great album as my first as that began a lifelong love of seeking out, finding, and listening to great albums in their entirety.

On December 3rd, 1965, The Beatles released their sixth studio album after an accelerated recording process due to a contractual obligation to release a second album that year prior to Christmas.  The album was only the second Beatles record to feature completely original material without a single cover and reflects the heavy musical influence that their North America tour the previous year, where they got to travel the nation that birthed the Blues and Soul music that they had loved their entire lives, had on them.

The title itself is a play on the term “Plastic Soul”, which is used to describe Soul Music that is believed to be inauthentic or devoid of any true feeling.  While the album certainly doesn’t resemble works by the likes of Sam Cooke or Aretha Franklin, it is an excellent work by a group at the top of their game.  Ringo Starr described “Rubber Soul” as the departure record for The Beatles, an apt description for the album that marks the beginning of a period of transition for the Fab Four from their early “Oldies” sound to a period that would so completely change the Rock ‘n’ Roll genre that it would go from later being described as Oldies to Classic Rock.

The Rubber Soul album also showed a new level of maturity for the group in a variety of different ways.  Most notably in their branching out into using different instrumentation with songs on the album incorporating unique instruments such as sitar, harmonium, solo piano, and fuzz bass.  The album also notably displays the group having learned from their previous recording experiences and experimenting with using the studio as its own unique instrument.

The diversification of their sound, and where it was going, is reflected on the tracklist of the album.  My favorite bands are ones who refuse to sonically pigeon hole themselves, and branch out to try different things while diversifying their sound in a way that can only be described by simply saying that it is their music.  Each track is unique and a great listen in and of itself, and combine to make one of the all-time greatest albums.

Drive My Car

I haven’t cared about professional American Football (Gridiron) for a very long time, but there was a 6 year period where I tuned in to watch the halftime show for the Super Bowl.  After the fiasco from the 2004 halftime show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, I remember the term “Nipplegate” being used to describe it, the next several halftime shows featured legendary Rock-and-Roll groups that played straightforward shows featuring great music.  The first of these came courtesy of Paul McCartney in 2005 and opened with this song, the opening track of “Rubber Soul” and possibly my favorite Beatles song.

I credit this song with beginning my conversion to listening to full albums because the singularly excellent “Drive My Car” gave me a musical gut punch that made me want to continue listening.  The song opens with a great guitar riff courtesy of George Harrison and then begins in earnest with Ringo Starr’s drum intro.  The first part of any song that grabs me is the music, sometimes I never even hone in on the lyrics, and the music for this song is singular and amazing from the opening notes to the closing fade out.

In addition to Harrison and Starr, Paul McCartney supplies an intricate bass line that moves the song along in a manner that is impressively both dynamic and smooth.  McCartney also sings lead on this song and demonstrates why he would do so on most of the more dynamic Beatles songs and their early covers of Little Richard songs.  John Lennon provides a solid rhythm guitar part and supporting vocals that blend in seamlessly to create a fantastic track that, while never performed live by The Beatles, has been a staple of Paul McCartney’s solo work for decades.

I mentioned that I don’t hone into the lyrics of a song very often, but the lyrics to this song are so clever, well written, and blended into the music that one can’t help but notice and get into it.

Norwegian Wood

Many albums that came out during my adolescent years, especially ones featuring Pop stars, were made to feature one or two breakout singles, one of which was most often the opening track, and then padded out with empty filler tracks.  This track destroys that for “Rubber Soul” with a follow-up track that is singular, authentic, and well written with the intent of creating a great song with substance that is not a throwaway track.

The main thing that stands out to me in this song is the immediate tempo shift from “Drive My Car”.  “Norwegian Wood” is noticeably more smooth and relaxed, and the addition of a Sitar gives it a feel that makes me think of something that I might hear if I went to a Spa or a Meditation Studio.  John Lennon is the primary songwriter on this and sings the lead vocal part with a delivery that perfectly matches the tone of the music.

You Won’t See Me

This might be the song on the album that most reflects the influence of American Soul music on the group and this album.  As the bassist, Paul McCartney was especially influenced by James Jamerson, the legendary bassist who as a member of the team of session musicians known as The Funk Brothers, played on practically every Motown recording that didn’t feature an actual established band.

The song begins with a very Motown vibe that proceeds along with a smooth, soulful tone dominated by Harrison’s guitar with McCartney’s too often unheralded mastery on the bass providing the driving force.  The characteristic vocal harmonies for which the group is known are also on full display here and combine with the music to create a song that embodies the term “toe tapper”.

Nowhere Man

This is one of only two songs on this album that The Beatles ever performed live, and has the distinction of being the first Beatles song to completely avoid boy-girl relationships and feature a kind of literary character, something that The Beatles would do again with future tracks such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”.  The song is also an example of a phenomenon that is fascinating to me in different forms of popular music where a song will have disturbing or depressing subject matter, but will be combined with very upbeat music that contradicts it.

John Lennon admitted that he wrote the song with himself as the “Nowhere Man” and that it came from a place of self-loathing and doubt.  The song itself stands out with its vocal harmonies, catchy tune, and poignant lyrics that challenge the listener to acknowledge similar feelings in themself and choose to rise above them.

Think For Yourself

This is one of two tracks on the album written by George Harrison that also features him on lead vocals.  The music of this track is intoxicating with its borderline hallucinatory main verse parts that immediately transition to a more dynamic chorus following a Ringo drum roll.  The song is also made unique with the inclusion of Paul McCartney’s fuzz bass, which gives the song a very unique feel especially for 1965-66.  George Harrison also gets to show how much he has grown as a songwriter and that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as his bandmates that form the beyond legendary creative pair known as Lennon-McCartney.

The Word

This song can easily be dismissed as a kind of fluffy Pop song devoid of any true substance.  However, when someone considers the historical context of the song coming out at the end of 1965 with the “summer of love” a mere year and a half away, it not only becomes significant historically but also allows us to understand the level of influence that the group had over pretty much the entire western world.

As a drummer myself, I am constantly in awe of Ringo Starr’s phenomenal skill as a timekeeper while also inserting unique patterns and fills into what can easily be perceived as run of the mill Pop songs.  Ringo puts his own personal touch on this song by employing parts that have been described as reverse drum fills.  The song is further made its own through producer George Martin personally infusing it with Harmonium parts.

I particularly find this track fascinating as it shows the greatness of The Beatles by being a more basic song but still a unique and substantive track.  I often tell my Boomer parents that I feel somewhat envious that many of the Pop stars from their era, the equivalent of extremely bland and uninspired artists of the modern era such as Justin Bieber and Britney Spears, were amazing groups like The Beatles whose even more run-of-the-mill songs are substantive works that are still being discussed 60+ years later.

Michelle

Next, in another tonal shift, comes this song that sounds like it would be at home in a cafe in the south of France.  The song goes through with a beyond impressive ebb and flow that embodies the meaning of the term “chill”.  The highlight of the song for me is George Harrison’s guitar solo that shows that a guitar solo in a Rock song doesn’t have to be a blistering chordbuster to be effective.  Harrison’s solo in this song maintains the chill tone and ebb and flow while also being a case study in a musician showing their skills while always first serving the song.

What Goes On

While all of The Beatles shared an affinity for Blues and Soul music, Ringo Starr was the member with the biggest affinity for traditional Country Music.  This affinity was on display when they recorded and performed “Act Naturally” with Ringo Starr on lead vocals.  Ringo again shows his skills as a lead vocalist, and received his first songwriting credit as a co-composer, on this track that channels the Country spirit.  The Country elements are complimented brilliantly by the guitar work of Harrison and Lennon, particularly with Harrison’s Rockabilly style lead part.

Girl

Is there anybody going to listen to my story

All about the girl who came to stay?

These are some of the most compelling opening lyrics to a song that I have ever heard.  As a writer of prose I recognize the importance of an opening line to set the stage for what’s to follow and to hook a reader into wanting to find out what happens next.  John Lennon wrote this song about a kind of ideal woman who he did not believe he had met.  In the course of this song, one of the all-time greatest songwriters paints a picture with music and lyrics that is a fascinating “viewing” that one does with their ears and mind.

I’m Looking Through You

This song is a serious contender for my favorite on the album, and by extension my favorite Beatles song.  It begins with a soft acoustic guitar intro that gradually but swiftly builds into a tune that manages to be both driving and relaxed.  The true power in this song comes from Paul McCartney’s vocals, which range from a smoothness that matches the music to bursts of raw power that provide a sonic punch to the gut of any listener.

The lyrics provide their own kind of power that would radiate from any vocalist performing them.  There is a bridge that I particularly like where McCartney sings:

Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?

Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight

The song was recorded during the frantic final day of the Rubber Soul sessions, which can account for some of the energy that makes this song so dynamic and memorable.

In My Life

John Lennon was the principal author of this song that reminisces about his childhood in Liverpool and his life before achieving international stardom.  The theme is certainly that of nostalgia and reminiscence, something to which anyone can relate.  When I hear this song it takes me back to many significant places from my earlier life that still hold a special place in my heart, old friends, and the memories of what has happened to get me to where I am today.

Sometimes, I sing my children to sleep with this song and the lyric In my life, I love you more, stands out more than it used to when I sing it to them and think of them and my wife.  The musicality of it stands out for the odd time signature in which Ringo plays and the beautiful music that would invoke nostalgia even without lyrics.  But, the most unique aspect of it musically has to be the piano solo played by producer George Martin that was slowed down to half-speed in production in order to sound like a harpsichord.

Wait

This song is unique on the album for all of the tempo changes that it goes through.  The beginning and verses have sparse instrumentation punctuated by John Lennon’s vocals then transitions into a punchy tune that leads into one of Ringo Starr’s trademark drum fills and a dynamic chorus.  In addition to these parts, the song also includes a soft yet driving bridge that goes back to the sparse instrumentation part.  This is a song that really demonstrates how much The Beatles had matured as songwriters and musicians by that point and gives a taste of great things to come from the group.

If I Needed Someone

This song has the distinction of being the only song besides “Nowhere Man” to be performed live by The Beatles and is the second song on the album written by George Harrison and featuring him on lead vocals.  Harrison plays a 12-string guitar for the lead part on this song, giving it a unique sound right out of the gate with the introductory guitar solo.  The rest of the song drives forward with that dynamic and jangly sound as Harrison sings the lyrics he wrote to his then fiance and future wife Pattie Boyd.

The song is open to interpretation, and it has been suggested that it is written in a similar vein to “Girl” for a woman or women that Harrison has not yet met.  Whatever the case, the song has a unique sound and absolutely earns its spot on this great album.

Run For Your Life

With its sinister tone and lyrics depicting jealousy and misogyny, the song marks a fairly substantial departure from the earlier work of The Beatles.  John Lennon wrote the song based on an early Elvis Presley number called “Baby Let’s Play House” from which Lennon borrows the lyric “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, then to be with another man”.  The song lacks the tempo changes of “Wait” and instead moves forward with a consistent tune, concluding the album with a good driving tune with a Country influence.

“Rubber Soul” is the first album that I remember listening to from start to finish and I credit that album with being the one that set me on a path of not just loving music, especially Rock and all its subgenres, but also loving and appreciating great albums where every track is singular and special in its own rite rather than something thrown together to just pad an album so that it can be a certain length.  These kinds of albums are often described as “all killer, no filler”.

My affinity for this particular album and its influence on me came full circle when I got my first stereo that included a record player and started collecting records.  The first records I bought were three that I found at a Guitar Center store, and one of them was “Rubber Soul”.  It is one of the greatest albums ever made by one of the greatest bands to ever exist, and will always hold a special place with me.