CoronaVinyl Day 437 (B): Rubber Soul by The Beatles

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

When I last posted a CoronaVinyl album back in late August, I had no intention of having a five-month gap between posts.  Between rearranging of spaces due to construction at the homestead, travel, Rocktober, and laziness, I just kind of put CoronaVinyl on the back burner.  However, due to some workplace construction, I'm now going to be fully remote for the foreseeable future, and there's no better time like the present to bring back listening to vinyl every day.  Plus, I've acquired some more records over the past five months, so I'm invigorated.  I can't promise I'll post every day I'm working from home, but dammit, I'll try.

The last post was "A," so that means today's CoronaVinyl category is "B."  I went with one of my favorite Beatles' albums -- which can be said for most of their albums -- 1965's Rubber Soul.  I have my album cover hanging on my wall of albums in my office, at least while I still have a wall in my office, so above is an image of the album cover from Wikipedia and then a shot of my copy of the record.

I have the North American version of Rubber Soul.  You see, until Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band was release din 1967, The Beatles had different albums released in North America and the UK.  Some had different titles, while some had the same title as the UK version, but a different track listing.  Rubber Soul falls into the latter category.

The UK version has 14 tracks, while the North American version only has 12.  "Nowhere Man" and "If I Needed Someone" were left off, and two songs from Help! were substituted in as the first tracks on each side:  "I've Just Seen a Face" for "Drive My Car" on Side 1 and "It's Only Love" for "What Goes On" on Side 2.  The four omitted songs would appear the next year on the North American release Yesterday and Today.

Rubber Soul is one of the band's many transformative albums in their short-but-insanely-prolific career.  The album marked the band's evolution from pop to art.  The lyrics were more introspective and mature, they began using non-traditional instruments, like the sitar, and they were solidifying themselves as heads and shoulders above their peers.

As with many of their albums, it topped both the UK album chart and the Billboard album chart, as well as many others around the world.  The North American version is not on Spotify, but thankfully someone made a playlist.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "I've Just Seen a Face"
I hate to go with a Help! song, but without "Nowhere Man" on Side 1, it was a tough call between "I've Just Seen a Face" and "Norwegian Wood."  I gave the nod to Paul's sublime acoustic love song.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "In My Life"
This is one of my top five Beatles songs, and it's on what I consider one of their strongest album sides.  "I'm Looking Through You," "Wait," "Girl," "Run For Your Life," and "If I Needed Someone" are all fantastic songs, but they can't touch "In My Life."  Without fail, it still gives me goosebumps every time I hear those first plucks of the guitar strings.  John -- with Paul's help, of course -- wrote an almost bittersweet ode to Liverpool, memories, and love that is as timeless and poignant as just about any song every written.