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Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah: a remixed and remastered Rubber Soul is on the way from Apple Corps. The Beatles’ sixth studio album, 1965’s Rubber Soul is often considered to be the Fabs’ “folk-rock” album, but its mélange of styles makes it far more than that. Now, with the release on October 2 of a 4CD or 5LP/7″ box set as well as a single-disc Blu-ray, 2CD and 2LP expansions and CD and LP remixes, it’s a richer and fuller collection than ever.

With a schedule free of concert and film commitments, The Beatles decamped to Abbey Road for four weeks of sessions beginning in October 1965 to craft the album that became Rubber Soul. It was only the group’s second album to feature exclusively original material, and the bandmates were firing on all cylinders as songwriters, singers, and arrangers. Rubber Soul would ultimately contain bracing rockers (“Drive My Car,” “You Won’t See Me”), poignant ballads (“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” “Michelle,” “In My Life”), proto-psychedelia (“Nowhere Man,” “The Word”), country-and-western (“What Goes On”), jangle rock (“If I Needed Someone”), and, yes, folk-rock (“Think for Yourself,” “I’m Looking Through You”) among its 14 selections. Working with producer George Martin and engineer Norman “Hurricane” Smith, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were fusing disparate elements into each of the above, transcending simple genre tags and incorporating varied instrumental textures such as sitar, harmonium, and Hammond organ into the productions. Without an overarching concept, Rubber Soul raised the bar for rock songwriting.

Parlophone’s original LP release of Rubber Soul inaugurated a 42-week run on the U.K. Albums Chart on December 12, 1965, moving to No. 1 in its second week (usurping The Sound of Music’s soundtrack album from the top spot).  Capitol’s modified twelve-song U.S. album hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs chart on January 8, 1966, selling some 1.2 million copies within nine days of its initial release and remaining in the top spot for six weeks. The non-LP side “We Can Work It Out” (released on a double A-side single with “Day Tripper”) became The Beatles’ sixth consecutive No. 1 on the Hot 100 since January 1965. (Both tunes would appear on the U.S. Yesterday and Today album alongside “Nowhere Man,” “Drive My Car,” “What Goes On,” and “If I Needed Someone,” all of which were dropped from the U.S. Rubber Soul.)

The forthcoming sets premieres Giles Martin and Sam Okell’s new remix of Rubber Soul from the original four-track tapes. The box sets additionally include the original mono mix and the resequenced American version featuring “It’s Only Love” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” The box set also offers an entire disc of session material (including more than 20 previously unreleased tracks, including the previously unknown John Lennon demo “Little Girl”) offering a window onto the development and shaping of the album’s songs. (“Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” are included on this disc in their 2023 stereo remix form from the recent reissue of 1962-1966 (the “red album”), with the tracks included in the vinyl box on a separate 7″ with original Parlophone sleeve replica packaging.) The deluxe box sets include individual jackets for each album (the LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl with poly-lined inner sleeves) alongside an 88-page hardback book, all packaged in a 12″ slipcase. The book will feature a newly-compiled foreword taken from commentary during Lennon’s life, a newly-written introduction by McCartney, plus rare photos and in-depth album and track notes.

Fans left sore by the lack of physical immersive audio in the Revolver deluxe package will perhaps feel vindicated by the release of a separate Blu-ray Audio. It’ll feature the remixed U.K. album and the 2023 mixes of the “Day Tripper”/”We Can Work It Out” sides in Dolby Atmos and high-resolution stereo. Additionally, it’ll include the original promo videos for “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” (with the 2023 mixes overlaid), as well as alternative versions of each that were released on the 1+ package in 2015.

All seven(!) different formats of Rubber Soul are available October 2. The box sets come with exclusive posters and art cards when you order from the official Beatles web store, which also has a zoetrope pressing of the remix on vinyl available nowhere else. (The press release also indicates an orange vinyl pressing of the album, though no link has turned up yet.) Links for all the titles are below; as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The Beatles, Rubber Soul (Apple/Capitol/UMe, 2026)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (exclusive posters and art cards)
5LP/7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (exclusive posters and art cards)
Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (zoetrope edition)

CD/LP 1: Stereo remix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell (original stereo version released as Parlophone PCS 3075 (U.K.), 1965)

1. Drive My Car
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won’t See Me
4. Nowhere Man
5. Think for Yourself
6. The Word
7. Michelle
8. What Goes On
9. Girl
10. I’m Looking Through You
11. In My Life
12. Wait
13. If I Needed Someone
14. Run for Your Life

CD 2/LP 2-3/7″: Sessions, demos and the single (* included on 2CD/2LP)

1. Wait (Take 3 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
2. Run for Your Life (Takes 1-5 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
3. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (First Version – Take 1)
4. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Second Version – Take 2) *
5. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Third Version – Take 3)
6. Drive My Car (Takes 1-2 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
7. Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape) *
8. Day Tripper (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)
9. Day Tripper (Takes 2-3 – Instrumental Backing Track)
10. If I Needed Someone (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
11. In My Life (Take 1) *
12. In My Life (Extract with Unused Organ Solo)
13. We Can Work It Out (Paul’s Demo) *
14. We Can Work It Out (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)
15. Nowhere Man (First Version – Take 2)
16. Nowhere Man (Second Version – Take 5 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
17. I’m Looking Through You (First Version – Take 1)
18. I’m Looking Through You (Second Version – Take 2) *
19. I’m Looking Through You (Third Version – Take 3)
20. Michelle (Guitar Rehearsal)
21. Michelle (Take 1)
22. What Goes On (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)
23. The Word (Takes 1-2 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
24. Girl (Take 2 – Instrumental Backing Track) *
25. Beatle Talk (Think for Yourself vocal overdubs)
26. Little Girl (John’s Demo)
27. Day Tripper (2023 Mix) *
28. We Can Work It Out (2023 Mix) *

Tracks 3 and 17 released on Anthology 2 – Apple/Capitol 72438 34448 2 3, 1996
Tracks 11 and 15 released on Anthology 4 – Apple/Universal Music Group 0602478053214, 2025
Original mixes of Tracks 27-28 released as Parlophone R 5389 (U.K.)/Capitol 5555 (U.S.), 1965. These mixes first released on The Beatles 1962-1966 reissue – Apple 0602455920768, 2023

CD 3/LP 4: Original mono mix (released as Parlophone PMC 1267 (U.K.), 1965 – same track list as CD 1)

CD 4/LP 5: Original U.S. stereo album (released as Capitol ST 2442 (U.S.), 1965)

1. I’ve Just Seen a Face
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won’t See Me
4. Think for Yourself
5. The Word
6. Michelle
7. It’s Only Love
8. Girl
9. I’m Looking Through You
10. In My Life
11. Wait
12. Run for Your Life