Please see my introduction and explanation about this project here.
I grew up listening to the American version this album which included the song “I’ve Just Seen A Face” originally on the Help! album but left off of the United States version which was a soundtrack for the film. My affection for Rubber Soul has diminished slightly because that song was one of my favorites. Still, Rubber Soul remains one of my favorite Beatles records because it really does show how the band was stretching their songwriting and instrumentation in the studio. These are still great standard rock and roll songs but it is the first time something different was done and would serve as the impetus for many other bands to try something different.
Presented in order from least to most favorite, in a highly subjective (and subject to change) manner:
“Drive My Car”
Over-played, and too many covers none of which improve on the original
“Run for Your Life”
A little too mean-spirited for my taste
“Wait”
A pretty standard song about yearning
“Nowhere Man”
Expanding their philosophical outlook
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
Yes, an important song because of the instrumentation, but it works just as well without the sitar
“If I Needed Someone”
Listen to the lyrics, really listen to them
“In My Life”
You would think this was written later in their career
“What Goes On”
Sounds like a Carl Perkins cover, but it isn’t
“Think for Yourself”
Some cool guitar sounds here
“The Word”
A highly underrated song and I would have liked to have heard it produced during the Sgt. Pepper era
“Michelle”
A really beautiful song
“Girl”
Great vocal work
“You Won’t See Me”
Kind of a forlorn bit of upbeat melancholy
“I’m Looking Through You”
Taking love songs in a whole new direction