“Rubber Soul ถือเป็นจุดหักเห ที่แสดงให้เห็นถึงการพัฒนาอย่างก้าวกระโกดทางด้านดนตรีของ The Beatles อย่างชัดเจน ซาวนด์ที่ไม่เคยได้ยินมาก่อนในยุค ’60 มีให้ได้ฟังมากมายในอัลบั้มนี้ มันเปลี่ยน The Beatles ไปอย่างไม่หวนกลับ และพาพวกเขามุ่งไปในแนวทางทดลองใหม่ๆ ที่ทำให้แต่งเพลงได้ดีขึ้นเรื่อยๆ ถ้าคุณลองฟังอัลบั้ม The Beatles เลียงลำดับ คุณจะรู้สึกได้ ใครจะไปรู้ว่า Rubber Soul เป็นแรงบันดาลใจให้ Brian Wilson จาก The Beache Boys สร้าง Pet Sounds ”

 

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. 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

amazon
Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. The album was softened up in its original 12-song American edition to jibe with the Dylan/Byrds folk-rock sound, as well as squeeze money from the Parlophone catalog. The 14-song U.K. edition--the version now available on compact disc--is a different, more dynamic, and ultimately more accomplished achievement. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" (both omitted from the U.S. edition) merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's oeuvre. George finally emerges too, with the McGuinn-ish "If I Needed Someone."
barnes & noble
Paul McCartney crooning in French, George Harrison playing a sitar, Ringo Starr crafting innovative drum parts, and John Lennon singing movingly about his childhood -- no rock album had ever sounded like RUBBER SOUL (1965). For that matter, the Beatles themselves were hardly recognizable as the energetic bar band that had recorded its debut effort barely three years earlier. Beach Boy Brian Wilson called RUBBER SOUL the first rock album without filler, and it certainly was the Beatles' first album with a consistent, organic sound and feel, despite its enormous stylistic range. There were nods to Dylan, the Byrds, and folk rock ("If I Needed Someone," "Nowhere Man"); early Elvis ("Run for Your Life"); and bluegrass ("I've Just Seen a Face"). But the glue, helped along by George Martin's intimate production gloss, was the uniformly first-rate songwriting by Lennon and McCartney, which still seems fresh as new paint today.
all music
While the Beatles still largely stuck to love songs on Rubber Soul, the lyrics represented a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness, maturity, and complex ambiguities. Musically, too, it was a substantial leap forward, with intricate folk-rock arrangements that reflected the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds. The group and George Martin were also beginning to expand the conventional instrumental parameters of the rock group, using a sitar on "Norwegian Wood," and Greek-like guitar lines on "Michelle" and "Girl," fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself," and a piano made to sound like a harpsichord on the instrumental break of "In My Life." While John and Paul were beginning to carve separate songwriting identities at this point, the album is full of great tunes, from "Norwegian Wood" and "Michelle" to "Girl," "I'm Looking Through You," "You Won't See Me," "Drive My Car," and "Nowhere Man" (the last of which was the first Beatle song to move beyond romantic themes entirely). George Harrison was also developing into a fine songwriter with his two contributions, "Think for Yourself" and the Byrdsish "If I Needed Someone." Richie Unterberger
jack feeney
Still 1965 but already the musical progression is in full swing. I suppose everything in the sixties was far more productive given there was much less to be done in the studio in those days and less promotion and shite. The feel of this album is already noticeably different from A Hard Day's Night, released a mere year or so beforehand. It's far less rock'n'roll and more country, bizarrely. Yes the Beatles embrace both kinds of music: country AND western. The great song-writing is still intact though but this time there's more musical variety with more pianos and organs, and even (oh God) a sitar. You can really tell with this album, especially compared with the fun of A Hard Day's Night, that rock'n'roll was becoming a serious art-form (thanks in no small part to a certain B Dylan) and therefore the Beatles were doing their bit as leaders of the pack. That said, the opener "Drive My Car", is one of the most straight-forward rock'n'roll songs on the album; although it still sounds a million miles away from their earlier stuff. "Norwegian Wood" is the track featuring the dreaded sitar but as you all should know is a right royal peach of a song. One of the most radically unique they'd attempted at this point and showcasing Lennon's increasingly misogynistic lyrics. "Nowhere Man" is another classic and is one of the most obviously Help!-sounding songs; although still noticeably different. Again it is evidence of more serious lyrical ambition from the band. I think I'm probably right in saying, though, that lyrics were the one area in which the Beatles were never really top of the heap at; although they were obviously entirely competent. "Michelle" is also a great song which features the novelty of having some its lyrics sung in French. See, they were experimenting lyrically as well as musically although the foreign language phase was pretty short-lived. It reached its zenith with the German versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". Or should I say "Komm, Bib Mir Deine Hand" and "Sie Liebt Dich"? Anyway "Michelle" is far more listenable than those particularly ill-fated ventures. My favourite song on here is actually Harrison's contribution: "If I Needed Someone". Proof really that Lennon and McCartney didn't have a monopoly on talent. A nice riff and vocal melody to match. Lyrically though, it's a bit behind Lennon's efforts. To be fair, though, the best song on the album is probably the old funeral favourite, "In My Life". A very lyrically mature piece, I think by Lennon but then I might be wrong. It also famously contains a speeded up piano part by their producer George Martin which makes it sound more like a harpsichord. It's not all (guns n') roses though. The traditional Ringo number "What Goes On" is not so hot. Although it is still a furlong better than "Act Naturally". Least, however, is certainly last. The rather dumb misogyny of "Run For Your Life" really is not that good. I'd maybe stretch to bad. Maybe. Still, I'd actually say, song for song, this might be the Beatles' best album. Just on the basis of succinct arrangements, memorable melodies and catchy hooks every song on here has something to offer. Each song stands up in its own right and there is something great about every song, be it a catchy chorus or incessant hook. Perhaps the musical sophistication isn't as great as later albums but for pure song-writing this album is an early peak for the Beatles, and indeed, rock music in general. 10/10
keno
It was on this masterpiece album that the Beatles' sound started to change just a bit. The songs started to get more serious, although there was still enough of their early pop sound to be found here too. This album contained 14 songs, which was unheard of on single rock album releases back in '65. Rubber Soul perhaps finds John Lennon at his absolute best. Several of his songs were written under a quick approaching deadline, and when it came to writing under pressure, nobody churned out better lyrics than Lennon.

Of the five songs I rate a 10, four were written by John and one by Paul. "Michelle", Paul's best contribution, is a simple but sweet ballad with a little bit of French thrown in that adds to the song's feel. For Lennon, "In My Life" is the best written song on the album with "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", the best overall song with a wonderful sitar courtesy of Harrison. "Nowhere Man" was one of those songs that John wrote at the last minute for the album, and it turns out super. Then we have the smooth flowing "Girl". Along with "Norwegian Wood", these two songs' supposedly had double meanings to them and their titles were slang for marijuana - or were they? We do know that the band was heavily into cannabis smoking at the time of the album's recording. We also learned years later that most of the old Beatles songs that we believed were about drugs, in fact were not. But nothing official ever was really said about these two songs and the questions remain. What we do know about "Girl" is that there is at least some bit of truth to the story. The word "girl" has always been popular slang for marijuana and if you ever tolked on a roach, you know damn well what that sound heard in the song, after the lyrics "my girl, girl, girl" is. "Norwegian Wood" is another story, but the closing line, "So I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian Wood" does make you wonder what it means. I don't buy the story that John got the lyrics for that line from Paul, and he was referring to burning down the bird's house.

I remember at the time when this album came out, that the WW2 generation, for the most part, didn't care for the Beatles, and they would put down all rock music in general. I also remember the old music teacher I had at the time, saying that this album would be forgotten years down the road, along with the rest of rock music. You know, I can't even remember that old lady's name today, I'm sure she has been dead for years now, but I do remember if nothing else, what she taught me the day she said that. I learned how wrong she was.

Overall, of all the early Beatles' albums, this one just might be the best.

ink blot magazine
Having already rewritten pop history over the course of two years and dozens of instantly classic singles, The Beatles set upon a higher goal: to write songs with better punch lines.

Despite the titular pun and the amusing tale-spinning on "Drive My Car" and "Norwegian Wood," Rubber Soul didn't turn out to be the Fab Four's comedy album, as they once hoped. And though "Drive My Car" and "The Word" parade a fat, Stax-like bottom end, it wasn't really a soul album either. It was, however, the opening volley of the album era, the first set of rock 'n' roll originals written, recorded and packaged as an album, and the foundation upon which the music industry would be based for the next 15 years.

And what of the songs? There's no cornerstone to Rubber Soul - no "A Day in the Life" or long medley - but as a collection of songs it's virtually faultless. McCartney's "You Won't See Me," "I'm Looking Through You" and "Michelle" are all delightful, immediate, and enduring, while Lennon's "Norwegian Wood," and "Girl" are two of the best ballads he ever wrote. The two collaborations, unsurprisingly, stand out - the punchy R&B of "Drive My Car" and the groundbreaking, misty-eyed reflections of "In My Life" are lasting classics of such different styles you can hardly believe one band recorded them. Only one band could have.