60 Years Later: The Beatles Rescript Rock Rule Book On Cohesive ‘Rubber Soul’

In the 60 years since its release, the Beatles’ Rubber Soul (12/3/65) has come to be regarded as one of the pinnacles of the Liverpudlians’ discography. But, sacrilegious as it may sound, innovative instrumentation and production barely offset the erratic quality of the original material.

Composed to meet the contractual obligation of another full-length long player just four months after their previous album, the ‘soundtrack’ to their second movie, Help!, the late December record is similarly spotty, suggesting that filming, on top of recording and touring, may have adversely affected the foursome’s heretofore prolific output.

The Beatles’ rush to complete their sixth studio LP may explain why John Lennon admits to composing the final track, “Run For Your Life,” because they needed a tune to finish the album. The paucity of material would also explain why Ringo Starr figured into the composing mix for “What Goes On:” his de rigueur solo vocal on a Beatles album.

That same rationale may have also justified the need for two numbers by George Harrison, at least on the fourteen-cut British version. Like the drummer’s spotlight, the latter’s chiming guitar homage to the Byrds, “If I Needed Someone,” did not appear within the dozen tracks of the North American package. But Harrison’s “Think For Yourself” does distinguish both the English and American set, at least insofar as it features Paul McCartney playing fuzz bass. 

George also has a chance to demonstrate the interest he developed in the sitar during the aforementioned cinema project. His otherwise rudimentary fills on the Indian instrument add tremendously to the atmosphere of “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (dark overtones that also surface in the breathily sung “Girl”).

The sound of a harpsichord created from an altered recording of a piano, fortunately, undercuts the overt sentimentality of “In My Life” (from which mawkish overtones Starr’s intricate work on his kit also distracts). However, nothing can camouflage the cloying nature of “Michelle,” and McCartney’s singing in French near the conclusion only adds to the overly cute performance. 

On “The Word,” the Beatles were undoubtedly ahead of their time in the invocation of ‘flower power.’ Thankfully, the quartet’s gleeful engagement in playing and singing transcends the glib sloganeering, while their musicianship also elevates the decidedly slight nature of “Wait”.

The unified economy of such performances bolsters the ingenuity of this record’s most durable moments. “Nowhere Man” sounds like the apex of the early Beatles sound, its layered harmony singing only slightly less enthralling than the exquisite taste of Harrison’s guitar solo, capped off with a ringing harmonic note.

With its tricky time signatures and opaque lyrics, “Drive My Car” builds upon that foundation through the prominent use of piano, as does “You Won’t See Me.”  Acoustic guitars form the base of “I’m Looking Through You,” a simultaneous nod to the Beatles’ roots in the skiffle music of the Fifties and the folk styles that became prevalent in the next decade, specifically through the work of Bob Dylan, plus the interpretations of his work by that aforementioned American band.

Six decades retrospect suggests Rubber Soul would’ve benefited tremendously from inclusion of those two songs coincidentally issued a double A-sided single. Complete with the novel sonics of a harmonium, the tuneful waltz-time of “We Can Work It Out” was a stark contrast to the terse, eclectic guitar riffing of “Day Tripper.” However, the arbitrary separation of the two releases may account for the borderline dour expressions on the faces of the four Beatles in the striking cover portrait for Rubber Soul, an effort that, in hindsight, is less than the sum of its parts.