SEALED EMI British Import LP THE BEATLES Rubber Soul - NO BAR CODE

$

135

 

 

  The Beatles
Rubber Soul
Factory Sealed UK Import Stereo LP

This is a Factory Sealed EMI British Import LP from the '70s with No Bar Code. The cover is LIKE NEW, with square corners, no real dents, and no real tears in the shrink. There is a two inch split in the bottom seam. (These splits are very common in our experience.)

As you will see from the commentary below, we have run into British later Parlophone pressings of this album that sound absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Naturally we were tempted to crack this one open and check out the sound for ourselves, but we thought we would leave the fun to you! To help guide you, all the commentary discussing the sonic aspects of the songs on the album is reproduced below. The next step is to get it cleaned up, throw it on the turntable and see if the sound we describe in our notes is the sound you hear coming out of your speakers!

Acoustic Guitars and Tambourines

After playing so many copies of this record over the last year or so I have come to appreciate just how wonderful an album Rubber Soul really is. It has 14 fairly compact, well structured, well arranged pop songs, each of which is a gem in its own right. It reminds me a bit of the second album (With The Beatles) in that respect. But the second album does not feature acoustic guitars the way Rubber Soul does. From an audiophile point of view, it's partly what makes Rubber Soul such a special recording: the strumming of those lovely acoustic guitars.

But what I noticed for the first time only recently is how much the tambourine is used. It's all over this album and most of the time it sounds great. There are other high frequency percussion instruments -- shakers and the like -- and between the tambourine and all the rest there's just a lot of percussive energy on most of the songs that really carries them along. To me, this could be called The Tambourine Album. No other Beatle album features that instrument and builds so many songs around it.

The Way It Was Meant To Be Heard

As you've no doubt read on the site more than once, a good LP allows you to appreciate the MUSIC even more than the sound. You feel like you are listening to what The Beatles wanted you to hear, the way they wanted you to hear it.

A Tough Nut To Crack

Rubber Soul is one of the most difficult Beatles records to get to sound right. The individual tracks seem to vary drastically in terms of their sound quality. Some (What Goes On) sound sweet, rich and near perfect. Others (You Won't See Me) can be thin and midrangy. What's a mother to do?

I think what we're dealing with here are completely different approaches to the final mix. The Beatles were experimenting with different kinds of sounds, and their experiments produced very different results from track to track on this album more than practically any other I can think of besides The White Album, (which as you may or may not know was recorded in multiple studios by multiple producers and engineers).

Is Your Rig Up To It?

One final note: this is the kind of record that really rewards a good cartridge/ arm/ table combinaton. You do not want to play this record with a lean or bright sounding cartridge, or a front end that does not track sibilances well (I could name some equipment that I would not want to play this record on, but rather than insult the owners of such equipment, let's just say they will have a tough time with this record.)   AMG Review

While the Beatles still largely stuck to love songs on Rubber Soul, the lyrics represented a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness, maturity, and complex ambiguities. Musically, too, it was a substantial leap forward, with intricate folk-rock arrangements that reflected the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds. The group and George Martin were also beginning to expand the conventional instrumental parameters of the rock group, using a sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," Greek-like guitar lines on "Michelle" and "Girl," fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself," and a piano made to sound like a harpsichord on the instrumental break of "In My Life."

While John and Paul were beginning to carve separate songwriting identities at this point, the album is full of great tunes, from "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Michelle" to "Girl," "I'm Looking Through You," "You Won't See Me," "Drive My Car," and "Nowhere Man" (the last of which was the first Beatle song to move beyond romantic themes entirely). George Harrison was also developing into a fine songwriter with his two contributions, "Think for Yourself" and the Byrds-ish "If I Needed Someone."
TRACK LISTING

Side One

Drive My Car Old Track Commentary

Mobile Fidelity ruined this song on their version. They took out way too much upper midrange and top. What makes this song work is the cow bell, the drums and percussion. Mobile Fidelity took a hatchet to this slightly bright track instead of a scalpel, leaving a dull, lifeless, boring mess. Some Parlophone copies may be a little bright and lack bass, but they still convey the energy of the song. The purple label Capitol may also be quite good. A bit harsher and spittier, yes, but in spite of these shortcomings it communicates the musical values of the song.

In that sense, as much as I like some of the MOFI Beatle records, and even what MOFI did with some of the other tracks on Rubber Soul, they sure sucked the life out of Drive My Car. We all remember how much fun that song was when it came on the radio. Playing it on a very high quality stereo should make it more fun, not less. If you've got a Rubber Soul that's no fun, it's time to get a new one.

Norwegian Wood Track Commentary Those close-miked guitars can be a bit much unless you have a super-low-distortion copy. Did The Beatles ever write a better song? It's so good!

You Won't See Me Track Commentary

Can be a bit midrangy in places.

Nowhere Man Track Commentary

Tonally correct, but lacking that last bit of presence and transparency that some of the other tracks have.

Think for Yourself Track Commentary

Right on the money! That tambourine is sweet.

The Word Track Commentary

This song rocks! Some of the best bass on the album. When the harmony vocals are added for the final chorus this song takes off into the stratosphere. You won't find a better Beatles song on the planet.

Michelle Track Commentary

Sonic and musical perfection! Vocals and guitars are as good as it gets. Tubey magic in spades.

Side Two

What Goes On Track Commentary

Wow -- superb, rich, full-bodied, smooth sound.

Girl Track Commentary

Very different from the above track -- cleaner but just as sweet.

I'm Looking Through You Track Commentary

A bit harsh in places -- it seems like some of this has gone through an extra mixing stage resulting in some harmonic distortion in parts.

In My Life Track Commentary

Perfection -- as good as it gets.

Wait
If I Needed Someone Track Commentary

Silky and sweet. Harrison's double tracked voice is especially well recorded.

Run for Your Life Track Commentary

Wow -- the last song is one of the best sounding. This album goes out on a high note.
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This is a factory sealed record, long out of print. This record cannot be guaranteed against defects of any kind once opened. This item is only sold "as is".

 

 

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