The story of Rubber Soul

[Jürgen]

Hi Jung,

thanks for sharing the interesting video. “Rubber Soul” and also “Revolver” are the more unremarkable, the less noticed LP’s of the Beatles. I started my Beatles career with the red and the blue album. Probably like so many other Beatles fans of my generation, although the two albums are just art products. “Best of albums” from a time in which the Beatles no longer existed. “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help” were well known by the movies. But “Rubber Soul” and also “Revolver” somehow always led a shadowy existence. Unjustly, in my opinion. My absolute favorite tracks on the album “Rubber Soul” are “Norwegian Wood”, “Nowhere Man”, “Girl” and “In My Life”. Especially as a teenager I often felt like Nowhere Man. Sometimes also as Fool on the Hill. Sometimes both at the same time. Ah yes, puberty… ????.

PS: It is also interesting to see how the different bands influenced each other in the 60s. What I never really understood: why were new albums created (and remixed) once again for the US market and why weren’t the original albums just released in US? Marketing (once again boosting sales)? Example “With the Beatles” (UK) and “Meet the Beatles” (US).

PPS: Since Norwegian Wood should be well known, I was looking for an interesting cover version. There are many of them. Unfortunately, many of them aren’t very good either. This piano interpretation is still quite original (there isn’t a cover version of Mona and Lisa yet, or did I miss something?)

https://youtu.be/vjYcvsRdahk

[David Herrick]

Here’s an arrangement of Norwegian Wood that intrigues me. It’s by Harmony Grass, who were the British answer to the Beach Boys. I couldn’t find it in isolation, so I cued up the show to that performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lplHF3k_xJk&t=1809s

[Jürgen]

Thanks David. I was looking for a cover version of Norwegian Wood like that. The choir singing gives the song a certain lightness. I had found another cover version on a church organ. Actually a nice idea, but the organist took forever to find the appropriate keys and foot pedals when performing it. Maybe he always plays like that, maybe he should have trained the piece more often. Actually a pity.

[Jung Roe]

Hi Jurgen, I’ve never heard of an instrumental version on the piano of Norwegian Wood, he does a good job. In the video they mention In My Life as the masterpiece of the album. For me it would be Norwegian Wood. I think nothing can top the Sitar for Norwegian Wood. It’s the solo Sitar piece that makes the song I think.

I wonder how it would sound if Mona and Lisa did a version with the twangy Rickenbackers or the Banjitar. Add their harmonies and I think it would be stellar!

Interesting and intriguing version David by Harmony Grass.

Here is an alternate take on this by the Beatles. Love the Sitar in it. I couldn’t find any other live version done by the Beatles other than the album track from Rubber Soul.

https://youtu.be/fRVLMiuO3kc

[Jung Roe]

Jurgen, I wondered why there is a US vs UK version too and why they are different, and here is an interesting explanation for Rubber Soul. I didn’t know there were quite a few Beatles album with differing versions between the US and UK.

https://youtu.be/jAOo0NPtCaQ

[Jürgen]

Thanks for the video Jung. Yes, the number of tracks per album is a possible explanation. I bought the US album „Beatles VI“ on a whim (the compilation of tracks is quite nice) and there are even only 11 tracks on the album. In this way you can make seven albums out of the original of six. Looks familiar. That reminds me of my chips bags: The bag is always the same size, but less and less content… Another thing I didn’t think about: at the time when the Beatles were producing music, there existed many different record labels. Not like today, where four or five global player have divided the music market among themselves. „Beatles VI“ for example was released by Capitol, not EMI. There were probably also legal reasons why some of the albums were named differently and contained different songs. Or to put it another way: even more people who wanted to earn even more money with the same music.

PS: what capitol did there is a bit scary: Just imagine they would have done the same thing with novels. I imagine it like this: Tolkien’s „Lord of the Rings“ will be published for the US by Capitol. Instead of the 9 Ringwraiths there are now only 7, but 6 Hobbits (because they are so cute). Gandalf doesn’t wear a gray and later white cloak, but instead wears yellow and purple (because the colors are so trendy in the fashion industry right now) and Bilbo Baggins doesn’t find the elf blade Sting, but a carving knife (because it’s barbecue season).

…or a swiss army knife ha, ha…????

[Michael Thompson]

In the US Capitol records rearranged the songs and reduced the number of tracks so they could drop additional albums to make more money. I never knew this until much later when the albums came out on CD with the original playlists.

[Jung Roe]

Hi Mike. It is amazing, or sad actually, the power Capital records and all record labels had over groups. It’s a good thing the Beatles did not allow the labels to curb their artistic direction despite the pressures from the record labels to maximize profits.

[Jürgen]

I believe it was this policy and the dictates of the big record companies that led the Beatles to form Apple Records in 1968. Apple Records was a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger and Billy Preston. „It’s just a mix of business and enjoyment“, as Paul noted. It shouldn’t just be a pure record label, but also a fashion label, containing merchandise, etc. The Beatles were probably tired of business people making a fortune with their songs and ideas.

https://youtu.be/spRcoGLqj2s

[Jung Roe]

Thanks Jurgen for posting the video about Apple Records, I ended up watching parts 2 and 3 as well. It’s an interesting story the length the Beatles went to distance themselves from the big Record Labels. Mona and Lisa did the same thing creating their own independent record label, Woolgoose Records, which is so brilliant. Love their independent spirit.