Rubber Soul (Vinyl LP)by cblou2000

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April 25, 2009: When The Beatles first released LPs in the 1960s, each record surpassed the previous one. "Rubber Soul" is no exception. It represents an evolution in their recording career. It shows more polish than their previous records and the songwriting tops any of their previous efforts. As the recording technology of the 1960s progressed, so did The Beatles experimentation in the studio. "Rubber Soul" is one of my favorite Beatles' LPs (although I can't really choose a favorite) because it set more precedents and pushed the envelope just a little more. They were no longer apprehensive about "thinking outside of the box."

I bought the LP version (I already bought all of the CD versions in the late 1980s). The bass end is smoothe and the high end is crisp. I enjoy the analog sound of the LPs more than the digital sound of the CDs. The mastering process for LPs, even if they are taken from digital sources, gives the record a more "true" (high fidelity) tonal quality.

Of course, I have a great system in which I run my turntable through analog inputs. I also have some vintage JBL Studio Control Room Monitors. Considering the quality of my system coupled with the quality of the vinyl pressing, I have the means to hear "Rubber Soul" and other LPs the way they were meant to be heard. A side by side comparison between the CDs and the LPs makes it obvious that the LP quality far surpasses the current digitally remastered CDs.

On 09/09/09 EMI intends to release new digital remasters of The Beatles' catalog on CD. The CDs of The Beatles UK and USA versions were done in 1987. Digital music has come a long way since the '80s. They will be in special packaging that will also contain the original liner notes. EMI has been working for years to get this catalog remastered. These new EMI versions will be released worldwide. I hope they are everything that they are promised to be. Audiophiles have been complaining about the 1987 versions since they were first released. Finally EMI is listening.

I highly recommend purchasing the LP version of "Rubber Soul." Also, if you MUST buy it on CD, buy the EMI/Toshiba/Japan versions which are also available from Barnes and Noble. But definitely look into the new versions when they are released on 09/09/09.

This review was written about the Vinyl LP edition.

I Also Recommend: Let It Bleed (Remastered), Hot Rocks, 1964-1971 (Remastered), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Prisoner in Disguise, Abbey Road.

Radically Different From First U.S. Releaseby Nepomuk

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November 17, 2008: The Barnes and Noble review here says I'VE JUST SEEN A FACE is on this CD. It is not. The reviewer is clearly thinking of the version of RUBBER SOUL released in 1965 in America, which was the only version you could get in America until the late eighties when the Beatles CD's started to be released. These conformed to the song line-up on the original British releases. So, as the reviewer quotes Brian Wilson saying RUBBER SOUL was the first Beatles record without filler, the reader should bear in mind that Brian Wilson was probably talking about the American release. RUBBER SOUL worked as a concept album almost accidently because the American record executives cut four songs and added two others, making it a softer album. The UK version, which was the one the group planned, is a bit more bluesy, since it included DRIVE MY CAR. It was more hippiefied, what with IF I NEEDED SOMEONE. So, the British version is very different from the old American one, which can now only be found on the Capital Records boxed set of the American releases. It's a fine album in its UK form, which, as I have said, is the form the Beatles planned. But the one which knocked Americans' socks off was the very folky one the reviewer is talking about and not the one which is currently the official release.

I Also Recommend: The Soul of Rock and Roll.