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THE REVIEW
Well, well; here we are in front of the fifth album by the Beatles: what have the four bad boys from Liverpool come up with this time? Changed the fate of contemporary music, of course!
So: reviewing Rubber Soul. The two little great geniuses of rock/pop show they have grown not only as composers (the melodic lines, lyrics, and harmonic structures already seem light years away from the last album released just five months earlier, Help!), but also as arrangers.
The album opens with a small masterpiece by McCartney, "Drive My Car" (as close to soul as his voice is to that of the great African American bluesmen), then slides through the slow but captivating "Norwegian Wood" (enriched by the presence of the sitar, an instrument that will become so dear to Harrison and seventies pop music tout court) to then reach the heart of the album, a triptych of songs that will remain indelible marks in pop history: "Nowhere Man", "Michelle", "In My Life".
Played in its essentia, Rubber Soul amazes for the eagerness with which it drives the listener, pinning them to their stereo, leaving them breathless from the very first listen. The mixes are entrusted to the great George Martin and are striking for the overwhelming bursts of bass and the wide, delicate acoustic strummings. Worth mentioning are: the piano solo in "In My Life" (doesn't it remind you of a certain Bach?) and the distorted guitars in "Think For Yourself" (the first documented example on record).
One last note deserves Lennon's lyrics: superb in "In My Life" (absolute poetry), somnambulist in "Nowhere Man," prophetic in "The Word," cannabiolic in "Girl" (listen to the aspirated sounds through a tube).
So: rating: 5, Clear.
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Summary by Bot
Rubber Soul marks a major evolution for The Beatles with advanced songwriting, inventive arrangements, and distinctive production. The album features memorable tracks like 'Drive My Car', 'Norwegian Wood', and 'In My Life', showcasing a fresh, mature sound. George Martin’s mixing highlights innovative bass lines and acoustic textures. Lennon’s lyrics stand out for their poetic and prophetic qualities. Overall, a 5-star classic that changed pop music forever.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
The Beatles
The Beatles were a British band formed in Liverpool in 1960 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and, from 1962, Ringo Starr. They revolutionized popular music through songwriting, studio innovation and cultural impact, releasing landmark albums from Rubber Soul and Revolver to Sgt. Pepper’s, the White Album and Abbey Road before disbanding in 1970.173 Reviews
Other reviews
By Miki Page
"Rubber Soul" is a fundamental album in the history of rock, one that marks a turning point not only in the Beatles' career, but also and especially for the music that would follow.
We were starting to hear sounds that we couldn’t hear before — McCartney later admitted.
By BRIOBLUE
The Beatles were four mediocre musicians who still sang three-minute melodic songs...
Rubber Soul is certainly one of the best Beatles albums, but true music must be sought in other bands.
By currahee72
"Rubber Soul was the first album to introduce the new Beatles, the grown-up Beatles, to the world with imagination in power."
"A unique example of pop-beat music elevated to its highest artistic expression."
By pier_paolo_farina
"The Beatles begin to fully justify their already overblown fame...providing actual numbers of high inspiration, ingenuity, and originality within popular music."
"Norwegian Wood falls among the deadliest fifty-fifty combinations of Lennon’s genius (the verse) and McCartney’s (the chorus)."
By Rax
"Rubber Soul is not a masterpiece... it is generally inferior to the much-maligned 'Let It Be.'"
"Norwegian Wood... is one of the Beatles' greatest melodic masterpieces."
