It was another of John's that was heartfelt. He was thinking of Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles' Hamburg bassist, then dead for three years, and of current friends like Pete Shotton. The only contentious note is that Paul later claimed the melody was *his*. The jury has always been out on that.
Caroline, I’m going to let you in on the secret as to why Beatles fans are loving this series, and why there is so much anticipation for each video in your journey. First off, I do want to state that your personality and musical knowledge are what makes the series as enjoyable as it is. It would be a treat to watch any “Beatles virgin” discover their music, but the specific qualities that you bring to the table is what sets you apart. That being said though, when you reach the end of this series and have heard the entire Beatles catalog, consider the following: the Beatles produced all of this music over a 7-8 year period….think back to Love Me Do and consider how radically they’d changed their music over such a short period…consider that at the time they broke up none of them was yet 30 years old, with Ringo being the oldest at 29 and George the youngest at 26…..consider the number of incredible songs that were written by Lennon/McCartney in that short period, and then consider that within the same band was George Harrison, whose song contributions alone would be a HOF career for any other musician….think back to how they looked at the beginning vs the end, and consider the impact they had on fashion….remember that everything they did in the studio was through experimentation and that they were the first to do it….Consider how incredible they were as a live band, yet they quit playing live in 1966….think about how many stars had to align so that these 4 talents and personalities could come together, and that they were fortunate enough to get a producer like George Martin that was smart enough to know when to guide them, and when to get out of the way…. I could go on and on but you get the point, so I’ll make the final point that always blows my mind the most when I think about it: consider the songs, and think about the staggering number of them that go beyond being merely pop songs. It’s overwhelming. Once you reach the end of this musical journey and you consider those facts, you’ll understand what the fuss has always been about with the Beatles, and why the music they created continues to be unparalleled and revered at a level no other band or musician comes close to over 50 years later. After hearing Rubber Soul, you’re now standing on the precipice of the path to understanding it all. Enjoy.
In the early 1990’s, I bought an Encyclopedia Britannia, back in those pre-Internet days when you bought such things in hard copy. The Encyclopedia pretty much ignored rock music as if it had never existed, with one exception: a lengthy article on The Beatles. It even had a picture (from the White Album period). The Beatles really are sui generis.
Love your analogy of George Martin. Knowing when to guide and add plus knowing when to leave them alone. Plus his orchestrations were the best. Brilliant fellow and they all acknowledged that. Even John.
Rubber Soul is the first album I ever bought, when I was 8 years old. I'm 62 now, and the only real difference is that "In My Life" still makes me cry uncontrollably, but now it takes longer to stop.
In My Life was the song I walked down the aisle to on my wedding day. A couple of years ago it was played at my husband's funeral. It used to be my favourite Beatles song but I really can't listen to it any more - there's just too much tied up in that song for me.
@@mgtowchampion7961 And the award for first negative comment goes to... one of the strengths of hevy meddle moosic and its adherents, it always seemed to me.
TOGA, I think you should get a Grip... Unfortunately there is so MUCH MORE going on on this planet, and particularly in the USA that Makes Me CRY !! (well almost). Back to the point, I'm 70 YO, retired now (Thank God), my first LP purchase was Meet The Beatles (don't remember the price ... est $3 or $4 ). I purchased 45s first , played on the Phonograph with an Automatic stacker and changer (very cool at the time). The first 45 was probably a Beatles record, but don't actually remember (She Loves You ??) at age 14 (1965 +/- ).
I got the LP on release. I didn't like "In My Life" because it didn't rock. But as I've got older, and in particular with the loss of John, it gets to me. (As it is, I wasn't able to listen to "Beatles" for some 10 years after John was murdered without breaking down. Which means I couldn't listen at all. I'm hoping the Super Deluxe sets will help me reconnect -- and perhaps the way it was before then.)
@@mgtowchampion7961 - Face it... you were an Iron Maiden fan because you had a thing for long haired men wearing tight leather pants, chains, spikes, and other BDSM gear. You were probably into Judas Priest too. And the "music" you were listening to ranked a distant second to the actual needs you were satisfying.
Can you imagine that the band that sang 'Love Me Do' is the same one that sang 'In My Life' just two years later? If that isn't growth, IDK what is! What's fascinating about The Beatles is that they never really stopped evolving and getting better. That's what makes them the greatest band of all time
You point to a song that I overlooked at the time of release -- it didn't "rock". But as I've aged, as will happen to every one of us, and the losses accumulate, I came to cherish that song. Not the least because of the devastating loss of its author.
Heck you consider from "yeah, yeah, yeah," to "I am the Walrus" was just few short years. The change is astounding yet they were always a step ahead of the game. And having three great writers that could sing and play great in one band adding the perfect drummer and producer. But also explains why they were destined to go solo. Especially once Paul was really taking over I can understand the others started to feel useless
Funny that she hears the first song and thinks, okay, this sounds pretty much like their other music; but then she doesn't observe that Think for Yourself and The Word sound like nothing that's ever been recorded by anyone, anywhere, ever.
I believe Rubber Soul has healing properties. In 1966 I was 9 years old, and sick with the flu. I'm lying on the couch with a fever. The couch was located between the two console stereo speakers with 14-inch woofers. I put on Rubber Soul, closed my eyes, and let the music flow through me. When I woke up, I felt better. It also has one of John's best songs, "In My Life." When he died, this song was a comfort to so many of us.
I was inspired to become a writer by John (and Mark Twain). When he was killed I was devastated (as were millions of others). I couldn't listen to "Beatles" music for at least 10 years thereafter because it was too upsetting: that murder was so contrary to their spirit.
@@senseichess8688 They were on all the LPs up to "Sgt. Pepper's". The first 4 were not stereo; they were pre-mix mono. George Martin explains that in his book, "All You Need is Ears".
The melody for "Michelle" is the oldest one on the album; back when John was in art college, he'd invite Paul to a lot of the parties... Paul would show up in a black turtleneck toting his acoustic guitar along, and he'd sort of sit in the corner playing the melody of what would become "Michelle" and mumble French sounding lyrics in hopes of meeting girls. Around the time they were working on Rubber Soul, John basically asked, " What happened to that French thing? How 'bout finishing it?" So Paul thought there should be some French in the lyrics and decided to ask a friend who spoke the language to help get that sorted out. And there we have it - a sweet, beautiful, sad story of love and the language barrier. The story teller spoke almost no French, and the girl (probably) didn't have much English... a tragic love story, but is it doomed before it began? That's for you to decide.
Started using a new bass guitar too. Before RUBBER SOUL, he only used his Hofner violin basses. Beginning with RUBBER SOUL, he'd start using a Rickenbacker 4001 bass, which he would continue using as his main bass guitar during his Wings years in the 1970s and into the 1980s before reclaiming the Hofner bass at the end of the 80s.
I don't see any Beatles album as "peak Beatles", but Rubber Soul to me comes pretty close to standing out. I personally think it is the best album they ever made. Everything was in sync, perfect.
Almost every Beatle album was superb, but Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is mine and most people's favorite. It was groundbreaking. I was 14 and my cousin played the whole thing for my sister and I and we sat transfixed the whole time. It was like the first time you heard Bohemian Rhapsody. Most people remember when and where they heard it for the first time. It was like the 1st Star Wars movie.
I can't believe Sgt Pepper, White Album and Abbey Road came in 3 years. These 3 albums alone have more versatility than any artists whole career, let alone their other albums
Some consider this their best album. I honestly cannot pick a favorite, although I do prefer this and all the albums that follow it. When they started pushing the boundaries of studio time: 1. Paul starting to incorporate more sophisticated bass lines as well as his use of the nasal/throaty and "thunky" Rickenbacker 4001 bass 2. Their nearly-endless experimentation and perfectionism 3. The close microphone placement by engineer Geoff Emerick on Ringo's drums 4. The deadening of the ringing on those drums for more punch 5. Their ability to distill complicated things down to the most listenable and accessible material for all ages 6. Their switch to the more bluesy Epiphone Casino for richer guitar tones 7. The invention of Automatic Double Tracking by one of their engineers in response to a request by John (now called the flange effect) 8. Their use of headphones in the studio to reduce sound leaking 9. John modulating his voice in response to the echo in his headphones 10. Their willingness to try anything and everything for a new and different sound, including John lying on the floor with the microphone above him All the guys in the studio, including The Beatles, are legends.
You're right about what the most inventive steps were, but you get the timeline wrong in a couple of cases. Rubber Soul was engineered by Norman Smith. Points 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 apply to Revolver, also the Rickenbacker bass. Acquired by Paul in '65 but used in recordings in '66. Hope you don't mind.
IMHO this was the finest release by the Beatles. So many wonderful songs on such a small piece of plastic. In My Life and Norwegian Wood are songwriting masterpieces.
Absolutely agree. In My Life is my all time Beatles favorite. Paul McCarthney being my favorite with songs like Hey Juse, Let It Be, Yesterday, that says a lot.
I clearly remember when my older brother brought home Rubber Soul. Soon I knew all the songs, and I have never gotten tired of it despite playing it over and over.
“Rubber Soul” is for me the PERFECT transition album, transitioning from incredible “pop” Song’s that get on the radio, and even those lyrically are just incredible, to more introspective songs( In My Life) that still have incredible melodies, and the harmonies it’s just a fantastic album.
It is also a nice prelude to the more psychedelic and experimental sound of Revolver and Sgt. Peppers. It is the first time they used the Sitar and songs like Nowhere Man and Think for Yourself were later featured on Yellow Submarine, which is overtly psychedelic. Also, Rubber Soul and Revolver to me feel like they belong together - it really is their peak as a band in my opinion, even though their later work is still brilliant.
YES!!! You are getting closer to Revolver. After you do the Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out single, listen to the Paperback Writer/ Rain single before listening to Revolver. That single came out months before Revolver did. It's a teaser for the new sound of that album. Prepare for everything to change from this point forward.
Totally agree. And then Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane after Revolver and before Pepper. That order gives a real sense of their growth. The only thing that can be hard to get your head around is that the next song they recorded after Rubber Soul was the early version of Tomorrow Never Knows. Nothing on Rubber Soul anticipates that.
Please listen to the version of "Paperback Writer" on the currently available version of the 1 compilation, which has a great Giles Martin remix more like the original mono version released in 1966. The stereo mix on "Past Masters" was created a few years later (1969/70 ?) and is very poor. It's like all the life has been sucked out of it - and the harsh l/r separation sounds even more woeful through headphones, with a ton of dead air in the middle where the vocals and guitar need to be. "Rain" is only available on "Past Masters" and its stereo mix isn't as bad...but, really, in the absence of the original mono - the "1" version of Paperback Writer is absolutely essential, especially if you are using 'phones. The fuzz guitar riff really hits home. If anyone else can back me up on this, that would be great. 😀 ✌
In addition to Al Wylie's comments, I might suggest similar choices when you eventually come to Sgt Peppers. In those days the mono mix was the definitive version and there is a vast difference between that and the stereo. Caroline, if a mono version is unavailable, please choose the Giles Martin stereo mix which closer to what was intended. Fingers crossed. ;)
Paul tells a great story about the origins of "Michelle"... apologies if someone else has shared this already. In the early days of the Beatles, John was in art college and used to invite Paul with him to school parties, where Paul used to feel very uncomfortable around all the art students. He didn't know what to say to anyone, so he would sit in a corner and pretend to be French. Part of that act was playing this song on the guitar and singing in French. Years later, when they were looking for material for Rubber Soul, John said to Paul: "Remember that daft French thing you used to do? Let's use that."
‘Michelle’ was one of McCartney’s oldest songs, dating as far back as 1959. It was inspired by Austin Mitchell, one of John Lennon’s tutors at the Liverpool College of Art.
Drusila. It was actually Austin Davies who was an artist and lecturer at The Liverpool Art College (Where John and Stu attended). He was married to the author Beryl Bainbridge and would have parties that would last for days in end. Paul misremembered him as Austin Mitchell in the Many Years From Now book.
2600 comments already - this was probably mentioned, but one of the things that really *gets* me about Rubber Soul so much is that this whole thing was (more or less) written and recorded in a month. This is just a crazy amount of work to have been done so quickly. That it has held up so well for 50 years is yet another testament to their creative energy. For me, Rubber Soul and Revolver are "peak Beatles", and ... Revolver had more time (and a different engineer) in the studio, which, in many ways, makes Rubber Soul so much more impressive by comparison.
Here's the story I heard. They had intended to make a double album. But no rock and roll artists had yet done that so they weren't sure how that would go over. Then The Who released "Tommy" and it was huge so they were confident to release their White Album.
As a younger, new Beatles fan, I’ve got to agree. I think they were in their “prime” for their entire run but Rubber Soul and Revolver are just something else. A great in between of their rockin early stuff and their psychedelic later stuff.
This is my favorite album. The “harpischord” solo in “In My Life” is George Martin playing piano recorded at half speed so that when played back “normally” it gets that faster higher pitch sound. He was a genius.
I've always wished George (Martin) would have taken more care with the end of the harpsichord solo. The way it rushes out just seems almost lazy (no insult meant). I just wish he would have taken the time to complete that beautiful piece the same way he began it. Prosody would demand a more melodic classy resolve. That said, if anything else in the song had to change to make that happen, I would vote to leave it as is :) Possible the best Beatles song ever written.
@@transformationgeneration I think it works fine melodically, but the end rundown would have been better simplified, for me it's the bit that really gives the game away that it's been played at a different speed and just sounds unnaturally fast. I pity all the poor tribute bands that have had to try to replicate it live.
Fun fact : it is not a harpsichord! It is a piano played and recorded slowly and then speeded up on tape which George Martin played but didn't have the ability to play it at speed so he used a recording trick
@@handzar6402 Great pick... gotta toss in the White album. But it always seems to be, the last one you listened too... inches out the topper most poppermost. 👊
“I’m not a drummer, I can’t technically tell you why I like the drumming on this song” You just unintentionally summed up Ringo’s entire stint with The Beatles. Cheers
@@BronyDanProductions anyone who thinks perfectionists like Lennon and McCartney would allow themselves to have a less than incredible drummer AND continue to use him on their solo projects is fooling themselves
It’s good to note that Ringo always moulded his beats to whatever music was coming at him. Just as much as the songwriting developed, so did Ringo’s innovation, and there was very often a new way of matching the mood of the piece that no one had done before. He didn’t “show off” with big drum solos so a few ignorant blokes didn’t get him. IMHO 😁🤗
It’s really interesting to know that years later in an interview with John Lennon about his favorite and least favorite Beatles songs he listed Run for Your Life as one of his least favorite, mainly due to the negativity of the lyrics. He was the harshest critic of his own music. But Rubber Soul is one of my top three Beatles albums. Now we’re coming to the pinnacle of the Beatles creativity not just as musicians but as composers. From here on out all their songs are their own, no covers. And with them having ended their concert tours to focus on the music, their creativity just soars beyond anyone’s imagining. This was no longer a rock band or pop stars, they were artists on the level of a Mozart or Beethoven. Classical performers and composers began to listen and take the Beatles more seriously. The next album, Revolver, in the opinions of many, is probably their best. You’re in for a treat from here on out. Whatever you thought you knew about the Beatles to this point, goes all out the window.
@@Pilcha. That was just them fooling around in the studio and the producers just happened to throw that onto the album as a filler. They did not seriously record it or intend for it to be put onto Let It Be.
My first Beatles Album that I got was Meet the Beatles. Seargent Pepper was the 2nd. A Xmas gift . I regret not hearing all their Albums in Chronological Order.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Yeah. I feel sorry for people who weren't born during the baby boom - if for no reason other than we got to hear each new Beatles album AS they came out. And it was always a mind blower. They kept changing and innovating.
"I don't think I ever heard a sitar in a popsong before." Neither had anyone else when this album came out as that is the first popsong ever with a sitar in there.
We don't "all agree" despite your effort to dragoon everyone else, without the courtesy of asking whether "we" are willing to be involuntarily drafted into your insecure demand that your view is the only one that is correct. The REVOLUTION BEGAN WITH "Rubber Soul". You've obviously ignored everything before "Revolver". "Rubber Soul" has more emotional substance than "Revolver".
@@jnagarya519 I agree! For me, Rubber Soul changed everything. The Fab Four even looked OLD on the cover, especially to this 13-year old. Revolver was a logical follow-up, and even more mature. But for me, there was a vast difference between Rubber Soul and every LP that preceded it.
Oh the pure joy on your face listening to these songs is priceless, and makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I'm so glad you are doing this, this is very magical. And from now on it's only gonna get better!
Someday I hope we get a video on The Beach Boys' attempt to top Rubber Soul (Pet Sounds). The sequence of Rubber Soul to Pet Sounds to Revolver advanced pop music so far in so little time.
@@lcarpetrondookmariot7620 Actually, I hope Caroline you'll do a similar series breaking down all The Beach Boys albums through the early-mid 70s when they became VERY experimental. The evolution from The Beach Boys Today to Pet Sounds, Sunflower, Smiley Smile, Holland, and Surf's Up is pretty amazing. And also Smile, even though it wasn't released until more than 30 years after it had been recorded.
As a diehard Beatles fan, I've known this album for ages, but watching you listening for the first time and analyzing it makes me appreciate it even more. This one and Revolver are both on my top 5 Albums of all time.
@Sergei Mikhailovich you captured my sentiments perfectly. Caroline’s intense listening and detailed analysis caused me to listen more intently and with much more analysis as well… soooo glad she did
@@rikkousa As I said, I've known the Rubber Soul album since I was a kid (I'm 30 now), and Caroline's analysis made me discover new and amazing things about those songs, things I didn't notice before.
@@sergei_mikhailovich As a "Revolver kind of person" (I guess?) there's something that intrigues me about the Beatles. Maybe you will be able to explain it to me? (below) copied from comments from another video, broken in segments otherwise it gets deleted FeelingShred 1 second ago I don't really "understand" the Beatles, but I have been finding most of the bands I love have been influenced by them. So it affects me indirectly I guess XD FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago The thing that really makes me have some kind of "beef" with the Beatles is that (to me) it doesn't seem like they were capable of playing their own material live? I might be wrong on this for my lack of knowledge on the band, being by how little I listened to them. (continues...) FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago For example, everyone and their grandma seems to idolize that album Sgt Peppers, right? It came out in 1967. Did the band ever tour that album? Or played the songs from it live on a stage performance? FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago Because my impression from Sgt Peppers (and Beatles' more well-known "hits" in general) is that these songs were mostly heavily-doctored inside a studio, heavily altered material by technological interference. I don't hear much of "a band playing" on these recordings. So that's why I assume the band wasn't really capable of reproducing these songs live, or they butchered it live. Am I wrong? FeelingShred FeelingShred 0 seconds ago To put it into perspective, I very much prefer the album (also released in 1967) from Pink Floyd, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, their debut album... Not only the album was a technological and artistic GROUND-BREAKING EFFORT in terms of composition, creativity and specially SOUND QUALITY for the time (it's really impressive!!) Not only that but also the band could PLAY THE SONGS LIVE! There is footage!!
@@FeelingShred In 1966 the Beatles announced they would do no more live concerts. The reason was, the quality of the performances wasn't meeting their standards. This was due to the crowd noise and misbehavior and lousy sound systems of the time. There were no stage monitors. The art of micing guitar amplifiers for PA was still primitive. And PA speakers were still primitive. If you go back to the Beatles' early years, though, you learn that they honed their talent and skill through live performance. They really were two cuts above any of their contemporaries.
Caroline: It's official, you're a star! Your Beatles series is so much fun for those of us who watched that Ed Sullivan show in early February 1964. Keep having fun with it and we'll keep watching you. Cheers!
I don’t go back that far, born in ‘68, but as a lifer I totally agree with you! This is the perfect addition to the new Get Back series and Let It Be remix coming out…⭐️
She does this with the joy of discovering but yet the intelligent approach of analysis, with a musical background to back it up. She actually listens to it with her ears, not her eyes, analyses chord progressions, instruments, lyrics...rather than watches the music with their eyes....on the videos, [promotional films, [live performances]b saying "oh look at that"paying no attention to the music and lyrics. Does not cry "Old school"or "eeeooo, it's in black and white..." She's on the music, spot on...
It's becoming evident to most us here , that waiting for your Beatles album analysis is a welcome addiction, Caroline. That Beatles Complete Scores book you got there is musicians gold. I love your musicality. You hear chord progressions and subtle changes that make songs magical. As you listen to each song, it's like waiting for a friend opening presents on Christmas Eve with anticipation. Rubber Soul was the catapult album for the lads to musical immortality. It's hard to imagine that even more innovative and inventive albums are in the horizon.
Damet! I am getting an addiction to liking all the great comments on this video, such as yours! Listening to each song really is like waiting for a friend opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. Only difference in my case is that it would be a relative, because I almost always had a big family gathering on Christmas Eve.
Welcome addiction?? Dude, you're a pillar of strength. It's been 3 days and already the wait has me curled up in the fetal position under the kitchen table, shivering and grinding my teeth like crazy. I had to steal the dog's chew toy for something to bite down on. I'm jonesin' hard over here rifyrafi... jonesin' real hard! :P
I grew up with The Beatles and bought Rubber Soul when it came out in America. "In my life" is my favorite all time. I wasn't able to afford all the albums and had to settle for 45s. I eventually started delivering newspapers and had money to buy all the albums and Beatles cards. I still have all my albums, every one they made and in mint condition. I couldn't get enough of The Beatles. Today I have a massive collection. We needed the Beatles because we were devastated when JFK was assassinated and the Fab 4 brought us some joy again. I'm so thankful for the Sunday night when we watched the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 as they changed our lives forever and for the betterment of mankind. Never thought I would have reached when I'm 64!
@@jnagarya519 This is Blackhorse's personal observation. Maybe it doesn't work for you, but it works for Blackhorse and see his point. A lot of US journalists were saying the same thing around then, too.
@@monkmchorning ONE journalist -- Walter Cronkite -- made that SPECULATIVE "link". It has ever since been treated as a quasi-fact: unquestioned. There is actually no evidence for it. I had music in my life since earliest memories. I first heard "The Beatles" in October, 1963 -- before the assassination -- on a Chicago radio station. VeeJay Records was located in Chicago, and were the first to release "Beatles" in LP form. It went nowhere commercially until after the turn of the year, but I distinctly remember it was of particular interest to me.
@@jnagarya519 Well, I guess we should have asked you before expressing our impressions of hearing our first Beatles records. Sorry for disrespecting your authority.
@@monkmchorning I agree: your experience matters but mine doesn't. But facts matter: The issue was the statement connecting the assassination with "The Beatles" success. I was 15 at the time, I saw Walter Cronkite make that connection -- which was OPINION. He was the only one who did, but nearly everyone treated it as Gospel, even though, as said, it was speculation with no evidence for it. I'll also note that I next heard "The Beatles" -- beginning in November, 1963 -- on an all night radio program. The DJ had 8 hours to fill so had several running "skits," and occasionally played "oddball" non-playlist recordings -- one night he played a "Goon" comedy skit (research it: "The Beatles" grew up with them, and it is reflected in their humor). During that November he began playing "I Want to Hold your Hand"; and as he began getting requests for it he played it more often. And the requests grew so he began playing "I Saw Her Standing There," which he said was the "B"-side (it actually began with the "1-2-3-FAH!" so was actually from the VeeJay LP release). He also began talking about "The Beatles," saying they were the latest "big thing" in England. And I clearly remember his prediction that they would "Never go anywhere". During that year I was listening to radio stations outside my local area, as indicated -- such as Chicago and New York. One New York radio station listed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as "Bubbling Under" the Top 20 on December 31, 1963. The next day, January 1st, 1964, it was #1 on that station.
In My Life is the song I associate most with the death of John Lennon. My sister called that night to tell me that Lennon was shot to death. After the call, I thought she must've got it all wrong or at the very worst, maybe he was only injured. I stopped as I reached for the radio and thought, if the first thing I hear is a song by the Beatles or Lennon, then maybe it was true. As fate would have it, the song they were playing was In My Life. From that night forward, that song turned into something special to me. Well before that tragic day, I've always loved the song simply because of the performance, the soothing vocals and easy going tempo. But now I cherish it because the lyrics take on a whole new meaning and speaks to my heart. You can bet I'm not the only person who feels this way about it.
“The word” is one of the first songs were the word love doesn’t just refer to love between boy & girl/man & woman but to love in the “hippy” sense. Love for everyone and everything!
"The Word" was the song that attracted the counter culture to the Beatles. Many hippies and folkies (people who listened only to folk music) were not that into the Beatles (being suspicious of pop music in general, and that they wore suits and ties and sang about wanting to just hold your hand) but with Rubber Soul and songs like The Word and Norwegian Wood, the Beatles gained a whole new audience.
@@gavinreid5387 Controversial maybe in the touchy religion staid, states in the USA but not so in the fast becoming, social enlightening Britian and large chunks of the rest of the western world that quickly embraced the 'freedom' of a more 'open' free thinking society. And at the same time all this was being driven by the likes of the Beatles and their piers.
It´s nice to see someone of your age who knows such a lot about music facing songs (for the first time?) which I loved for 60 years now. Thank you, Caroline!
Rubber Soul helped spur the invention of rock criticism as a separate branch of arts criticism. Before this, the general music critics of newspapers or magazines would write about pop and rock. Before this album, Newsweek, for example, didn't think the Beatles would do more as a group. They had to rethink their position about the Beatles and other groups, and also hire writers who had a better feel for this pop music revolution. This also led to younger writers joining media outlets.
The Beatles have always vexed the music critics honestly. I believe it was around the time of “With the Beatles” that a critic mentioned the “Aeolian cadences” in one of their songs.
😅 Imagine writing that The Beatles we're a spent force just before they released Rubber Soul!? Talk about embarrassing! It's almost as bad as the person at Decca Records turning them down, because "guitar bands are on the way out" nice going, lads! 😂👍
@@comanchio1976 That man learnt his lesson. Later he asked George Harrison if he knew of any other decent guitar bands. George mentioned The Rolling Stones. He signed them!
These Beatles breakdowns are just so good !!.. They're the thing I enjoy most on YT at the moment, and the next 3 weeks is going to seem like forever .. Love being on this musical journey with you, Caroline ! .. Thanks heaps, Wayne
@@CallMeCaroline That's the understatement of 2021 ! 😉 .. You must feel so good, knowing how much pleasure you are giving to thousands of people .. Personality, education and pure joy .. Can't ask any more from a video .. Cheers, and keep up the great work, both with these Beatles vids and your other content .. Wayne 👍👍👍
@@CallMeCaroline From Songfacts: As far as "Run For Your Life," John was inspired by an Elvis Presley song, "Baby, Let's Play House," when he wrote this. The title and entire first line came from Elvis' song: "I'd rather see you dead little girl, than to be with another man." He made no bones about this being his "least favorite Beatles song." Many agree. Do keep in mind that this was 1965; there was more slack attitudes towards gender equality than there are now.
I really appreciate the effort to go from start to finish of these classic albums! Thank you for re-engaging my awe of these fellas. Your genuine enthusiasm is quite engaging as well. Perhaps the Stones at some point? Or Mccartneys 70's LPs? If not, I will revisit these videos for a joyful experience! Thank you
You have to respect just how different and distinct the sound of this album is as compared to “A Hard Days Night” and even “Help!”They’ve already come so far and they are just shoveling out smash hits!!! With more to come! Catchy and timeless songs 🙏 Love your reactions and analysis btw
"shoveling" is a great word. By this time, L&M have already given away songs that became top ten hits for other bands in Brian Epstein's stable plus a US/UK number one hit for Peter and Gordon, "World Without Love".
Help is an underrated album. Its not such a big leap from that to RS. It had songs like Yesterday and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, so the signs were there. Plus the song Help is RS standard as well if you slow it down and listen it its lyrics. Lennon said it was him expressing how he felt at the time, like he was calling for help. BIt for commercial purposes the song was a faster tempo. It was originally a slow song.
I've said it before but I'd like to say it again: thank you for making us all remember why we all loved discovering the Beatles in the first place. :) The emotions, surprises and enjoyements you are going through while listening are very communicative, even to us folks that have been knowing those songs by heart for years. It's like we're discovering those songs again. Thank you for that ;)
The songs on the brillant double A-side single "Daytripper" and " We Can We Work It Out" were recorded during the Rubber Soul Sessions and this single was released the same day as the album: December 3, 1965. These two songs MUST be included in any playlist of Rubber Soul - I put them at the beginning of the playlist. This addition makes a brilliant album the perfect album and puts the album into the category of one of the greatest rock/popular album ever.
I feel the same way. Similarly, at the time Sergeant Pepper's is encountered, you really must include Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane. These superb singles belong to their respective Beatles eras, and are important to understand the group's evolution.
My playlist of Rubber Soul includes Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out, and I also have the mix start out with these songs in the same order. I just realized that both songs are lead vocal Paul. This must have troubled John, the beginnings of John's resentment that Paul was so prolific?
I place Rubber Soul above all other albums except Abbey Road. RS is as solid as a brick outhouse! Probably the peak of the band as a band! You can feel they are all on the same wavelength.
@@paulsaret When I think of Day Tripper, I think of the line 'She's a big teaser, which is sung by Paul, my bad :P Both songs are very closely Lennon/McCartney collab.
Very true. Many bands and musicians could do what the Beatles did which was to constantly reinvent oneself. Rubber Soul was a step up to their reinvention.
I mentioned elsewhere but it’s worth repeating that the interesting thing about “Run for Your Life” is that it was the first song recorded for Rubber Soul and so sounds the most like an earlier Beatles cut (with the possible exception of “What Goes On”). The song has a weird mix of catchy tune with deplorable lyrics. I have always thought that “Getting Better” was a bit of a response to this song, though it’s often debated whether the lines about “I used to be cruel to my woman…” in “Getting Better” were written by Paul or John. “Man, I was mean but I’m changing my scene and I’m doing the best that I can…”
@@BareBandSubscription Yeah - I've really liked it since a kid. For me it's more to do with the music and attitude than a literal reading of the lyrics. Exactly why I love I am the Walrus
True, although they already changed music history to a point but if they had continued the same routine of touring and then do a quick album, they would have become stagnant. So well put.
They were revolutionary from the very start. Their debut album shook up a moribund recording industry and changed music radio …and yes, Rubber Soul launched changes in music AND so much more.
Today, Revolver seems to be much more well regarded than Sgt. Pepper. But it was Sgt. Pepper that really exploded The Beatles into another universe, and probably remained the critics and fans #1 album into the 80's and 90's. Not sure of the numbers, but it blew away Revolver in terms of sales.
When I was a youngster, a long time ago, my friends and I tried to play some songs from a book of Beatles songs. In the lyric for Girl, the sucking in of breath was notated as "yooths", which we found very amusing. Every time we played it instead of drawing in air, we sang "Girl, yooths". That amused us even more.
The Beatles producer was George Martin who played a major roll in different sounds and instruments. The boys were always asking what else they could do adding new sounds that they could use. He became more and more involved now and upcoming albums. Caroline you are a joy to watch,keep up the good work.
The "reverse guitar" sound you're hearing on "Wait" is actually George's volume pedal, as previously featured on "I Need You" and "Yes It Is". Apart from one more outing on the "Day Tripper" single, where it's used on the ascending chords supporting the solo, I think I'm right in saying it was never touched again. They first used genuine reversed guitar on the next album. Can't wait to see what you make of that one :)
Wait was a leftover from help, so recorded in the same sessions as I need you and Yes it is. I remember they added some florishes to it but that's why that volume pedal is in there. And you're totally right: they'd use something like that in 2 or 3 songs and then never use it again
Yup, those are still volume swells. We haven't quite reached the reverse guitar yet 😉 I don't think George had a volume pedal. I think he was just working the volume on the guitar
@@hubabava And it's quite a bit better than several songs on Help! Can't understand why they left it off, but it does fit better on Rubber Soul. The Beatles, master editors, strike again.
I think the first reversal on record that the Beatles used was on the single, Paperback Writer/Rain which came out before Revolver. I hope she also listens to 'We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper' and this single, as well.
Hi Caroline. This is the first video of yours I've ever watched. I must say I really enjoyed it. Most reaction videos I've seen consist of someone grooving along to the song, and saying they like it. But your analysis, and commentary add so much more substance. Your wonderful personality kept me engaged as well. Great job!
She has been doing their albums in chronological order, which is the way I prefer them to be done. People who review their music out of context or don’t listen to their earlier material don’t really understand why they became such a musical phenomenon and how they influenced an entire generation of fans and other musicians.
It's so great watching people with a musical education listening to Beatles albums for the first time. But it always makes me wonder how on earth, as musically trained people, they've managed to avoid The Beatles all their lives up until now. Is it possible to study at music college and not hear any Beatles music inside the isolation tank you must have been in for 25 years? :) But still, I love the videos.
I’m not a music major, but I took two music classes at Uni level and sadly the only reference the had to the Beatles were two songs used as examples for time signatures (Paperback Writer and You’ve got to Hide Your Love Away, 4/4 and 6/8 respectively). It was cool to see Beatles songs but I was disappointed cause I felt they were underrepresented and used kinda cheaply in those classes :/
It's so cool that she can play the music she hears and talk about it and play different things like what it might have sounded like she I doubt someone would like she is awesome I love this series
I believe Caroline mentioned elsewhere that she's not studied music formally (i.e., in school) and that her parents didn't listen to the Beatles so she's only heard the stuff you can't help but hearing.
The medieval solo on " In My Life " Was played on piano by their producer , And they slowed down the backing track played the solo then sped it up to normal speed getting that Harpsicord sound.
There is an excellent podcast about this from a few years ago called “Producing The Beatles”, mostly about George Martin’s work. The first episode is dedicated to the piano solo in “In My Life” (“Wind Up Piano”).
I know what you mean. I remember vividly being a teenager in the early 1980s and becoming a die hard Beatles fan. Each new album was quite an adventure, full of surprises and pleasure.
@@goldtown6747 me too. In 1980 I bought them in sequence...well My dad had me buy Pepper first. I bought cassettes and they were the US Capitol Releases...Started with Meet The Beatles and worked up. I hear a lot of younger people call The Beatles overrated lately, and I guess to a degree I can understand. It was almost 60 years ago and the very early stuff does not sound fresh. But put in the context of the time, and do what this young lady is doing..and you can hear the innovation....not re-invention as some will say, but invention. I remember asking my father..”What was it like Togo from Denise by Randy and the Rainbows in 63 to White Rabbit in 67.....4 years...like going from 2017 to 2021..He said it was weird...
I gotta say Caroline, this old Aussie gets so much pleasure out of watching you get all excited and giggle with joy when you hear a sound or a lyric or a musical surprise that takes your fancy. It really reminds me of how we all felt the first time we heard these songs ourselves. Can't wait for the next few albums to drop so we can see your mind blown!
To clarify for people who say John abused his wives: I read the book “John” by Cynthia a long time ago. It is a personal account of her relationship with John. She says in the book that he slapped her ONCE in 1957 when they were 17, and they broke up because of it. According to her, he never did it again. There is also no evidence he ever hit Yoko. People need to stop making up history. Listen to the women who were actually married to him. John may have been a violent person when he was younger but with all his faults, it did appear he grew out of that behavior.
It's interesting because growing up in the sixties I remember that a new Beatles song was quite an exciting event. Will it be as good as the last song? will it be different? Of course The Beatles never disappointed. I don't think you could say the same with today's artists. As talented as some of them are I find modern music totally uninspiring.
I agree totally and maybe that’s just a generational thing. I don’t think our parents appreciated The Beatles the way we did but eventually they were recognized as hugely talented and influential by many people in that generation too. I do feel sorry for young people today who realize how much better music was in the 60’s and 70’s. Today’s music seems formulaic and manufactured by comparison.
There are some great artists making some great music today, and the whole world is also available now, the span of time, at our fingertips. But you're right; "today's music ain't got the same soul". But anything with soul is worth hearing; that's what makes it worthy, IMO, and there is a wealth of soul. One thing that's different now is that there is not the one common source of sound - radio stations - that there was then. How are you going to find these artists now? Algorithms, sometimes; probably not so much. Friends, maybe. But not likely to hear something great like "Light My Fire" coming out a car window 3 or 4 times in a row. Pop music/alt/hiphop/rap/deathcore/"country": more stratified now. And the truth is also, that as we age we tend to go with what we're comfortable with, what's familiar.
Rubber Soul was *the* turning point for the Beatles. From that point forward the music will be more studio derived and largely more complex. Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Let It Be, and what I believe to be the pinnacle of the Beatles' repertoire, Abbey Road. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on these albums - especially Abbey Road. I'm 65 years old and have been a Beatles fan my entire life. I much appreciate your perspective. It reminds me of the magic when I'd buy the latest LP release and then immerse myself it for the first time. You have earned my subscription. Well done, Caroline. As always, thanks much for sharing. Steve
@Sergei Mikhailovich As a "Revolver kind of person" (I guess?) there's something that intrigues me about the Beatles. Maybe you will be able to explain it to me? (below) copied from comments from another video, broken in segments otherwise it gets deleted I have questions exactly about that post-Revolver transformation (did the Beatles fans even liked that period?) FeelingShred 1 second ago I don't really "understand" the Beatles, but I have been finding most of the bands I love have been influenced by them. So it affects me indirectly I guess XD FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago The thing that really makes me have some kind of "beef" with the Beatles is that (to me) it doesn't seem like they were capable of playing their own material live? I might be wrong on this for my lack of knowledge on the band, being by how little I listened to them. (continues...) FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago For example, everyone and their grandma seems to idolize that album Sgt Peppers, right? It came out in 1967. Did the band ever tour that album? Or played the songs from it live on a stage performance? FeelingShred FeelingShred 1 second ago Because my impression from Sgt Peppers (and Beatles' more well-known "hits" in general) is that these songs were mostly heavily-doctored inside a studio, heavily altered material by technological interference. I don't hear much of "a band playing" on these recordings. So that's why I assume the band wasn't really capable of reproducing these songs live, or they butchered it live. Am I wrong? FeelingShred FeelingShred 0 seconds ago To put it into perspective, I very much prefer the album (also released in 1967) from Pink Floyd, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, their debut album... Not only the album was a technological and artistic GROUND-BREAKING EFFORT in terms of composition, creativity and specially SOUND QUALITY for the time (it's really impressive!!) Not only that but also the band could PLAY THE SONGS LIVE! There is footage!!
Caroline.. Rubber Soul is my favorite album. I'm a Beatles fan. The later albums were great, but this to me was their absolute peak. I'm sure many Beatles fans will disagree with me!!
Have loved your previous entries. Totally agree with most other commenters that this is where the true Beatles creativity properly begins. Looking forward to vicariously hearing this for the first time again. 🙂
I disagree about their creativity beginning here. Seeing them on the Ed Sullivan show changed my 8th grade world from black-and-white to color in an instant: everything was going to be different now. Yes, they started coming on strong as maturing artists, here, and we all started growing by leaps and bounds with them at this time, but they were amazing and had already changed the world way before this. Beatlemania! ring a bell?
@@feedigli I appreciate that the Beatles were pretty special from the outset. But while there were occasional gems in their earlier work (mixed with some barely passable covers), in my personal opinion it was Rubber Soul which really kick-started their forays into more experimental studio techniques and lyrical themes. I was sadly not around when the Beatles were together, so all of my views are retrospective. I'm sure that it was different for those who saw their rise firsthand.
I bet the song you didn't like was Run For Your Life. I've learned to love that one. Of course, I can see how the lyrics might bother someone, but I think of it as John writing from the point of view of a character. I mean, songwriters do that all the time.
Let's not excuse misogyny in Run for you Life. Like every one of us, the Beatles were creatures in time. If that time includes sexism, let's not hide it away. The song is a call to violence.
@@johnburton3865 To the generation that gets offended by a lot of things and whine about them (cancel culture), obviously, they are not going to "excuse" values of the past.
Paul often wrote from the point of view of characters, John very rarely did. He was, unfortunately, on record as an insanely jealous man who, at the time at least, was prone to domestic violence
Caroline, thanks so much for the Beatles reviews, really enjoying them repetitively as a long time Beatles fanatic. You are wonderful keep up the good work. Maybe consider reviewing the Moody Blues album from the late 60's "Days of Future Passed" which includes a full orchestra behind the group. ❤
Bought this on the day it was released along with Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. We had been listening on and off all day at school to the double A side over our transistor radios so couldn't wait to get my grubby hands on the single and album. I even took a short cut through a prohibited area in school at the end of the day just to get hold of them a few minutes earlier.
I discovered the Beatles later as a kid, starting in '69 and buying their albums in the early '70's. They had only one Magical Mystery Tour album, but I experienced every one of their albums as a magical mystery tour, a musical adventure. My dad, a professional jazz musician, was given the Abbey Road album by one of his students, which he then played for our whole family. He had never liked rock music before, but the Beatles changed his mind--and all of our minds...
hyped for this one! its been really great watching your reactions kinda the closest we get to hearing them again for the first time I guess. This next three are gonna be 🔥💯
It's fun to follow a typical band through their songs over the years but the Beatles are even more fun because you can follow John's songs, Paul's songs and George's songs separately and see how they express themselves individually too. They each have quite different styles and personalities.
_Think for yourself_ has a lot of common George techniques that will develop on the following albums. His interest in East Indian music is informing his songwriting. The fuzz-tone base kind of sounds like an electric bass sitar. He has these interesting, discordant harmonies, that still fit perfectly into the song
In so many songs I hear Paul’s such strong vocals in harmony or lead, so powerful and yet perfect pitch notes! Amazing still to me how great their vocals were!
Well and playing his bass, which Caroline mentions so often. He could a counter melodic bass tune and sing in harmony at the same time. Some folks praised me for being able to play drums and sing at the same time.... But playing bass and singing? I'm sorry, if it's just 4 notes to hit on a bass guitar I might be able to but that's it.
I really wish someone would do a remix of the Beatles catalogue and bring McCartney’s bass lines higher up in the mix. It must be possible with modern digital technology. It would make the overall sound seem more modern, and make it easier for even casual listeners to enjoy how great his bass lines were.
The "medieval" keyboard solo on In My Life had me confused for decades. It's sounds a little like a harpsichord, but the attack is too soft. I always figured it must be an early electronic keyboard like a Hohner Clavinet. I later learned that it's an acoustic piano solo with the tape played back at double speed. The band had left a gap in song to be filled in with a solo later. They then went out for dinner, and by the time they returned, George Martin had composed, played and recorded that solo, with the double speed tape trick.
TH-cam doesn't play at true half speed, as Martin would have heard it. He actually had to play the solo down the octave so it would sound up when played back normally. By doing this, the timbre of the piano is also changed.
Really enjoy your reactions and insights. You remind me once again of the incredible musical strides the Beatles were making, and it's still only 1965! Any group would be lucky to have a bass playing Paul, a drumming Ringo, or a rhythm guitar playing John, or a songwriter like Paul, John, or George. The Beatles had all of them. What are the odds? Still blown away 50 years later.
TH-cam threw your channel at me because I'd fallen into a Beatles interviews hole for awhile. I was a major Beatles fan as a kid... bought almost all of their albums and used to have every lyric and nuance of their songs memorized (I'm almost 70)... picked out things on guitar and piano. Definitely obsessed! I just wanted you to know how much I've enjoyed listening to you listening. You have a wonderful musical ear and talent to bring to the table and you seem like such a delightful person.
You really are in for a treat. This album is the beginning of when they really hit their songwriting stride. Didn’t really realize how good the second side of Rubber Soul is til watching you react to it.
What I love about these is, even though I know these songs back to back, you bring such new insight of them for me and its like I'm hearing them again for the first time! Loved it!
I was a long time employee of a large supermarket and worked with many young people over my forty years of service. The best part of working with all these young people was educating them about the Beatles. Whenever a Beatles song came on the loadspeaker I would say who is singing this song they eventually caught on and knew I would only ask if it was the Beatles they were amazed. And yes I know ever word of this album.
It's really fun to see you discover their music -- I assume you are listening for the first time -- and enjoy it. You do get the FUN they were always about.
John Lennon wrote "Nowhere Man" about himself. Sitting in his mansion far away from the wonderful Swinging London (in the suburb... a nowhere land), the world at his command (yes, that's a metaphor... fans all around the world loving him) and still feeling empty, like he knows not where he is going to. He was just living till somebody else would lend him a hand. He was unhappy.
I love all your reactions especially your facial expressions! Your sweet face takes on a coquettish, almost blushing smile while listening to Paul's romantic lyrics. Also, I enjoy watching you're funny gestures and laughter. Best of all, you give us some of the mechanics of each song and what make them so special! I am a 71 years old woman and first saw the Beatles on TV when I was only ten years old. It's nice to see you, a young lady who could have been my granddaughter finding joy in listening to all the songs of my youth! God bless you! ❤️
This is my favorite Beatles album, so glad you got to this one. Basically from this album forward everybody has a different favorite album, if that tells you anything about how good the rest is. Won’t spoil anything but from Rubber Soul onwards, the beatles basically rewrite music history
The joyfulness you are able to exude through these reactions has real and palpable affect on my emotional well-being. Thank you for being bright, insightful, open and exuberant. Your fresh ears are tendrils through time to my own discovery. Priceless and brilliantly executed.
Great reaction Caroline! It's awesome to see your enthusiasm with these classics. Rubber Soul was George's favorite Beatle album and Joni Mitchell's as well. The great harmonies and folk/rock feel really hit the spot. In My Life is such an incredibly beautiful song, I remember it being one of John's that was played a lot the day after he was killed. Beautiful but kind of sad as well.
Watching you enjoy this album is like getting to experience it for the first time all over again! There are many times I think that, whatever my favorite Beatles album is, this is objectively the best one! Everything - songwriting, arrangements, performances, recording, mixing - is firing on all cylinders.
Drive My Car is amazing. The verses are one guitar, a bass, drums (including cowbell), and two voices. No one's even playing chords til the piano does in the chorus. Recorded on four tracks, no quantization, and no fucking autotune. Talent was required in 1965.
You, my dear, are the absolute best reviewer/reactor on all of TH-cam! Your love and understanding of music as well as your joyous approach is unsurpassed! Plus you're a great singer too! Thank you! Love all that you do and love to you!
About Run for your Life; Lennon quite liked making "mean songs" sometimes and be blunt and honest. He was also aware of being a jealous guy. You should listen to Run for your Life and then, for comparison, Jealous Guy from his solo-album Imagine.
@@docsavage8640 a piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by particular attention to diction (sometimes involving rhyme), rhythm, and imagery.
Watching your glee for this extraordinary music made my day. I've never seen you smile so much during one of the Beatles' records, and it warmed my heart. Their genius is pretty obvious on Rubber Soul, isn't it? As a lifelong Beatles fan, it's a great pleasure to watch you experience their music for the first time. Thank you, Caroline!
I LOVE Carolines' feeling and analysis of these Beatles songs, especially "Girl". I love that song too. "In My Life" is one to make you cry though, and each song does something quite different musically.
From now on all The Beatles albums are masterpieces, every single one with an unique essence and they change the rules about how to do music in general with them.
Mm...Personally I like the early albums more than any of the ones after Rubber Soul. They are all masterpieces, but the early albums are masterpieces of rock and roll / pop, while the later ones are like pieces in an art gallery. They are both enjoyable for their own reasons.
When you finish the chronological listen of The Beatles albums, PLEASE do a reaction to the Concert for George. It was a concert/celebration organized by George’s closest friends to play his music together, a year after he passed away. Paul McCartney, Ringo, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Billy Preston… the total who’s who of Beatles collaborators and friends. Will give you an appreciation for George’s music, which never had the chance to be centre stage alongside L&M.
What I like about Caroline is not just her musical appreciation of each song but her open sensual response too. Ultimately music has to reach you at an emotional level. This would be an interesting blog but she creates a fascinating vlog. It has reminded me of my reactions to every new Beatles album. I’m 71 now.
Yes. The thing that stands out and makes this album 'advanced' is the lyrical content. They moved from writing love songs to writing about life experiences. That's the real change.
@@CallMeCaroline The Beatles pioneered this shift in pop music from writing banal lovey dovey lyrics to exploring more personal themes and topics, and also some really funny ones. So YES, it continues!
Paul started using the I II IV progression, which he got from Motown songs, rather than the usual I IV V on this album and used it quite a bit in subsequent songs.
This was amazing Caroline, The joy on your face as you listened to this album was emotional for me, being a long time Beatles fan. Definitely your best Beatles reaction so far, probably because this was their best album so far! I enjoyed and appreciated your comments showing your music knowledge too. Roll on Revolver!
I'm really excited about anyone getting introduced to the next one. Revolver is considered by many to not only be The Beatles' best album, but one of the best albums of all time.
Hey Caroline, I love your enthusiasm and your musical knowledge. You are pointing out things that I "knew", but never realized that I knew it ("Oh yeah, they did do that in that song, didn't they!!"). I have done this very same program with 3 generations of kids, all between 10 and 15.... It took about a year with each kid. I gave them each album (in order) and let them listen to it for a month. Then we would get together and they would share likes and dislikes. it started by me wondering how the millennial generation would like The Beatles if they were to come out today. According to my "students" they would be a hit. I took them to see Paul live here in Texas as their "Graduation" ceremony. We are out here trying to guess what your reaction will be for certain songs coming up in the next month... HOW FUN! Thank you!!
_Wait_ has one of those written-by-the-other-one sections 😄 It's a John song, but Paul obviously wrote the section he sings: "I've been good, as good as I can be." It's not just his words, but the music structure changes as well. These change-ups are part of what gave The Beatles their unique sound. _We Can Work it Out,_ which you've nearly reached, is another example. Paul writes most of the song. John writes adds the chorus in his style, and George throws in brilliant time signature changes. Very cool stuff
Interestingly enough, John said Wait was Paul's song. I assume John sang lead because he did a better job on it than Paul, in the opinion of the George Martin and the Beatles. It was a song they worked on for the Help album, weren't satisfied with, and resurrected for Rubber Soul because they needed another song and had a very tight schedule to get the album done for the Holidays. I had always assumed John wrote the main part also, until I read John saying otherwise.
@@cjsm1006 Yeah. The opening section sounds a lot like John's stuff. So who knows. It might all be Paul. It could also be a Paul song that John "edited" in trying to resurrect it for the album. But the mood swings make me think that it was a joint effort
@@1monki That sounds likely. It was probably originally Paul's idea and John helped finish it, but he still thought of it as Paul's song. John said Eight Days a Week was Paul's song, even though it is widely attributed to Paul and John, and the middle sounds more like John, and of course John sang lead. Paul himself says he got the title idea from a limo driver and than he and John wrote it together, but since it was Paul's original idea, John attributes it to Paul. Wait is likely the same way.
Very good how you noticed "Run for Your Life" sounds like "the old albums." It was the first song recorded for the album. "Rubber Soul" is also the last album engineered by Norman Smith, who was being promoted to producer. A little over a year later (just to show you how fast things changed in the 60s) he would sign Pink Floyd. Smith later had a #1 hit of his own in 1972 ("Oh Babe, What Would You Say?"). He later noted that it was during the "Rubber Soul" sessions that he saw the first real disagreements erupt between John and Paul. More to come.
Paul McCartney used fuzz on bass in "think for yourself". It was the first use of fuzz on bass in popular music. The song was written and sung by George Harrison
I'm absolutely loving your channel, it's such a wonderful display of amazement and joy! You're noticing things I've never paid attention to/noticed in songs I've known for as long as I can remember, and it's got me enjoying these songs in a whole new way, so thank you!
"In My Life" is like the finest cognac: the older you get and your past piles up, the more you love it.
exactly
Same thing with Eleanor Rigby, the lonelier you get the more it makes more sense.
Beautiful comment
It was another of John's that was heartfelt. He was thinking of Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles' Hamburg bassist, then dead for three years, and of current friends like Pete Shotton. The only contentious note is that Paul later claimed the melody was *his*. The jury has always been out on that.
John had experienced a lot of loss in his life.
Caroline, I’m going to let you in on the secret as to why Beatles fans are loving this series, and why there is so much anticipation for each video in your journey. First off, I do want to state that your personality and musical knowledge are what makes the series as enjoyable as it is. It would be a treat to watch any “Beatles virgin” discover their music, but the specific qualities that you bring to the table is what sets you apart. That being said though, when you reach the end of this series and have heard the entire Beatles catalog, consider the following: the Beatles produced all of this music over a 7-8 year period….think back to Love Me Do and consider how radically they’d changed their music over such a short period…consider that at the time they broke up none of them was yet 30 years old, with Ringo being the oldest at 29 and George the youngest at 26…..consider the number of incredible songs that were written by Lennon/McCartney in that short period, and then consider that within the same band was George Harrison, whose song contributions alone would be a HOF career for any other musician….think back to how they looked at the beginning vs the end, and consider the impact they had on fashion….remember that everything they did in the studio was through experimentation and that they were the first to do it….Consider how incredible they were as a live band, yet they quit playing live in 1966….think about how many stars had to align so that these 4 talents and personalities could come together, and that they were fortunate enough to get a producer like George Martin that was smart enough to know when to guide them, and when to get out of the way…. I could go on and on but you get the point, so I’ll make the final point that always blows my mind the most when I think about it: consider the songs, and think about the staggering number of them that go beyond being merely pop songs. It’s overwhelming. Once you reach the end of this musical journey and you consider those facts, you’ll understand what the fuss has always been about with the Beatles, and why the music they created continues to be unparalleled and revered at a level no other band or musician comes close to over 50 years later. After hearing Rubber Soul, you’re now standing on the precipice of the path to understanding it all. Enjoy.
Great summation!
Their cultural social political musical impact was a once in a lifetime phenomenon. Our entire generation was waiting for evrything they did
Perfect conclusion
In the early 1990’s, I bought an Encyclopedia Britannia, back in those pre-Internet days when you bought such things in hard copy. The Encyclopedia pretty much ignored rock music as if it had never existed, with one exception: a lengthy article on The Beatles. It even had a picture (from the White Album period). The Beatles really are sui generis.
Love your analogy of George Martin. Knowing when to guide and add plus knowing when to leave them alone. Plus his orchestrations were the best. Brilliant fellow and they all acknowledged that. Even John.
Any other Beatle fan totally addicted to this??
me
Yeah. I've watched this multiple times! lol
This is my second time around watching this she has knowledge and personality I can’t believe she’s only heard yesterday
yes it’s so fun to listen through someone with new ears
Totally
Literally as this was premiering the trailer for "The Beatles: Get Back" dropped. What a day!
Hype!!!
a great day for the bottles!
Right after I got back from college I saw that and was like "well this is gonna make my day"
fun times for bugs fans
Wow! Yeah. I see it over to the right. Any other video and I'd be dropping this and going to it.
Rubber Soul is the first album I ever bought, when I was 8 years old. I'm 62 now, and the only real difference is that "In My Life" still makes me cry uncontrollably, but now it takes longer to stop.
In My Life was the song I walked down the aisle to on my wedding day. A couple of years ago it was played at my husband's funeral. It used to be my favourite Beatles song but I really can't listen to it any more - there's just too much tied up in that song for me.
@@mgtowchampion7961 And the award for first negative comment goes to...
one of the strengths of hevy meddle moosic and its adherents, it always seemed to me.
TOGA, I think you should get a Grip... Unfortunately there is so MUCH MORE going on on this planet, and particularly in the USA that Makes Me CRY !! (well almost). Back to the point, I'm 70 YO, retired now (Thank God), my first LP purchase was Meet The Beatles (don't remember the price ... est $3 or $4 ). I purchased 45s first , played on the Phonograph with an Automatic stacker and changer (very cool at the time). The first 45 was probably a Beatles record, but don't actually remember (She Loves You ??) at age 14 (1965 +/- ).
I got the LP on release. I didn't like "In My Life" because it didn't rock. But as I've got older, and in particular with the loss of John, it gets to me. (As it is, I wasn't able to listen to "Beatles" for some 10 years after John was murdered without breaking down. Which means I couldn't listen at all. I'm hoping the Super Deluxe sets will help me reconnect -- and perhaps the way it was before then.)
@@mgtowchampion7961 - Face it... you were an Iron Maiden fan because you had a thing for long haired men wearing tight leather pants, chains, spikes, and other BDSM gear. You were probably into Judas Priest too. And the "music" you were listening to ranked a distant second to the actual needs you were satisfying.
The pure joy she's experiencing from hearing these songs is so satisfying to watch her express, she's so excited!
It's brilliant to see someone so enthusiastic and receptive to this music. There's a spark about this lady!
@John Smith - In the "anthology" series, George Harrison said the same thing. He said that they were like "part one and part two".....
@John Smith - Check it out again. It's (obviously) at the section where they get to "Revolver".....
George also mentions ( in that section ) that he enjoyed doing that album.
It's like hearing them for the first time all over again. In watching her I'm watching myself forty years ago.
Can you imagine that the band that sang 'Love Me Do' is the same one that sang 'In My Life' just two years later? If that isn't growth, IDK what is! What's fascinating about The Beatles is that they never really stopped evolving and getting better. That's what makes them the greatest band of all time
You point to a song that I overlooked at the time of release -- it didn't "rock".
But as I've aged, as will happen to every one of us, and the losses accumulate, I came to cherish that song. Not the least because of the devastating loss of its author.
Heck you consider from "yeah, yeah, yeah," to "I am the Walrus" was just few short years. The change is astounding yet they were always a step ahead of the game. And having three great writers that could sing and play great in one band adding the perfect drummer and producer. But also explains why they were destined to go solo. Especially once Paul was really taking over I can understand the others started to feel useless
It was actually three years and one month (Sept 1962 - Oct 1965) but who's counting :)
Funny that she hears the first song and thinks, okay, this sounds pretty much like their other music; but then she doesn't observe that Think for Yourself and The Word sound like nothing that's ever been recorded by anyone, anywhere, ever.
@@allenswanson2423 NOTHING that the Beatles recorded ever sounded like anybody else!
I believe Rubber Soul has healing properties.
In 1966 I was 9 years old, and sick with the flu. I'm lying on the couch with a fever. The couch was located between the two console stereo speakers with 14-inch woofers. I put on Rubber Soul, closed my eyes, and let the music flow through me. When I woke up, I felt better.
It also has one of John's best songs, "In My Life." When he died, this song was a comfort to so many of us.
@Simon Archbold I remember when the vocals and instruments were separated on this one with the vinyl pressings from way back
@Simon Archbold Why wasn't "In My Life" released as a Single? It surely would have been a huge #1 hit.
I was inspired to become a writer by John (and Mark Twain). When he was killed I was devastated (as were millions of others). I couldn't listen to "Beatles" music for at least 10 years thereafter because it was too upsetting: that murder was so contrary to their spirit.
@@senseichess8688 They were on all the LPs up to "Sgt. Pepper's". The first 4 were not stereo; they were pre-mix mono. George Martin explains that in his book, "All You Need is Ears".
@@jnagarya519 i had all the original lps and i only heard the difference on rubber soul and I bet I hear better than you
"In My Life" is a total masterpiece: alone it's worth the whole album.
My favorite song ❤
mine as well @@ashsnake0749
I agree, the drumming is a masterpiece, then the piano solo, the lyrics... i just love it
hahah teenies trying to firgure them out
The melody for "Michelle" is the oldest one on the album; back when John was in art college, he'd invite Paul to a lot of the parties... Paul would show up in a black turtleneck toting his acoustic guitar along, and he'd sort of sit in the corner playing the melody of what would become "Michelle" and mumble French sounding lyrics in hopes of meeting girls. Around the time they were working on Rubber Soul, John basically asked, " What happened to that French thing? How 'bout finishing it?" So Paul thought there should be some French in the lyrics and decided to ask a friend who spoke the language to help get that sorted out. And there we have it - a sweet, beautiful, sad story of love and the language barrier. The story teller spoke almost no French, and the girl (probably) didn't have much English... a tragic love story, but is it doomed before it began? That's for you to decide.
Paul said in McCartney 321 that she was a friend of a friend.
How is it sad? He's clearly just serenading a French girl. Nothing in it suggests that she's rejecting him.
Paul has famously said that Michelle was his dog.
@@craigsmith8669 No, that was Martha.
Yeah I know, I got mixed up, heard Martha my dear a few days after and remembered…. My bad
This is the album Paul really started innovating with his bass. He's a very influential bass player to this day.
Started using a new bass guitar too. Before RUBBER SOUL, he only used his Hofner violin basses. Beginning with RUBBER SOUL, he'd start using a Rickenbacker 4001 bass, which he would continue using as his main bass guitar during his Wings years in the 1970s and into the 1980s before reclaiming the Hofner bass at the end of the 80s.
@@270yis7 You and @Riff156 probably have more interesting things to say about the Beatles' music than Caroline could ever imagine
@@270yis7 He did the right thing. Hofners are awful.
@@270yis7 He went back to the Hofner for the let It Be sessions
@@SpaceCattttt He still plays a Hofner pretty much exclusively today, so it's clearly not awful for him.
I don't see any Beatles album as "peak Beatles", but Rubber Soul to me comes pretty close to standing out. I personally think it is the best album they ever made. Everything was in sync, perfect.
Rubber Soul and Abbey Road have always been my favorites.
Almost every Beatle album was superb, but Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is mine and most people's favorite. It was groundbreaking. I was 14 and my cousin played the whole thing for my sister and I and we sat transfixed the whole time. It was like the first time you heard Bohemian Rhapsody. Most people remember when and where they heard it for the first time. It was like the 1st Star Wars movie.
Ringo was the secret weapon on Rubber Soul. I would almost call him the MVP of Rubber Soul. He's always doing something a little outside the box.
I can't believe Sgt Pepper, White Album and Abbey Road came in 3 years. These 3 albums alone have more versatility than any artists whole career, let alone their other albums
@@sj49770Ringo on Revolver is his best version. I have never seen much better drumming. His performance on She Said is just a masterpiece
Some consider this their best album. I honestly cannot pick a favorite, although I do prefer this and all the albums that follow it. When they started pushing the boundaries of studio time:
1. Paul starting to incorporate more sophisticated bass lines as well as his use of the nasal/throaty and "thunky" Rickenbacker 4001 bass
2. Their nearly-endless experimentation and perfectionism
3. The close microphone placement by engineer Geoff Emerick on Ringo's drums
4. The deadening of the ringing on those drums for more punch
5. Their ability to distill complicated things down to the most listenable and accessible material for all ages
6. Their switch to the more bluesy Epiphone Casino for richer guitar tones
7. The invention of Automatic Double Tracking by one of their engineers in response to a request by John (now called the flange effect)
8. Their use of headphones in the studio to reduce sound leaking
9. John modulating his voice in response to the echo in his headphones
10. Their willingness to try anything and everything for a new and different sound, including John lying on the floor with the microphone above him
All the guys in the studio, including The Beatles, are legends.
@Simon Archbold I thought the tea towels started with Revolver when Geoff Emerick became engineer.
Great list. To clarify, flange is its own thing. The ADT was invented at Abbey Road, however, and studios use it to this day. :)
You're right about what the most inventive steps were, but you get the timeline wrong in a couple of cases. Rubber Soul was engineered by Norman Smith. Points 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 apply to Revolver, also the Rickenbacker bass. Acquired by Paul in '65 but used in recordings in '66. Hope you don't mind.
Nathan, I just screenshot your 10 points! We’re you in the recording studio when the Beatles recorded this? ☺️PS this is my favorite album too.
Geoff Emerick wasn't Even on rubber soul neither did headphones. Other than that it started on Help
IMHO this was the finest release by the Beatles. So many wonderful songs on such a small piece of plastic. In My Life and Norwegian Wood are songwriting masterpieces.
I totally agree it's their masterpiece
Absolutely agree. In My Life is my all time Beatles favorite. Paul McCarthney being my favorite with songs like Hey Juse, Let It Be, Yesterday, that says a lot.
Don't neglect "Girl" -- which John said was his favorite of all his songs..
I clearly remember when my older brother brought home Rubber Soul. Soon I knew all the songs, and I have never gotten tired of it despite playing it over and over.
“Rubber Soul” is for me the PERFECT transition album, transitioning from incredible “pop” Song’s that get on the radio, and even those lyrically are just incredible, to more introspective songs( In My Life) that still have incredible melodies, and the harmonies it’s just a fantastic album.
It is also a nice prelude to the more psychedelic and experimental sound of Revolver and Sgt. Peppers. It is the first time they used the Sitar and songs like Nowhere Man and Think for Yourself were later featured on Yellow Submarine, which is overtly psychedelic. Also, Rubber Soul and Revolver to me feel like they belong together - it really is their peak as a band in my opinion, even though their later work is still brilliant.
YES!!! You are getting closer to Revolver. After you do the Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out single, listen to the Paperback Writer/ Rain single before listening to Revolver. That single came out months before Revolver did. It's a teaser for the new sound of that album. Prepare for everything to change from this point forward.
Totally agree. And then Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane after Revolver and before Pepper. That order gives a real sense of their growth. The only thing that can be hard to get your head around is that the next song they recorded after Rubber Soul was the early version of Tomorrow Never Knows. Nothing on Rubber Soul anticipates that.
Please listen to the version of "Paperback Writer" on the currently available version of the 1 compilation, which has a great Giles Martin remix more like the original mono version released in 1966.
The stereo mix on "Past Masters" was created a few years later (1969/70 ?) and is very poor. It's like all the life has been sucked out of it - and the harsh l/r separation sounds even more woeful through headphones, with a ton of dead air in the middle where the vocals and guitar need to be.
"Rain" is only available on "Past Masters" and its stereo mix isn't as bad...but, really, in the absence of the original mono - the "1" version of Paperback Writer is absolutely essential, especially if you are using 'phones. The fuzz guitar riff really hits home. If anyone else can back me up on this, that would be great.
😀 ✌
"Rubber Soul" was the REVOLUTION -- and has greater emotional substance than "Revolver".
In addition to Al Wylie's comments, I might suggest similar choices when you eventually come to Sgt Peppers. In those days the mono mix was the definitive version and there is a vast difference between that and the stereo. Caroline, if a mono version is unavailable, please choose the Giles Martin stereo mix which closer to what was intended. Fingers crossed. ;)
@@patricknelson5151 Nah, Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane are on Magical Mystery Tour already. Might as well save it until she reacts to that album
Paul tells a great story about the origins of "Michelle"... apologies if someone else has shared this already.
In the early days of the Beatles, John was in art college and used to invite Paul with him to school parties, where Paul used to feel very uncomfortable around all the art students. He didn't know what to say to anyone, so he would sit in a corner and pretend to be French. Part of that act was playing this song on the guitar and singing in French.
Years later, when they were looking for material for Rubber Soul, John said to Paul: "Remember that daft French thing you used to do? Let's use that."
He called himself "Paul Ramone"
@@Imw101 Yeah, those were the days when they were using stage names like "Long John Silver" and "Carl Harrison."
‘Michelle’ was one of McCartney’s oldest songs, dating as far back as 1959. It was inspired by Austin Mitchell, one of John Lennon’s tutors at the Liverpool College of Art.
Drusila.
It was actually Austin Davies who was an artist and lecturer at The Liverpool Art College (Where John and Stu attended). He was married to the author Beryl Bainbridge and would have parties that would last for days in end. Paul misremembered him as Austin Mitchell in the Many Years From Now book.
@@Fool3SufferingFools Which carried through to the Traveling Wilburys
2600 comments already - this was probably mentioned, but one of the things that really *gets* me about Rubber Soul so much is that this whole thing was (more or less) written and recorded in a month. This is just a crazy amount of work to have been done so quickly. That it has held up so well for 50 years is yet another testament to their creative energy. For me, Rubber Soul and Revolver are "peak Beatles", and ... Revolver had more time (and a different engineer) in the studio, which, in many ways, makes Rubber Soul so much more impressive by comparison.
And their first double A sided single which was not included in this masterpiece!
And they were in their early 20s to boot. Simply amazing!
Here's the story I heard. They had intended to make a double album. But no rock and roll artists had yet done that so they weren't sure how that would go over. Then The Who released "Tommy" and it was huge so they were confident to release their White Album.
Agreed. Rubber Soul and Revolver are peak Beatles
As a younger, new Beatles fan, I’ve got to agree. I think they were in their “prime” for their entire run but Rubber Soul and Revolver are just something else. A great in between of their rockin early stuff and their psychedelic later stuff.
So sweet of Caroline to take into account the suggestion of listening on Spotify with headphones 🥰
Any old classic album is a headphone album
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet Caro-linnnnnne, good times never felt so good....
This is my favorite album. The “harpischord” solo in “In My Life” is George Martin playing piano recorded at half speed so that when played back “normally” it gets that faster higher pitch sound. He was a genius.
I've always wished George (Martin) would have taken more care with the end of the harpsichord solo. The way it rushes out just seems almost lazy (no insult meant). I just wish he would have taken the time to complete that beautiful piece the same way he began it. Prosody would demand a more melodic classy resolve. That said, if anything else in the song had to change to make that happen, I would vote to leave it as is :) Possible the best Beatles song ever written.
@@transformationgeneration I think it works fine melodically, but the end rundown would have been better simplified, for me it's the bit that really gives the game away that it's been played at a different speed and just sounds unnaturally fast. I pity all the poor tribute bands that have had to try to replicate it live.
@@MrDiddyDee I agree.
Fun fact : it is not a harpsichord! It is a piano played and recorded slowly and then speeded up on tape which George Martin played but didn't have the ability to play it at speed so he used a recording trick
As they say, George Martin was the 5th Beatle.
The harmonies on “If I Needed Someone” always get me.
Imo this is my second favorite album with Revolver and Abbey Road tied for first.
So third favourite :)
Imho Sgt. Pepper is the best white album is amazing as well
That's a good top three, very similar to mine. I have a hard time picking between Rubber Soul and A Hard Day's Night for third place.
@@handzar6402 Great pick... gotta toss in the White album. But it always seems to be, the last one you listened too... inches out the topper most poppermost. 👊
@@timstrobel7828 I'm a bit ambivalent about the White Album.
“I’m not a drummer, I can’t technically tell you why I like the drumming on this song”
You just unintentionally summed up Ringo’s entire stint with The Beatles. Cheers
And yet there are still people who think he’s the shittest drummer ever and the weak link in the Beatles.
@@BronyDanProductions anyone who thinks perfectionists like Lennon and McCartney would allow themselves to have a less than incredible drummer AND continue to use him on their solo projects is fooling themselves
It’s good to note that Ringo always moulded his beats to whatever music was coming at him. Just as much as the songwriting developed, so did Ringo’s innovation, and there was very often a new way of matching the mood of the piece that no one had done before. He didn’t “show off” with big drum solos so a few ignorant blokes didn’t get him. IMHO 😁🤗
I’m glad I’m not alone in loving his drumming. He was so unorthodox and musical.
Ringo is so totally under appreciated. He was the perfect drummer for the Beatles absolutely.
It’s really interesting to know that years later in an interview with John Lennon about his favorite and least favorite Beatles songs he listed Run for Your Life as one of his least favorite, mainly due to the negativity of the lyrics. He was the harshest critic of his own music. But Rubber Soul is one of my top three Beatles albums. Now we’re coming to the pinnacle of the Beatles creativity not just as musicians but as composers. From here on out all their songs are their own, no covers. And with them having ended their concert tours to focus on the music, their creativity just soars beyond anyone’s imagining. This was no longer a rock band or pop stars, they were artists on the level of a Mozart or Beethoven. Classical performers and composers began to listen and take the Beatles more seriously. The next album, Revolver, in the opinions of many, is probably their best. You’re in for a treat from here on out. Whatever you thought you knew about the Beatles to this point, goes all out the window.
Except for “Maggie Mae” 🥸
@@Pilcha. That was just them fooling around in the studio and the producers just happened to throw that onto the album as a filler. They did not seriously record it or intend for it to be put onto Let It Be.
My first Beatles Album that I got was Meet the Beatles. Seargent Pepper was the 2nd. A Xmas gift . I regret not hearing all their Albums in Chronological Order.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Yeah. I feel sorry for people who weren't born during the baby boom - if for no reason other than we got to hear each new Beatles album AS they came out. And it was always a mind blower. They kept changing and innovating.
@@steveeliscu1254 Those were the best times growing up.
"I don't think I ever heard a sitar in a popsong before."
Neither had anyone else when this album came out as that is the first popsong ever with a sitar in there.
Although Dave Davies and Tony Hicks had both done pretend sitar a bit earlier.
In 1965, The Yardbirds recorded a version of "Heart Full Of Soul" with a sitar rather than a electric guitar.
@@alonenjersey that version wasn't released at the time, ths version with Jeff Beck playing that riff on guitar was.
@@hansvandermeulen5515 Correct. I first heard it as part of a audio cassette tape of various rare Yardbirds stuff in the early/mid 1990's.
Might be news to Donovan Leitch, as well.
Post rubber soul beatles is a different beast. I feel most of us agree.
We don't "all agree" despite your effort to dragoon everyone else, without the courtesy of asking whether "we" are willing to be involuntarily drafted into your insecure demand that your view is the only one that is correct.
The REVOLUTION BEGAN WITH "Rubber Soul".
You've obviously ignored everything before "Revolver". "Rubber Soul" has more emotional substance than "Revolver".
@@jnagarya519 man, relax
@@jnagarya519 I agree! For me, Rubber Soul changed everything. The Fab Four even looked OLD on the cover, especially to this 13-year old. Revolver was a logical follow-up, and even more mature. But for me, there was a vast difference between Rubber Soul and every LP that preceded it.
@@jnagarya519 hahaha whoa, that was a bitter comment
@@jnagarya519 George Harrison: " Revolver was the real us" paraphrased. Thank you.
Oh the pure joy on your face listening to these songs is priceless, and makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I'm so glad you are doing this, this is very magical. And from now on it's only gonna get better!
Someday I hope we get a video on The Beach Boys' attempt to top Rubber Soul (Pet Sounds). The sequence of Rubber Soul to Pet Sounds to Revolver advanced pop music so far in so little time.
@@lcarpetrondookmariot7620 Actually, I hope Caroline you'll do a similar series breaking down all The Beach Boys albums through the early-mid 70s when they became VERY experimental. The evolution from The Beach Boys Today to Pet Sounds, Sunflower, Smiley Smile, Holland, and Surf's Up is pretty amazing. And also Smile, even though it wasn't released until more than 30 years after it had been recorded.
How beautifully put Eduarda. Cheers
As a diehard Beatles fan, I've known this album for ages, but watching you listening for the first time and analyzing it makes me appreciate it even more.
This one and Revolver are both on my top 5 Albums of all time.
@Sergei Mikhailovich you captured my sentiments perfectly. Caroline’s intense listening and detailed analysis caused me to listen more intently and with much more analysis as well… soooo glad she did
@@rikkousa
As I said, I've known the Rubber Soul album since I was a kid (I'm 30 now), and Caroline's analysis made me discover new and amazing things about those songs, things I didn't notice before.
@@sergei_mikhailovich As a "Revolver kind of person" (I guess?) there's something that intrigues me about the Beatles. Maybe you will be able to explain it to me? (below)
copied from comments from another video, broken in segments otherwise it gets deleted
FeelingShred
1 second ago
I don't really "understand" the Beatles, but I have been finding most of the bands I love have been influenced by them. So it affects me indirectly I guess XD
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
The thing that really makes me have some kind of "beef" with the Beatles is that (to me) it doesn't seem like they were capable of playing their own material live? I might be wrong on this for my lack of knowledge on the band, being by how little I listened to them. (continues...)
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
For example, everyone and their grandma seems to idolize that album Sgt Peppers, right? It came out in 1967. Did the band ever tour that album? Or played the songs from it live on a stage performance?
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
Because my impression from Sgt Peppers (and Beatles' more well-known "hits" in general) is that these songs were mostly heavily-doctored inside a studio, heavily altered material by technological interference. I don't hear much of "a band playing" on these recordings. So that's why I assume the band wasn't really capable of reproducing these songs live, or they butchered it live. Am I wrong?
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
0 seconds ago
To put it into perspective, I very much prefer the album (also released in 1967) from Pink Floyd, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, their debut album... Not only the album was a technological and artistic GROUND-BREAKING EFFORT in terms of composition, creativity and specially SOUND QUALITY for the time (it's really impressive!!) Not only that but also the band could PLAY THE SONGS LIVE! There is footage!!
While I have a personal fondness for Beatles for Sale (which wasn't available in the States), I praise Rubber Soul and Revolver as the best.
@@FeelingShred In 1966 the Beatles announced they would do no more live concerts. The reason was, the quality of the performances wasn't meeting their standards. This was due to the crowd noise and misbehavior and lousy sound systems of the time. There were no stage monitors. The art of micing guitar amplifiers for PA was still primitive. And PA speakers were still primitive. If you go back to the Beatles' early years, though, you learn that they honed their talent and skill through live performance. They really were two cuts above any of their contemporaries.
Caroline: It's official, you're a star! Your Beatles series is so much fun for those of us who watched that Ed Sullivan show in early February 1964. Keep having fun with it and we'll keep watching you. Cheers!
I don’t go back that far, born in ‘68, but as a lifer I totally agree with you! This is the perfect addition to the new Get Back series and Let It Be remix coming out…⭐️
Agreed.
She does this with the joy of discovering but yet the intelligent approach of analysis, with a musical background to back it up. She actually listens to it with her ears, not her eyes, analyses chord progressions, instruments, lyrics...rather than watches the music with their eyes....on the videos, [promotional films, [live performances]b saying "oh look at that"paying no attention to the music and lyrics. Does not cry "Old school"or "eeeooo, it's in black and white..." She's on the music, spot on...
And Caroline sings well too.
@@thomastimlin1724 At some time, though, I hope she does add the visuals to her experience - they were SO fun to watch!!
It's becoming evident to most us here , that waiting for your Beatles album analysis is a welcome addiction, Caroline. That Beatles Complete Scores book you got there is musicians gold. I love your musicality. You hear chord progressions and subtle changes that make songs magical. As you listen to each song, it's like waiting for a friend opening presents on Christmas Eve with anticipation. Rubber Soul was the catapult album for the lads to musical immortality. It's hard to imagine that even more innovative and inventive albums are in the horizon.
Good take about the Christmas presents.
I refer to that book as the Musicians Bible
Damet! I am getting an addiction to liking all the great comments on this video, such as yours! Listening to each song really is like waiting for a friend opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. Only difference in my case is that it would be a relative, because I almost always had a big family gathering on Christmas Eve.
You got it. That's just all right. Great comment.
Welcome addiction?? Dude, you're a pillar of strength. It's been 3 days and already the wait has me curled up in the fetal position under the kitchen table, shivering and grinding my teeth like crazy. I had to steal the dog's chew toy for something to bite down on. I'm jonesin' hard over here rifyrafi... jonesin' real hard! :P
I grew up with The Beatles and bought Rubber Soul when it came out in America. "In my life" is my favorite all time. I wasn't able to afford all the albums and had to settle for 45s. I eventually started delivering newspapers and had money to buy all the albums and Beatles cards. I still have all my albums, every one they made and in mint condition. I couldn't get enough of The Beatles. Today I have a massive collection. We needed the Beatles because we were devastated when JFK was assassinated and the Fab 4 brought us some joy again. I'm so thankful for the Sunday night when we watched the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 as they changed our lives forever and for the betterment of mankind. Never thought I would have reached when I'm 64!
The link between the JFK assassination and "The Beatles" is pure speculation.
@@jnagarya519 This is Blackhorse's personal observation. Maybe it doesn't work for you, but it works for Blackhorse and see his point. A lot of US journalists were saying the same thing around then, too.
@@monkmchorning ONE journalist -- Walter Cronkite -- made that SPECULATIVE "link". It has ever since been treated as a quasi-fact: unquestioned. There is actually no evidence for it.
I had music in my life since earliest memories. I first heard "The Beatles" in October, 1963 -- before the assassination -- on a Chicago radio station. VeeJay Records was located in Chicago, and were the first to release "Beatles" in LP form. It went nowhere commercially until after the turn of the year, but I distinctly remember it was of particular interest to me.
@@jnagarya519 Well, I guess we should have asked you before expressing our impressions of hearing our first Beatles records. Sorry for disrespecting your authority.
@@monkmchorning I agree: your experience matters but mine doesn't.
But facts matter:
The issue was the statement connecting the assassination with "The Beatles" success. I was 15 at the time, I saw Walter Cronkite make that connection -- which was OPINION. He was the only one who did, but nearly everyone treated it as Gospel, even though, as said, it was speculation with no evidence for it.
I'll also note that I next heard "The Beatles" -- beginning in November, 1963 -- on an all night radio program. The DJ had 8 hours to fill so had several running "skits," and occasionally played "oddball" non-playlist recordings -- one night he played a "Goon" comedy skit (research it: "The Beatles" grew up with them, and it is reflected in their humor).
During that November he began playing "I Want to Hold your Hand"; and as he began getting requests for it he played it more often. And the requests grew so he began playing "I Saw Her Standing There," which he said was the "B"-side (it actually began with the "1-2-3-FAH!" so was actually from the VeeJay LP release). He also began talking about "The Beatles," saying they were the latest "big thing" in England. And I clearly remember his prediction that they would "Never go anywhere".
During that year I was listening to radio stations outside my local area, as indicated -- such as Chicago and New York. One New York radio station listed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as "Bubbling Under" the Top 20 on December 31, 1963. The next day, January 1st, 1964, it was #1 on that station.
In My Life is the song I associate most with the death of John Lennon. My sister called that night to tell me that Lennon was shot to death. After the call, I thought she must've got it all wrong or at the very worst, maybe he was only injured. I stopped as I reached for the radio and thought, if the first thing I hear is a song by the Beatles or Lennon, then maybe it was true. As fate would have it, the song they were playing was In My Life. From that night forward, that song turned into something special to me. Well before that tragic day, I've always loved the song simply because of the performance, the soothing vocals and easy going tempo. But now I cherish it because the lyrics take on a whole new meaning and speaks to my heart. You can bet I'm not the only person who feels this way about it.
That's a beautiful story, thank you for sharing it with us.
“The word” is one of the first songs were the word love doesn’t just refer to love between boy & girl/man & woman but to love in the “hippy” sense.
Love for everyone and everything!
Listening to it here, I hear John examining christianity and the bible, drawing meaning out for himself.
I think Beatles in general, and , John in particular, have recorded more songs about love than any other artists
"The Word" was the song that attracted the counter culture to the Beatles. Many hippies and folkies (people who listened only to folk music) were not that into the Beatles (being suspicious of pop music in general, and that they wore suits and ties and sang about wanting to just hold your hand) but with Rubber Soul and songs like The Word and Norwegian Wood, the Beatles gained a whole new audience.
A few months after this album was released lennon said that The Beatles were more popular than jesus . An extremely controversial statement.
@@gavinreid5387 Controversial maybe in the touchy religion staid, states in the USA but not so in the fast becoming, social enlightening Britian and large chunks of the rest of the western world that quickly embraced the 'freedom' of a more 'open' free thinking society. And at the same time all this was being driven by the likes of the Beatles and their piers.
It´s nice to see someone of your age who knows such a lot about music facing songs (for the first time?) which I loved for 60 years now. Thank you, Caroline!
Rubber Soul helped spur the invention of rock criticism as a separate branch of arts criticism. Before this, the general music critics of newspapers or magazines would write about pop and rock. Before this album, Newsweek, for example, didn't think the Beatles would do more as a group. They had to rethink their position about the Beatles and other groups, and also hire writers who had a better feel for this pop music revolution. This also led to younger writers joining media outlets.
The ripples the beatles made still continue to amaze me, never knew this, imagine they never existed.
@@71hammyman There's a movie about that. Yesterday.
The Beatles have always vexed the music critics honestly. I believe it was around the time of “With the Beatles” that a critic mentioned the “Aeolian cadences” in one of their songs.
😅 Imagine writing that The Beatles we're a spent force just before they released Rubber Soul!?
Talk about embarrassing!
It's almost as bad as the person at Decca Records turning them down, because "guitar bands are on the way out" nice going, lads! 😂👍
@@comanchio1976 That man learnt his lesson. Later he asked George Harrison if he knew of any other decent guitar bands. George mentioned The Rolling Stones. He signed them!
These Beatles breakdowns are just so good !!.. They're the thing I enjoy most on YT at the moment, and the next 3 weeks is going to seem like forever .. Love being on this musical journey with you, Caroline ! .. Thanks heaps, Wayne
I'm so glad you are enjoying the videos Wayne!
@@CallMeCaroline That's the understatement of 2021 ! 😉 .. You must feel so good, knowing how much pleasure you are giving to thousands of people .. Personality, education and pure joy .. Can't ask any more from a video .. Cheers, and keep up the great work, both with these Beatles vids and your other content .. Wayne 👍👍👍
@@CallMeCaroline From Songfacts: As far as "Run For Your Life," John was inspired by an Elvis Presley song, "Baby, Let's Play House," when he wrote this. The title and entire first line came from Elvis' song: "I'd rather see you dead little girl, than to be with another man." He made no bones about this being his "least favorite Beatles song." Many agree. Do keep in mind that this was 1965; there was more slack attitudes towards gender equality than there are now.
@@wayne_twentyfive Man your weird! Leave her alone as your bordering on stalker talk!
@@dondamon4669 Whatever you say, dude 🥱. You sound way too intelligent for me to argue with you .. Thanks for the helpful and considered advice 😂
I really appreciate the effort to go from start to finish of these classic albums! Thank you for re-engaging my awe of these fellas. Your genuine enthusiasm is quite engaging as well. Perhaps the Stones at some point? Or Mccartneys 70's LPs? If not, I will revisit these videos for a joyful experience! Thank you
The Greatness of the Beatles is not that one song beeing an all time hit, it's the high quality of the songs throuhout all of their work.
This is when we went from buying a big hit single to an album playing nation. FM radio, etc.
And all the inventive, little constructs hidden throughout the songs.
You have to respect just how different and distinct the sound of this album is as compared to “A Hard Days Night” and even “Help!”They’ve already come so far and they are just shoveling out smash hits!!! With more to come! Catchy and timeless songs 🙏
Love your reactions and analysis btw
"shoveling" is a great word. By this time, L&M have already given away songs that became top ten hits for other bands in Brian Epstein's stable plus a US/UK number one hit for Peter and Gordon, "World Without Love".
@@davidcarter5038 also a great song! 👍🏼
I've just seen a face was on Rubber Soul when released in the U.S.
Help is an underrated album. Its not such a big leap from that to RS. It had songs like Yesterday and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, so the signs were there. Plus the song Help is RS standard as well if you slow it down and listen it its lyrics. Lennon said it was him expressing how he felt at the time, like he was calling for help. BIt for commercial purposes the song was a faster tempo. It was originally a slow song.
...and they would keep topping their previous album on the next album. Every new record became another quantum leap forward.
I've said it before but I'd like to say it again: thank you for making us all remember why we all loved discovering the Beatles in the first place. :)
The emotions, surprises and enjoyements you are going through while listening are very communicative, even to us folks that have been knowing those songs by heart for years. It's like we're discovering those songs again. Thank you for that ;)
The songs on the brillant double A-side single "Daytripper" and " We Can We Work It Out" were recorded during the Rubber Soul Sessions and this single was released the same day as the album: December 3, 1965. These two songs MUST be included in any playlist of Rubber Soul - I put them at the beginning of the playlist. This addition makes a brilliant album the perfect album and puts the album into the category of one of the greatest rock/popular album ever.
I feel the same way. Similarly, at the time Sergeant Pepper's is encountered, you really must include Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane. These superb singles belong to their respective Beatles eras, and are important to understand the group's evolution.
My playlist of Rubber Soul includes Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out, and I also have the mix start out with these songs in the same order. I just realized that both songs are lead vocal Paul. This must have troubled John, the beginnings of John's resentment that Paul was so prolific?
@@Octavian7771 Day Tripper is a John song, though, Paul was harmonizing with him , so John's voice was not as prominent.
I place Rubber Soul above all other albums except Abbey Road. RS is as solid as a brick outhouse! Probably the peak of the band as a band! You can feel they are all on the same wavelength.
@@paulsaret When I think of Day Tripper, I think of the line 'She's a big teaser, which is sung by Paul, my bad :P Both songs are very closely Lennon/McCartney collab.
This is where things kick up a notch. Pre-Rubber Soul Beatle
albums are awesome but after this they reach new heights.
Very true. Many bands and musicians could do what the Beatles did which was to constantly reinvent oneself. Rubber Soul was a step up to their reinvention.
I mentioned elsewhere but it’s worth repeating that the interesting thing about “Run for Your Life” is that it was the first song recorded for Rubber Soul and so sounds the most like an earlier Beatles cut (with the possible exception of “What Goes On”). The song has a weird mix of catchy tune with deplorable lyrics. I have always thought that “Getting Better” was a bit of a response to this song, though it’s often debated whether the lines about “I used to be cruel to my woman…” in “Getting Better” were written by Paul or John. “Man, I was mean but I’m changing my scene and I’m doing the best that I can…”
John said he was sorry he wrote "Run For Your Life". John definitely added a lot of edge to the song writing duo.
I love that song, I don’t even care. The lyrics being as genuinely frightening as they are further it’s appeal to me.
@@BareBandSubscription right it's just a song people are way to sensitive anymore.
@@BareBandSubscription Yeah - I've really liked it since a kid. For me it's more to do with the music and attitude than a literal reading of the lyrics. Exactly why I love I am the Walrus
@@BareBandSubscription same here
Why should of he apologized for writing a great song he only told truth in the song
These reactions of yours are really starting to become events. Nicely done!
Truly! So anxious for Revolver, Strawberry and beyond....
She’s really refreshing to listen to.
Thanks MusicalPancakes...great name!
@@CallMeCaroline Thank you 🤍 I've been trying to come up with a clever pancake pun, but alas...
From this album to the next ones It will be the beatles that changed music history.
True, although they already changed music history to a point but if they had continued the same routine of touring and then do a quick album, they would have become stagnant. So well put.
Yes and no- had they stopped at help, they'd still be in the R & R hall of fame.
I agree, they would still be famous and a great rock band, but I don't know if they would've been considered by many as the greatest band of all time
They were revolutionary from the very start. Their debut album shook up a moribund recording industry and changed music radio …and yes, Rubber Soul launched changes in music AND so much more.
Today, Revolver seems to be much more well regarded than Sgt. Pepper. But it was Sgt. Pepper that really exploded The Beatles into another universe, and probably remained the critics and fans #1 album into the 80's and 90's. Not sure of the numbers, but it blew away Revolver in terms of sales.
When I was a youngster, a long time ago, my friends and I tried to play some songs from a book of Beatles songs. In the lyric for Girl, the sucking in of breath was notated as "yooths", which we found very amusing. Every time we played it instead of drawing in air, we sang "Girl, yooths". That amused us even more.
The Beatles producer was George Martin who played a major roll in different sounds and instruments. The boys were always asking what else they could do adding new sounds that they could use. He became more and more involved now and upcoming albums.
Caroline you are a joy to watch,keep up the good work.
The "reverse guitar" sound you're hearing on "Wait" is actually George's volume pedal, as previously featured on "I Need You" and "Yes It Is". Apart from one more outing on the "Day Tripper" single, where it's used on the ascending chords supporting the solo, I think I'm right in saying it was never touched again. They first used genuine reversed guitar on the next album. Can't wait to see what you make of that one :)
Wait was a leftover from help, so recorded in the same sessions as I need you and Yes it is. I remember they added some florishes to it but that's why that volume pedal is in there. And you're totally right: they'd use something like that in 2 or 3 songs and then never use it again
Yup, those are still volume swells. We haven't quite reached the reverse guitar yet 😉
I don't think George had a volume pedal. I think he was just working the volume on the guitar
@@hubabava And it's quite a bit better than several songs on Help! Can't understand why they left it off, but it does fit better on Rubber Soul. The Beatles, master editors, strike again.
Yes. Watch Mike Pachelli's breakdown of the song.
I think the first reversal on record that the Beatles used was on the single, Paperback Writer/Rain which came out before Revolver.
I hope she also listens to 'We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper' and this single, as well.
Hi Caroline. This is the first video of yours I've ever watched. I must say I really enjoyed it. Most reaction videos I've seen consist of someone grooving along to the song, and saying they like it. But your analysis, and commentary add so much more substance. Your wonderful personality kept me engaged as well. Great job!
She has been doing their albums in chronological order, which is the way I prefer them to be done. People who review their music out of context or don’t listen to their earlier material don’t really understand why they became such a musical phenomenon and how they influenced an entire generation of fans and other musicians.
It's so great watching people with a musical education listening to Beatles albums for the first time. But it always makes me wonder how on earth, as musically trained people, they've managed to avoid The Beatles all their lives up until now. Is it possible to study at music college and not hear any Beatles music inside the isolation tank you must have been in for 25 years? :) But still, I love the videos.
I always thought The Beatles were part of the school cariculum.
If I remember correctly, UCLA offers a legit Beatles course , it's only one semester though , or quarter . Not sure if it's still a thing
I’m not a music major, but I took two music classes at Uni level and sadly the only reference the had to the Beatles were two songs used as examples for time signatures (Paperback Writer and You’ve got to Hide Your Love Away, 4/4 and 6/8 respectively). It was cool to see Beatles songs but I was disappointed cause I felt they were underrepresented and used kinda cheaply in those classes :/
It's so cool that she can play the music she hears and talk about it and play different things like what it might have sounded like she I doubt someone would like she is awesome I love this series
I believe Caroline mentioned elsewhere that she's not studied music formally (i.e., in school) and that her parents didn't listen to the Beatles so she's only heard the stuff you can't help but hearing.
The medieval solo on " In My Life " Was played on piano by their producer , And they slowed down the backing track played the solo then sped it up to normal speed getting that Harpsicord sound.
More faux Bach than Faux medieval though.
There is an excellent podcast about this from a few years ago called “Producing The Beatles”, mostly about George Martin’s work. The first episode is dedicated to the piano solo in “In My Life” (“Wind Up Piano”).
Anyone else excited for Caroline because we know which album comes next....?
Revolvahhhhhh
I envy young people hearing great music for the first time.
Cheers to THAT!
I know what you mean. I remember vividly being a teenager in the early 1980s and becoming a die hard Beatles fan. Each new album was quite an adventure, full of surprises and pleasure.
@@goldtown6747 me too. In 1980 I bought them in sequence...well My dad had me buy Pepper first. I bought cassettes and they were the US Capitol Releases...Started with Meet The Beatles and worked up. I hear a lot of younger people call The Beatles overrated lately, and I guess to a degree I can understand. It was almost 60 years ago and the very early stuff does not sound fresh. But put in the context of the time, and do what this young lady is doing..and you can hear the innovation....not re-invention as some will say, but invention. I remember asking my father..”What was it like Togo from Denise by Randy and the Rainbows in 63 to White Rabbit in 67.....4 years...like going from 2017 to 2021..He said it was weird...
I gotta say Caroline, this old Aussie gets so much pleasure out of watching you get all excited and giggle with joy when you hear a sound or a lyric or a musical surprise that takes your fancy. It really reminds me of how we all felt the first time we heard these songs ourselves. Can't wait for the next few albums to drop so we can see your mind blown!
To clarify for people who say John abused his wives: I read the book “John” by Cynthia a long time ago. It is a personal account of her relationship with John. She says in the book that he slapped her ONCE in 1957 when they were 17, and they broke up because of it. According to her, he never did it again. There is also no evidence he ever hit Yoko. People need to stop making up history. Listen to the women who were actually married to him. John may have been a violent person when he was younger but with all his faults, it did appear he grew out of that behavior.
He also strangled May Pang
@@TAJMofficial lol
@@TAJMofficial Ringo beat up and chocked out his wife Barbara as well. Nothing good comes from excessive drinking with a nagging woman around.
It's interesting because growing up in the sixties I remember that a new Beatles song was quite an exciting event. Will it be as good as the last song? will it be different? Of course The Beatles never disappointed. I don't think you could say the same with today's artists. As talented as some of them are I find modern music totally uninspiring.
Yes, I remember those days too. And I agree with you about today's music, very uninspiring.
Every new Beatles single was the best song I'd ever heard.
I agree totally and maybe that’s just a generational thing. I don’t think our parents appreciated The Beatles the way we did but eventually they were recognized as hugely talented and influential by many people in that generation too. I do feel sorry for young people today who realize how much better music was in the 60’s and 70’s. Today’s music seems formulaic and manufactured by comparison.
I would flunk out if asked who today’s top singers/groups are. But adults/parents all knew who the Beatles, (Stones, etc.) were in the 60’s.
There are some great artists making some great music today, and the whole world is also available now, the span of time, at our fingertips. But you're right; "today's music ain't got the same soul". But anything with soul is worth hearing; that's what makes it worthy, IMO, and there is a wealth of soul. One thing that's different now is that there is not the one common source of sound - radio stations - that there was then. How are you going to find these artists now? Algorithms, sometimes; probably not so much. Friends, maybe. But not likely to hear something great like "Light My Fire" coming out a car window 3 or 4 times in a row. Pop music/alt/hiphop/rap/deathcore/"country": more stratified now. And the truth is also, that as we age we tend to go with what we're comfortable with, what's familiar.
Rubber Soul was *the* turning point for the Beatles. From that point forward the music will be more studio derived and largely more complex. Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Let It Be, and what I believe to be the pinnacle of the Beatles' repertoire, Abbey Road. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on these albums - especially Abbey Road.
I'm 65 years old and have been a Beatles fan my entire life. I much appreciate your perspective. It reminds me of the magic when I'd buy the latest LP release and then immerse myself it for the first time. You have earned my subscription. Well done, Caroline.
As always, thanks much for sharing.
Steve
@Sergei Mikhailovich As a "Revolver kind of person" (I guess?) there's something that intrigues me about the Beatles. Maybe you will be able to explain it to me? (below)
copied from comments from another video, broken in segments otherwise it gets deleted
I have questions exactly about that post-Revolver transformation (did the Beatles fans even liked that period?)
FeelingShred
1 second ago
I don't really "understand" the Beatles, but I have been finding most of the bands I love have been influenced by them. So it affects me indirectly I guess XD
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
The thing that really makes me have some kind of "beef" with the Beatles is that (to me) it doesn't seem like they were capable of playing their own material live? I might be wrong on this for my lack of knowledge on the band, being by how little I listened to them. (continues...)
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
For example, everyone and their grandma seems to idolize that album Sgt Peppers, right? It came out in 1967. Did the band ever tour that album? Or played the songs from it live on a stage performance?
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
1 second ago
Because my impression from Sgt Peppers (and Beatles' more well-known "hits" in general) is that these songs were mostly heavily-doctored inside a studio, heavily altered material by technological interference. I don't hear much of "a band playing" on these recordings. So that's why I assume the band wasn't really capable of reproducing these songs live, or they butchered it live. Am I wrong?
FeelingShred
FeelingShred
0 seconds ago
To put it into perspective, I very much prefer the album (also released in 1967) from Pink Floyd, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, their debut album... Not only the album was a technological and artistic GROUND-BREAKING EFFORT in terms of composition, creativity and specially SOUND QUALITY for the time (it's really impressive!!) Not only that but also the band could PLAY THE SONGS LIVE! There is footage!!
Steve I totally agree with you , have been a Beatle fan all my life , 70 now !
Caroline.. Rubber Soul is my favorite album. I'm a Beatles fan. The later albums were great, but this to me was their absolute peak. I'm sure many Beatles fans will disagree with me!!
Have loved your previous entries. Totally agree with most other commenters that this is where the true Beatles creativity properly begins. Looking forward to vicariously hearing this for the first time again. 🙂
I disagree about their creativity beginning here. Seeing them on the Ed Sullivan show changed my 8th grade world from black-and-white to color in an instant: everything was going to be different now. Yes, they started coming on strong as maturing artists, here, and we all started growing by leaps and bounds with them at this time, but they were amazing and had already changed the world way before this. Beatlemania! ring a bell?
@@feedigli I appreciate that the Beatles were pretty special from the outset. But while there were occasional gems in their earlier work (mixed with some barely passable covers), in my personal opinion it was Rubber Soul which really kick-started their forays into more experimental studio techniques and lyrical themes.
I was sadly not around when the Beatles were together, so all of my views are retrospective. I'm sure that it was different for those who saw their rise firsthand.
I bet the song you didn't like was Run For Your Life. I've learned to love that one. Of course, I can see how the lyrics might bother someone, but I think of it as John writing from the point of view of a character. I mean, songwriters do that all the time.
well, he stole from "Baby Lets Play House", Elvis song
@@rjpg I don't think John "stole", it sounds more like a parody..
Let's not excuse misogyny in Run for you Life. Like every one of us, the Beatles were creatures in time. If that time includes sexism, let's not hide it away. The song is a call to violence.
@@johnburton3865 To the generation that gets offended by a lot of things and whine about them (cancel culture), obviously, they are not going to "excuse" values of the past.
Paul often wrote from the point of view of characters, John very rarely did. He was, unfortunately, on record as an insanely jealous man who, at the time at least, was prone to domestic violence
Caroline, thanks so much for the Beatles reviews, really enjoying them repetitively as a long time Beatles fanatic. You are wonderful keep up the good work. Maybe consider reviewing the Moody Blues album from the late 60's "Days of Future Passed" which includes a full orchestra behind the group. ❤
Bought this on the day it was released along with Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. We had been listening on and off all day at school to the double A side over our transistor radios so couldn't wait to get my grubby hands on the single and album. I even took a short cut through a prohibited area in school at the end of the day just to get hold of them a few minutes earlier.
Yep. Nothing else mattered. Glued to transistor all day to hear latest Beatles’ single. NEVER disappointed.
And always released just before summer vacation, and just before Christmas...
I discovered the Beatles later as a kid, starting in '69 and buying their albums in the early '70's. They had only one Magical Mystery Tour album, but I experienced every one of their albums as a magical mystery tour, a musical adventure. My dad, a professional jazz musician, was given the Abbey Road album by one of his students, which he then played for our whole family. He had never liked rock music before, but the Beatles changed his mind--and all of our minds...
hyped for this one! its been really great watching your reactions kinda the closest we get to hearing them again for the first time I guess. This next three are gonna be 🔥💯
It's fun to follow a typical band through their songs over the years but the Beatles are even more fun because you can follow John's songs, Paul's songs and George's songs separately and see how they express themselves individually too. They each have quite different styles and personalities.
_Think for yourself_ has a lot of common George techniques that will develop on the following albums. His interest in East Indian music is informing his songwriting. The fuzz-tone base kind of sounds like an electric bass sitar. He has these interesting, discordant harmonies, that still fit perfectly into the song
It's such a joy to see an adorable young woman discovering and appreciating the Beatles' songs.👍👍
In so many songs I hear Paul’s such strong vocals in harmony or lead, so powerful and yet perfect pitch notes!
Amazing still to me how great their vocals were!
Well and playing his bass, which Caroline mentions so often. He could a counter melodic bass tune and sing in harmony at the same time. Some folks praised me for being able to play drums and sing at the same time.... But playing bass and singing? I'm sorry, if it's just 4 notes to hit on a bass guitar I might be able to but that's it.
I really wish someone would do a remix of the Beatles catalogue and bring McCartney’s bass lines higher up in the mix. It must be possible with modern digital technology. It would make the overall sound seem more modern, and make it easier for even casual listeners to enjoy how great his bass lines were.
The "medieval" keyboard solo on In My Life had me confused for decades. It's sounds a little like a harpsichord, but the attack is too soft. I always figured it must be an early electronic keyboard like a Hohner Clavinet. I later learned that it's an acoustic piano solo with the tape played back at double speed. The band had left a gap in song to be filled in with a solo later. They then went out for dinner, and by the time they returned, George Martin had composed, played and recorded that solo, with the double speed tape trick.
I always disliked the way the piano solo feels a bit curtailed at the end, as though Martin only just manages to fit it into the song...
It’s not hard to listen via TH-cam at half speed.
It was meant to imitate the baroque style, I believe.
That faux harpsichord solo led the actual revival of the harpsichord in “baroque pop” music that became popular in 1965-66.
TH-cam doesn't play at true half speed, as Martin would have heard it.
He actually had to play the solo down the octave so it would sound up when played back normally. By doing this, the timbre of the piano is also changed.
Really enjoy your reactions and insights. You remind me once again of the incredible musical strides the Beatles were making, and it's still only 1965! Any group would be lucky to have a bass playing Paul, a drumming Ringo, or a rhythm guitar playing John, or a songwriter like Paul, John, or George. The Beatles had all of them. What are the odds? Still blown away 50 years later.
And George on lead guitar, the anti-lead guitarist…it’s his greatness. Like Miles Davis-the genius of the note not played. Less is more.
TH-cam threw your channel at me because I'd fallen into a Beatles interviews hole for awhile. I was a major Beatles fan as a kid... bought almost all of their albums and used to have every lyric and nuance of their songs memorized (I'm almost 70)... picked out things on guitar and piano. Definitely obsessed! I just wanted you to know how much I've enjoyed listening to you listening. You have a wonderful musical ear and talent to bring to the table and you seem like such a delightful person.
You really are in for a treat. This album is the beginning of when they really hit their songwriting stride. Didn’t really realize how good the second side of Rubber Soul is til watching you react to it.
What I love about these is, even though I know these songs back to back, you bring such new insight of them for me and its like I'm hearing them again for the first time! Loved it!
I was a long time employee of a large supermarket and worked with many young people over my forty years of service. The best part of working with all these young people was educating them about the Beatles. Whenever a Beatles song came on the loadspeaker I would say who is singing this song they eventually caught on and knew I would only ask if it was the Beatles they were amazed. And yes I know ever word of this album.
I do the same with my kids.
It's really fun to see you discover their music -- I assume you are listening for the first time -- and enjoy it. You do get the FUN they were always about.
John Lennon wrote "Nowhere Man" about himself. Sitting in his mansion far away from the wonderful Swinging London (in the suburb... a nowhere land), the world at his command (yes, that's a metaphor... fans all around the world loving him) and still feeling empty, like he knows not where he is going to. He was just living till somebody else would lend him a hand. He was unhappy.
I love all your reactions especially your facial expressions! Your sweet face takes on a coquettish, almost blushing smile while listening to Paul's romantic lyrics. Also, I enjoy watching you're funny gestures and laughter. Best of all, you give us some of the mechanics of each song and what make them so special! I am a 71 years old woman and first saw the Beatles on TV when I was only ten years old. It's nice to see you, a young lady who could have been my granddaughter finding joy in listening to all the songs of my youth! God bless you! ❤️
This is my favorite Beatles album, so glad you got to this one. Basically from this album forward everybody has a different favorite album, if that tells you anything about how good the rest is. Won’t spoil anything but from Rubber Soul onwards, the beatles basically rewrite music history
The joyfulness you are able to exude through these reactions has real and palpable affect on my emotional well-being. Thank you for being bright, insightful, open and exuberant. Your fresh ears are tendrils through time to my own discovery. Priceless and brilliantly executed.
Oh I'm so glad to hear that!
What a most beautiful comment, rainydaydreamawy.
Rainydaydreamawy, I have come back to your comment .. it is just so touching ..I especially like "tentrils through time" .. beautiful ...
It’s a pleasure to watch you swoon over ‘Girl’! Great review!
Great reaction Caroline! It's awesome to see your enthusiasm with these classics. Rubber Soul was George's favorite Beatle album and Joni Mitchell's as well. The great harmonies and folk/rock feel really hit the spot. In My Life is such an incredibly beautiful song, I remember it being one of John's that was played a lot the day after he was killed. Beautiful but kind of sad as well.
Watching you enjoy this album is like getting to experience it for the first time all over again! There are many times I think that, whatever my favorite Beatles album is, this is objectively the best one! Everything - songwriting, arrangements, performances, recording, mixing - is firing on all cylinders.
Drive My Car is amazing. The verses are one guitar, a bass, drums (including cowbell), and two voices. No one's even playing chords til the piano does in the chorus. Recorded on four tracks, no quantization, and no fucking autotune. Talent was required in 1965.
BEEP BEEP MM BEEP BEEP YEAH!
Also I think the first pop use of deliberately dissonant harmonies.
And an awesome bass/guitar riff based on Otis Redding's version of Respect (Made even more popular than it already was by Aretha Franklin).
I'm glad you finally made it to Rubber Soul. To me this album was the moment they went from a good band a great band
You, my dear, are the absolute best reviewer/reactor on all of TH-cam! Your love and understanding of music as well as your joyous approach is unsurpassed! Plus you're a great singer too! Thank you! Love all that you do and love to you!
About Run for your Life; Lennon quite liked making "mean songs" sometimes and be blunt and honest. He was also aware of being a jealous guy. You should listen to Run for your Life and then, for comparison, Jealous Guy from his solo-album Imagine.
Jealous Guy was about Paul though.
In My Life is the most beautiful poem ever written.
Well, no. Aside from not being a poem.
@@docsavage8640 a piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by particular attention to diction (sometimes involving rhyme), rhythm, and imagery.
Watching your glee for this extraordinary music made my day. I've never seen you smile so much during one of the Beatles' records, and it warmed my heart. Their genius is pretty obvious on Rubber Soul, isn't it? As a lifelong Beatles fan, it's a great pleasure to watch you experience their music for the first time. Thank you, Caroline!
I LOVE Carolines' feeling and analysis of these Beatles songs, especially "Girl". I love that song too. "In My Life" is one to make you cry though, and each song does something quite different musically.
From now on all The Beatles albums are masterpieces, every single one with an unique essence and they change the rules about how to do music in general with them.
Every Beatles album is a masterpiece
@@cancerandaids3822 Well said! But at this point it's a fact that no one can say that they were a bad group 😆
@phillydisco totally agree!!!
Mm...Personally I like the early albums more than any of the ones after Rubber Soul. They are all masterpieces, but the early albums are masterpieces of rock and roll / pop, while the later ones are like pieces in an art gallery. They are both enjoyable for their own reasons.
When you finish the chronological listen of The Beatles albums, PLEASE do a reaction to the Concert for George. It was a concert/celebration organized by George’s closest friends to play his music together, a year after he passed away. Paul McCartney, Ringo, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Billy Preston… the total who’s who of Beatles collaborators and friends. Will give you an appreciation for George’s music, which never had the chance to be centre stage alongside L&M.
concert for george is one of the most beautiful concerts ever, for sure
What I like about Caroline is not just her musical appreciation of each song but her open sensual response too. Ultimately music has to reach you at an emotional level. This would be an interesting blog but she creates a fascinating vlog. It has reminded me of my reactions to every new Beatles album. I’m 71 now.
Yes. The thing that stands out and makes this album 'advanced' is the lyrical content. They moved from writing love songs to writing about life experiences. That's the real change.
I personally really enjoy songs which lyrics explore topics other than love, so I'm looking forward to see if this cotinues!
@@CallMeCaroline The Beatles pioneered this shift in pop music from writing banal lovey dovey lyrics to exploring more personal themes and topics, and also some really funny ones. So YES, it continues!
@@CallMeCaroline you will not be disappointed!
@@CallMeCaroline well George writes about his taxes on the next album.
Dylan and pot heavily influenced the lyrical changes. John said Rubber Soul was the pot album, Revolver was the acid album
Paul started using the I II IV progression, which he got from Motown songs, rather than the usual I IV V on this album and used it quite a bit in subsequent songs.
In My Life is the best Beatles song ever written as described my many musicians. Art Garfunkle thinks it is the best song ever written.
This was amazing Caroline, The joy on your face as you listened to this album was emotional for me, being a long time Beatles fan. Definitely your best Beatles reaction so far, probably because this was their best album so far! I enjoyed and appreciated your comments showing your music knowledge too. Roll on Revolver!
JOY is what I think of when I think of the Beatles. So, it is definitely a pleasure watching your joy.
I'm really excited about anyone getting introduced to the next one. Revolver is considered by many to not only be The Beatles' best album, but one of the best albums of all time.
VH1 voted it as the greatest album of all time
@@darrinstinson2890 Easy to understand ...
In my humble opinion Revolver is much better than Sgt. Pepper and one of the finest albums ever recorded.
Hey Caroline, I love your enthusiasm and your musical knowledge. You are pointing out things that I "knew", but never realized that I knew it ("Oh yeah, they did do that in that song, didn't they!!"). I have done this very same program with 3 generations of kids, all between 10 and 15.... It took about a year with each kid. I gave them each album (in order) and let them listen to it for a month. Then we would get together and they would share likes and dislikes. it started by me wondering how the millennial generation would like The Beatles if they were to come out today. According to my "students" they would be a hit. I took them to see Paul live here in Texas as their "Graduation" ceremony. We are out here trying to guess what your reaction will be for certain songs coming up in the next month... HOW FUN! Thank you!!
_Wait_ has one of those written-by-the-other-one sections 😄 It's a John song, but Paul obviously wrote the section he sings: "I've been good, as good as I can be." It's not just his words, but the music structure changes as well. These change-ups are part of what gave The Beatles their unique sound. _We Can Work it Out,_ which you've nearly reached, is another example. Paul writes most of the song. John writes adds the chorus in his style, and George throws in brilliant time signature changes. Very cool stuff
Interestingly enough, John said Wait was Paul's song. I assume John sang lead because he did a better job on it than Paul, in the opinion of the George Martin and the Beatles. It was a song they worked on for the Help album, weren't satisfied with, and resurrected for Rubber Soul because they needed another song and had a very tight schedule to get the album done for the Holidays. I had always assumed John wrote the main part also, until I read John saying otherwise.
@@cjsm1006 Yeah. The opening section sounds a lot like John's stuff. So who knows. It might all be Paul. It could also be a Paul song that John "edited" in trying to resurrect it for the album. But the mood swings make me think that it was a joint effort
@@1monki That sounds likely. It was probably originally Paul's idea and John helped finish it, but he still thought of it as Paul's song. John said Eight Days a Week was Paul's song, even though it is widely attributed to Paul and John, and the middle sounds more like John, and of course John sang lead. Paul himself says he got the title idea from a limo driver and than he and John wrote it together, but since it was Paul's original idea, John attributes it to Paul. Wait is likely the same way.
Paul would have written better songs post 1970 had the Beatles not broken up.
@@cjsm1006 Unfortunately when it comes to John, he might say the opposite if asked the next day. ha ha
Very good how you noticed "Run for Your Life" sounds like "the old albums." It was the first song recorded for the album. "Rubber Soul" is also the last album engineered by Norman Smith, who was being promoted to producer. A little over a year later (just to show you how fast things changed in the 60s) he would sign Pink Floyd. Smith later had a #1 hit of his own in 1972 ("Oh Babe, What Would You Say?"). He later noted that it was during the "Rubber Soul" sessions that he saw the first real disagreements erupt between John and Paul. More to come.
Paul McCartney used fuzz on bass in "think for yourself". It was the first use of fuzz on bass in popular music.
The song was written and sung by George Harrison
I'm absolutely loving your channel, it's such a wonderful display of amazement and joy! You're noticing things I've never paid attention to/noticed in songs I've known for as long as I can remember, and it's got me enjoying these songs in a whole new way, so thank you!