RUBBER SOUL

The Beatles

Proto-Prog

3.98 | 893 ratings

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Negoba
Prog Reviewer

The Best of the Best

This may be the best album ever made. The Beatles, that almost unholy convergence of talent and good luck, were just starting to grow up. Their pop craft was at its sharpest and if I were to pick one album as a textbook for songwriting, this is the one. Melody, harmony, economy, rhythm, all the basics are so perfectly in evidence here that despite hour after hour of study, I still learn every time I return to these songs. Even the misogynistic "Run for your Life" is a splendid piece of songcraft despite it's now cringe-worthy lyrics.

Much of the album centers around the slow death of Paul McCartney's relationship with actress Jane Asher. Many of his songs like "You Won't See Me" and "I'm Looking Through You" have a bite that they never did either before or after this album. At the same John writes some of his most tender love songs ("In My Life", "Girl") while starting to develop his alter-ego theme ("Nowhere Man"). In all, everything that was good about the Beatles meets here, and continues for one more album. But where on Revolver the experimentation had really begun in earnest, on Rubber Soul, it was still in its infancy. The simple sitar line in "Norwegian Wood" introduces a flavor the would later define a generation, but here it seems almost innocent and quaint. At the same time, the songs on Revolver are not quite as strong but their sound was so revolutionary that it triumphed not only as icon of rock but of prog as well.

Here on prog archives, I cannot call this a masterpiece of progressive rock music, because it just wasn't all that progressive. But as a piece of perfect songwriting, it is still an excellent addition to any collection.

Negoba | 4/5 | 2009-6-20

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