-
About Rubber Soul and Revolver (MLT faves)
For fun, I thought I’d share some insight I gained on the Beatles this weekend watching a few interesting youtube videos.
Rubber Soul and Revolver are Mona and Lisa’s favorite Beatles albums, and interestingly both these albums, along with Sargent Peppers, fall in the top 5 tier of Rolling Stones Magazine’s top 10 albums of all-time list.
Rubber Soul:
George Martin said Rubber Soul was one of his favorite albums, and the Beatles success to that point gave them the confidence to do things they wouldn’t have dared to do before. The band was becoming more productive musically, expanding in all directions changing to more surreal songs with heavy Bob Dylan influence. It all started with Rubber Soul.
John Lennon said It was about having experience in the recording studio, grown musically, and knowing the possibilities.Paul McCartney said they wanted every record to have a different sound and not get trapped in the “Merseybeat”. During this period they were all getting into different types of music too from Classical to Indian. George Harrison in particular had a fascination with Ravi Shankar and got into the Sitar which he used in Norwegian Wood. I like the version of Norwegian Wood played here with just George Harrison’s Sitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOhl7EJX8s
Revolver:
Some interesting tidbits about Revolver here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXdbvBzxeb8
Here is an interview with Beatles expert, author, and historian Robert Rodgriguez on Revolver, who also did a wonderful interview with Mona and Lisa last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXkKEyn2OE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpmdOYN7RA
Robert makes a case for Revolver displacing Sargent Peppers as the all-time greatest album, because it was a more cohesive Beatles effort from all 4 members, versus Sargent Peppers which was driven more by Paul McCartney and George Martin. He also gives a song by song commentary on each track on the album.
Interestingly when Revolver came out, it was around the time “John Lennon” jokingly said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus which got them into a lot of hot water, so the Revolver album release was unfortunately muted and distracted by the controversy going on at the time.
Sargent Peppers:
Paul said if we was forced to go to a deserted island with just one Beatles album, it would be Sargent Peppers. He felt even now after all these years the songs on that album sounds modern and not dated at all.
When Paul was asked, if there was a deep and lasting meaning of the Beatles , what would it be, his immediate response was “all you need is love”. He went on further to elaborate “what people on this planet really need is love” and that was their message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bK9Ajl4qZA
-
18 Replies
-
I’m with Paul there Jung. All you need is love! It certainly fits in well with the MLT philosophy on life!
-
Those two are my favourite albums too, I think Revolver is probably the Beatles album, that has most great songs on it
-
Howard, I guess that’s another reason why Beatles music is so great and resonates with so many people, its very positive, and they homed into a great truth, “all you need is love”. If that’s the Beatles lasting meaning they want to impart on humanity, what greater statement is there than that.
Gert, like your avitar! He/she looks just ready to play! On recommendation of Rubber Soul by Lisa for a great first Beatles album on Ask the MLT subforum post, I found a beat up (but sounding good) used copy of Rubber Soul vinyl (original issue from 1965) for $9 buried with other used records in a crate at a used record store a year ago. I’ve come to enjoy every track on that record. The minor hisses and pops transport me back to the 60’s when I listen to it. I’m on the look out for Revolver too, but seems old Beatles vinyls actually issued from the 60’s are hard to find these days. I like how the Beatles came up with the names for these two albums. Rubber Soul when they saw a distorted stretched image of a portrait of the 4 of them, and Revolver, just because it revolves on the turn table. I got a chuckle when I heard that. So simple, yet funny and brilliant actually.
-
For those who haven’t heard Paul tell the story of the distorted Rubber Soul photo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHnNYkNx0Ys
-
-
Yeah David, that’s a nice story Paul explains. Just in the plain things that happen around us all the time can give inspiration or brilliant idea if you have the vision.
-
Hi Jung!!
Not to be disagreeable, but I believe we see signs of Rubber Soul in Help!! Two songs in particular on Help!! sounds very “Rubber Soulish”…….You’re Gonna Lose That Girl and You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away sounds to me like preambles to Rubber Soul. Now for one of my pet peeves…..the US and UK releases from Help!! through Revolver are different….so really in the US the three LPs are different from the UK releases…….so much so that in the US there was another album released between Rubber Soul and Revolver, i.e., Yesterday and Today, to reconcile the differences. I’m not going to go song by song…..but, for example, I’ve Just Seen A Face is on the US Rubber Soul release and it is on the UK release of Help!!! Mike.
-
Now you have me wondering… Is it possible that there was again, perhaps a different version of both albums for Canada or were they the same as what UK version was or the USA version or a specific Canadian version of both albums were made?!… I was kinda young when those albums came out but did hear them in house courtesy of one of my 2 older brothers who enjoyed Beatles stuff…
-
Hi Jackie;
It depends……If side 1, track 1 of your Rubber Soul is “I’ve Just Seen A Face”, then you don’t have the official UK release (the one the Beatles wanted). Capitol rearranged songs on their Beatles LPs…..actually now that I have typed that, I just figured out an easier way. That is, if your LPs are Capitol, then the ordering of the songs is not what the Beatles intended. If it is Parlophone, then it is what the Beatles intended. I have a feeling that the Capitol LPs went to all of North America, though. Also, if you got the LPs later……like in the 1980s to 2000s, then it might be on Apple and would be like the Parlophone releases. Clear as mud???? Mike.
-
-
Hi Mike, I’m really glad my Rubber Soul LP is the UK version (Parlophone). Rubber Soul without Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, and If I Needed Someone tracks would be missing some of it’s soul (pardon the pun) for me! 🙂 And the US version of Revolver is missing 3 Lennon tracks according to the video including “And Your Bird Can Sing”. I don’t know what all the politics were with the record labels in the US versus the UK but it seems Capital in the US was doing the Beatles a dis-service if they wouldn’t release the tracks the Beatles intended for these albums. What was Capitol thinking?
Certainly Beatles expanding of their sounds in new directions started before Rubber Soul. I suppose Rubber Soul is the album where this change in direction was most noticeable or prevalent with the band leaning more and more to the studio for their complex sounds.
-
Hi Jung;
What was Capitol thinking??? I can only speculate. To me it would seem that Capitol thought it “knew better” what songs belonged where. The company was the dominate record label in the US…..they had the Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Miles Davis, and many others during the 1960s. So, arrogance comes to mind as to why they rearranged the songs. Mike.
-
-
“What was Capitol thinking??? “
Capitol was thinking of capitalism Mike. They knew they had a fan base that would buy anything from their favourite groups and so more albums released (by having fewer songs on each), meant more sales and more money. It was all about the money. London Records did the same with the Rolling Stones albums that were released by Decca in Europe. North America was ripped off by record companies in the sixties.
Fortunately for us in Australia, we received the Parlophone and Decca versions. The American versions weren’t available until the seventies.
Consequently, Stones albums like “December’s Children” and “Flowers” were bit of a novelty when discovered here. From memory, “Flowers” included tracks from “Between The Buttons” plus the double sided single “Ruby Tuesday” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, plus a couple of other tracks.
Fortunately for us, we know what we are going to get from The MLT no matter where we live. Quality albums with 11 tracks, no filler and the same track listing on each. Just like their Christmas album that I’m sure is waiting for me when I return home in mid November.
-
Hi Howard;
I could go with the capitalism argument but Capitol started to leave songs off albums starting at least with Help. At that point did they really know there would be enough songs, both singles not on Europe releases and songs “rearranged” on Europe albums not yet released, to make the extra album Yesterday and Today? Seems very unusual to have a strategy like that because Capitol was betting that the Beatles would always be there producing albums for Capitol to rearrange…..not saying it is impossible, it just increases risk.
-
-
Hi Howard. How are the dogs? A little cheese is always a good motivator to get them to do what you want. 🙂
Capital was no friend to Brian Wilson, pulling the carpet from under him by releasing a “greatest hits Beach Boys” album right when Pet Sounds was released, in effect distracting the general public from the Pet Sounds album release in the US. Consequently Pet Sounds did much better in the UK securing 3 single hits. Capital did not like the experimental music of Pet Sounds and did not feel it would bring in the big bucks, so they released a greatest hits Beach Boys album at the same time driven by greed without Beach Boys consent undermining Brian’s effort with Pet Sounds in the US.
-
The pet minding is going well Jung. The rescue pup kept his distance for a couple of days but now is quite comfortable with me and comes up for a pat regularly. Last night I had two little fluffy dogs sleeping on my bed and by the morning, Flossy the cat had joined them and the large pup was sleeping under the bed.
The cat and dogs all have their own meal requirements but one of them doesn’t deal well with fatty food and could have the runs all night (no good if sleeping on my bed), so I stick to their programs (no cheese).
They are very well behaved and don’t need any motivation. If I’m out during the day I leave the two little dogs indoors and the pup in the courtyard ((likes to chew things) and the cat is a cat and does her cat thing, which is usually sleeping all day.
I don’t really need to motivate them since they’ve become comfortable with me. It is their home and they have trained me well regarding their needs and expectations. They look forward to their morning and evening walks in the bush. The pup recently discovered the dam and how much fun you can have in water.
All in all, we enjoy each other’s company. Here’s a photo of them.
-
Hello Howard, when the dogs will be quite familiar with you, you will be able to make them discover the joys of the bike.
I’m kidding but reading the post, I wanted to thank you for your cooperation. I canceled the purchase since you could see it, I was wrong model. All these worries for nothing. I am really sorry.
-
-
They all look very cute Howard, especially the two little dogs. The way you are hitting it off with them, by the end of your stay, you may develop quite a bond with them. It’s hard to resist. Thanks for sharing the photo of them.
I can’t help but hear this song in the background when I see that picture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vbJQ-MrKo
-
Not to worry Angelo. Hopefully there will be plenty more opportunities. Not such a silly idea about bikes and dogs. When I eventually get my own dog, they will be joining me on both my motorcycle and bicycle.
https://www.amazon.com/Kuryakyn-5288-Grand-Pet-Palace/dp/B06Y1CX21H
-
Here are a couple more brand new thought provoking videos on these two albums that provide more insight into the Beatles. They appear to have been posted in 2019, so perhaps some Beatles fans here may not have seen these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvrPWVWi0q8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3yY8H4pBww&t=365s
By the way, what is your favorite Beatles album, and why?
Log in to reply.
