Rubber Soul: the most underrated album of The Beatles.
Every time we read things like "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" or "The 100 Best Rock Albums of All Time" or even "The Best Album of The Beatles" we find that the place of honor is disputed between Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Besides, Abbey Road and Let it be are revered as musical gems, perhaps because they were their last records. But among the people, in my experience at least, almost nobody remembers Rubber Soul which I think it's my favorite album from the fab four (it's hard to pick just one).
Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by The Beatles and it was released on December 1965. It incorporates a mix of pop, soul and folk musical styles in a way so special that it opened up the possibilities of pop music at the time in terms of lyrical and musical scope. What I don't understand is how people often ignore this great record if critics still recognize it as a gem: Rolling Stone ranked it fifth on the magazine's 2012 list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Fifth! And people forget Rubber Soul to hear Let it be over and over again.
According to The Beatles official website, the front cover photograph of the album was taken by Robert Freeman, but that way the faces appear slightly distorted was an accident while the image was being projected. And it turned out really great, I must say. Another interesting fact is that the group's name doesn't appear on the front of the sleeve. They were known all over the world, every person who look at that cover would recognize them inmediately. The Album meant a before and after in their music career. George Martin said:
"Rubber Soul was an indication of the ways things were going to go - it's one of my favourite albums. I think it's a great album."
The Album contains many of my favorite Beatles's songs:
- Drive My Car
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
- You Won't See Me
- Nowhere Man
- Think for Yourself
- The Word
- Michelle
- What Goes On
- Girl
- I'm Looking Through You
- In My Life
- Wait
- If I Needed Someone
- Run for Your Life
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) is a beautiful ballad that became more special to me after reading Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood. The sitar sound on the song was a proof that George Harrison already had a growing interest in Indian music and culture. Lennon considered In My Life his "first real major piece of work". The song's lyrics evoke Lennon's youth in Liverpool and reflect his nostalgia for a time before the onset of international fame. It's one of the most existentialistic songs of the album, along with Nowhere man. Girl and Michelle both are beautiful ballads, one from Lennon, another for McCartney, and I could talk of each song for a long time, but I rather you to listen to them. So I'm gonna let you here with that amazing Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) hoping that convinces you to listen the whole album. And if you don't know much of the band's music, I think this is a great way to discover its magic.
