Reviews

“Standards are cruelly high at the top,” George Harrison observed in a May 1965 interview. “Every time we get a record released, it has to go to No. 1.  If it doesn’t, we’ll be slipping.”  Today, we take for granted that The Beatles certainly didn’t slip.  Just months later, on October 12, the group started sessions for what would become their sixth original U.K. studio album: Rubber Soul.  Yet more than just charting further No. 1s – the album itself went to that position in both the U.K. and U.S., and the related double A-side single of “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper” reached the same spot in the U.K. – Rubber Soul found the group continuing to break new ground.  The album, a stunning blend of rockers and ballads perhaps unparalleled even in their own catalogue, was not created in a vacuum.  Instead, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr soaked up the many influences in a rapidly-changing pop landscape and synthesized them into (to borrow another Beatles album title) something new.

The 60th anniversary of Rubber Soul is now being celebrated with a suite of releases from Apple Corps and Universal Music premiering a new 2026 album mix by producer Giles Martin, son of original Beatles producer Sir George Martin.  These titles, out tomorrow, October 2, include a deluxe 4CD or 5LP/7″ box set; a single-disc Blu-ray; 2CD and 2LP expanded editions; and standalone CD and LP presentations of the new mix.  Although just one of the four CDs is dedicated to previously unheard session material, the box set (especially when combined with the Blu-ray release, available separately) nonetheless allows Rubber Soul to be experienced and reevaluated from various vantage points.

At the heart of all versions are Giles Martin’s new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes.  Though originally utilizing just four tracks at Abbey Road, the group and Sir George, hand-in-hand with engineer Norman “Hurricane” Smith and second engineer Ken Scott, were at the vanguard of sonic experimentation.  But all of that experimentation was in clear service of the songs – and what songs they were. Kevin Howlett quotes Ringo in his excellent liner notes: “I always feel we made it on love songs.  All those initial songs were love songs and then we suddenly get to Rubber Soul and we were stretching a lot more in the writing and the playing.”  Typically, drums and bass would be recorded on Track One, with John and George’s guitars on Track Two.  The overdubbed voices, percussion, and other parts would be distributed among the remaining two tracks.  Howlett notes that all of the vocals on Rubber Soul were overdubbed, and since most were double-tracked, two tracks were needed to capture these performances, with instruments often played at the same time.

The original U.K. 14-song sequence of Rubber Soul encompassed 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 pastiche (“What Goes On”), Byrds-inspired jangle rock (“If I Needed Someone”), and folk-rock (“Think for Yourself,” “I’m Looking Through You”), with a dash of Motown soul and a pinch of Eastern flavor.

The new stereo mix, heard on Disc One of the 4CD box as mastered by Miles Showell, serves to bring out more detail in the recordings without sacrificing the integrity of the original sound.  Utilizing Wingnut Films’ technology, instruments originally recorded together have now been separated and placed more naturally in the soundscape, whereas the original stereo mix generally placed instruments to the left and voices to the right.  The pleasures of the new mix are many.  “Think for Yourself” sounds a bit more robust, while the stereo separation of “Norwegian Wood” seems both pronounced and organic.  The Fabs’ vocal blend shines throughout, too, as with John, Paul, and George on “The Word.”

The Blu-ray Disc is an essential component for those equipped with a surround system and the most vivid new way to hear Rubber Soul.  Martin’s surround mix (as heard by this author on a traditional 5.1 system with the height data, in essence, “folded down”) is, as usual, tasteful and discrete without resorting to any sonic gimmickry.  Often the rear channels lend support with a piano here, a guitar there, or background harmonies.  It’s no wonder that Ringo has shared his appreciation for the drums being mixed up front so often; his contributions might benefit the most from the surround mix.

The boisterous “Drive My Car” is a highlight in Atmos, but so is the far subtler and gently enveloping “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).”  On the Motown-influenced “You Won’t See Me,” Paul’s lead vocal gains both clarity and presence.  “The Word” practically jumps from the speakers while the soft coos on “Michelle” emanate from the rear channels in pillowy fashion.  “In My Life,” too, has rarely sounded so full and rich as in surround.  The mix’s clear bass definition, vivid percussion, and crisp, chiming guitars lend a freshness and vivacity that might impress even those who know Rubber Soul backwards and forwards.  (The Blu-ray also features 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.)

For purists, another disc in the box set also includes the original, Beatles-approved U.K. mono mix which remains punchy, vibrant, and readymade for play on the radio and the phonographs of the era.  Sean Magee has mastered it for this collection. The Sessions, Demos, and The Singles disc chronicles the roads not taken.   As always where Beatles session takes are concerned, the group’s good-natured banter remains not only warmly amusing but functions as a time capsule of the period (don’t miss Paul expressing his affection for Gerry Anderson’s beloved 1960-1962 children’s sci-fi television series Supercar, among others).  During the vocal overdub session for “Think for Yourself,” George muses, “I’m sorry, sometimes I feel less than useless at these sessions, I really do.”  It’s tempting to read into his comments but those candid fly-on-the-wall moments are part of what makes sets such as this so rewarding.

On this disc, the development of “Norwegian Wood” is traced via three takes (the first of which previously appeared on Anthology 2).  It’s among the best examples here of the group tinkering with arrangement and instrumentation.  From the earliest attempt with Ringo on heavier drums and a background drone, the lads raised the key, tried an intro with the melody of the song’s bridge, and discerned how to best deploy the sitar. (On one version, George plays the opening notes on sitar rather than acoustic 12-string.)

The work tape of “Day Tripper” offers similar insight as the group tries out keys and tempi before dissolving into giggles.  The Take 1 instrumental builds in intensity and ferocity as the single’s ultimate sound is honed.  The unvarnished first take of “In My Life” with a much looser feel appeared on last year’s Anthology 4; it’s joined here by an extract of an unused organ solo by George Martin.  An all-too-brief segment of Paul’s bright, original demo of “We Can Work It Out” is another tantalizing offering.

The first take of “I’m Looking Through You” turns into wild rock as McCartney shrieks with abandon.  Tracing the song’s development through these three takes, it’s easy to see that the Fabs could have kept it stripped down in a garage vein.  Indeed, much of the magic of Rubber Soul rests in how the group blended the primal and the sophisticated.  Kevin Howlett’s notes explain that “Michelle” was the only song on Rubber Soul to require more than four tracks to complete.  The mix of Take 1 emphasizes the rich, swelling harmonies on Paul and John’s lovely, Gallic-flavored ballad that became the most performed song of 1966 in the U.K. (and in the U.S., the 42nd most performed song of the entire century).  Lennon’s darker-tinged but equally beautiful “Girl” is heard as a backing track with no lead or background vocals.

The disc concludes with the 2023 remixes of the single sides “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” but not before revealing its most striking rarity: a John Lennon song which eluded many of his most dedicated discographers.  “Little Girl” is slight and unfinished, but it’s still spine-tingling to hear Beatle John singing a “new” song.  Equal parts sweet and sour, it’s positioned between the innocence of the early Beatles records and the more abrasive, edgier tone of later years.  Four fragments have been edited by Giles Martin into one cohesive performance here.

The final disc in the box contains the original, controversial Capitol U.S. stereo mix as mastered by Kevin Reeves.  As longtime fans know, the 12-track album is a very different animal than the album furnished to EMI by George Martin and The Beatles.  “Drive My Car,” “Nowhere Man,” “What Goes On,” and “If I Needed Someone” were out; “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “It’s Only Love,” both from the U.K. version of the Help! album, were in.  The resulting album was arguably more focused, and certainly more in line with a “folk-rock” concept, but was it Rubber Soul?  Period quotes in the booklet illuminate The Beatles’ feelings on the subject: “Capitol issue all sorts of mad stuff.  It’s nothing to do with us,” opines George.  “It’s a drag,” added Paul, “because, you know, we make an album to be like an album.”  “And we plan it,” stressed John.  “And they wreck it!” quipped Ringo.  Other changes were made, too.  An early mix of “The Word” was used, with a double-tracked lead from John.  Two false starts of “I’m Looking Through You” were retained.  While the U.S. Rubber Soul hardly represents The Beatles’ intentions, it’s still the album that sold a reported 1.2 million records in nine days and inspired Brian Wilson to compose Pet Sounds – not a bad track record, anyway.

In keeping with the curated concept, not everything related to Rubber Soul, including “12-Bar Original” from Anthology 2 or even George Martin’s original compact disc mix, has been repeated here.    But the resulting 4-CD (or 5LP + 7”) collection is a taut exploration of why this record has endured for sixty years.   The set takes pains to draw a line from Rubber Soul to the pop sounds of today, with comments included from contemporary artists such as Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Phoebe Bridgers, Mark Ronson, and Billie Eilish. It’s not a stretch, as The Beatles’ boundary-pushing remains simultaneously fresh and timeless.  Much of this context is provided in the 88-page hardcover, coffee table-style book which is chockablock with Kevin Howlett’s essay, photos, memorabilia images, and full credits for every song.  Two posters and two glossy art prints are also featured within the sturdy slipcase that houses the book and a folder containing the discs (all in individual sleeves for protection).

Never content to sit still, The Beatles would take their use of studio technology and diversity of songwriting even further with 1966’s Revolver (reissued in 2022 in expanded format).  Rubber Soul is the first part of that story, and a closing chapter of The Beatles’ early days, too, before the band achieved the complete creative control they long desired and certainly deserved.  This set is a worthy reappraisal of an album that’s never left our collective consciousness in six decades.  Isn’t it good?

Rubber Soul is available in various formats including the 4CD box set and Blu-ray Disc reviewed above.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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)