The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" - Putting together the proper tracklist

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by yesstiles, Dec 23, 2017.

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  1. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    I’m not there with you on those.
    Rubber Soul has earthy songs and these are earthy.
     
  2. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    "Earthy" is not a term I would use to describe either of those tunes.
     
  3. schnitzerphilip

    schnitzerphilip "Modern Dad" Unlocked Award

    Location:
    NJ USA
    While I would agree that most singles should have gone on the LP's they supported and would have elevated the experience- Hey Jude on the White Album, Penny Lane on Pepper, Paperback Writer on Revolver, etc.- there was a big benefit of this practice:

    It forced the Beatles to create 2 more tracks per album in the studio to hit the EMI quota. Theoretically, that's 18 incremental tracks they generated or the equivalent of almost 2 extra LP's worth of material.

    Can't speak for everyone else, but I ripped my 2009 CD's into iTunes, reassigned the UK discography to the US versions, and then added in the singles where I felt they fit best. If they didn't fit in the sequencing of the LP they supported, I just tacked 'em on the end of the disc. You can do likewise. It's your collection.
     
  4. Cronverc

    Cronverc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn,NY
    Frankly I can't see the point of arguing here with some people, who declare superiority of 1960s American Beatles compilations just by definition, just because they grew up with them. It's like arguing with deeply religious person about atheism, It's just no use.
    Certain albums were created by certain band (The Beatles) certain way. You like it - fine. Don't like it - just move on to another album or to different band for that matter. Beatles represent 1960s British rock, they not a folk band, don't try to make them into something they never were.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2017
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  5. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    I like Yesterday & Today quite a bit. With its original 'Butcher' cover, it's right up there with the US Rubber Soul and Meet The Beatles as one of the great 60s Beatles albums of historical/demographical import and distinction, yet for slightly different reasons for each.

    And The Early Beatles isn't a bad little record, even if it's just an abridged Please Please Me album, minus 'Standing There' (already on Meet...) and missing the Mersey Beat immersion twofer of 'Misery' and 'There's A Place'.

    The public demand for Beatles VI was not that great for whatever reason. It and The Early Beatles only sold a million each (compared to three million for something like the Help! soundtrack). Only The Beatles Story sold worse.
     
    schnitzerphilip likes this.

  6. So...... several years later.......how ironic it is that Helen’s Wheels - a single was only included on the US version of Band On the Run!?
     
  7. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    This is correct.
    In most cases, the Beatles didn’t even record singles “separately”, but were recorded at they same time as the album. They then chose the best songs from that session as a single.

    Therefore, to lift them off of their home album and release them as a stand-alone single was much more of a business decision and less of an artistic one.

    But we got another 18 songs due to this practice - although they would not be the 18 songs on singles but the last 18 songs to make the LP cuts.
     
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  8. Hamhead

    Hamhead The Bear From Delaware

    I do, both are on a "Collection Of Beatles Oldies" and fit perfect on that LP.

    [​IMG]

    Rubber Soul is perfect as it is.
     
  9. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member Thread Starter

    And how ironic that I prefer my Capitol Japan Blackface cd of Band On The Run for omitting "Helen Wheels" - because I don't like that song! :laugh:

    Nice! Where can I buy that cd? ;)
     
  10. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    You're overlooking significant realities.
    Albums with better songs still usually sell better than ones with lesser quality songs.
    Regardless of how big an act is eventually they cool down some and quality still matters
    This concept explains why Meet The Beatles, U.S. Rubber Soul and Beatles 65 sold so much better than Beatles VI or The Beatles Second Album.
    VI is not a great collection of songs but it's still the Beatles and yet it couldn't touch MTB, 65 or US RS.
    Second Album has great performances but it's very cover version heavy.
    Also having singles on albums helped too.
    It allowed for those who liked a single to be able to buy the album and get that song too if they didn't have it yet or if they did, they could hear it on an album of other songs and not always separate in single format.
    And this was true, not just in the heat of the initial moment, but a year to two years to 10 or more years later when new fans bought the albums or fans re bought them and didn't have to try to find old singles to have most of the essential tracks if they didn't want to rely on a best of collection someday.
    And those hit singles of course, were part of the list of good songs on their respective albums.
    Not every fan was a crazed one.
    You still have the casual fan who hears a specific album with a friend and likes the album for the songs on it and not just because of the artist, then chooses to get it themselves, or the word of mouth that makes certain titles sale better than others because of the better song collection.
    If your points about it just being The Beatles therefore it was gonna sell like crazy were true, than VI, Early Beatles and 2nd Album would have had the same success as the other albums I mentioned.
     
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  11. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    The Beatles were multi genre and that included folk rock.
    Maybe they didn't purposely create a folk rock album but many of their songs fit the genre and some are on the UK RS as well as others.
     
  12. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I agree fully with you on VI but I love Beatles 65 and Yesterday and Today.
    Even though Y&T hurt the U.S Revolver, I love how those 3 John Revolver songs blend with the UK RS songs not on the U.S. RS and the RS session singles not on either version.
    And on 65 I love the inclusion of I Feel Fine/She's A Woman single and I'll Be Back from UK AHDN.
     
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  13. Pawnmower

    Pawnmower Senior Member

    Location:
    Dearborn, MI
    I wonder if it ever occurred to Capitol to end the US Rubber Soul with "Yesterday" instead of the ultra-weak "Run for your Life."
    Fits the acoustic theme. Big single.
     
  14. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I’ve never thought about that, but yeah, I think it would too.
     
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  15. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I disagree, whereas I group Help! along with their previous stuff, I mark Rubber Soul as their transition album. I think Help! is far more folky than RS and don’t suit at all on the U.S. album.
     
  16. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    Only because the instrumentation is a lot more similar to the instrumentation on RS than Help!. I’ve Just Seen a Face and It’s Only Love are quite folky which I don’t think suit on RS. I’m also just personally not a big fan of either songs and think it’s a big quality drop from such amazing songs like Drive My Car and Girl. Plus, there’s always got to be a Ringo number on an album, right?

    Sorry for the triple post btw, combining comments on an iPad is really frustrating.
     
  17. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    It's Only Love is very similar to Norwegian Wood, Girl and In My Life.
    Maybe not as profound lyrically as those but the musical style and vocals are.
    I've Just Seen A Face is pretty different than anything on Help! Or Rubber Soul but it works much better as an opener of any album than as the filler on Help!
     
  18. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I think I’m Only Sleeping and I Want To Tell You are very psychedelic, a sound not found on RS or really invented yet, and therefore would sound very out of place. I do get what you mean for I Want To Tell You and Doctor Robert, though, but I think they’d sound out of place still.
     
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  19. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member Thread Starter

    And Paul thought highly enough of it to play it in concerts during the 1976 Rockshow.
     
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  20. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I created a thread on that point.
    I often wonder had he not known it was the opener to the U.S. RS if he would have revisited it with such dedication?
    Fans elsewhere at those shows had to be like oh yeah I remember that little ditty from Help! Strange he's including that one.
    U.S. fans were like Alright the Rubber Soul Opener!
     
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  21. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I think it’s incredibly different personally. Vocals are about the only similarity within the verses in terms of style of singing but the chorus is quite different as well. It’s very upbeat sounding compared to Norwegian Wood, Girl and In My Life, even if its sorrowful compared to everything other than Yesterday on Help!. The instrumentation is also totally unfitting to everything else on the album.
     
  22. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I’m not really sure if this was your point, but I don’t think the placing of a song on an album dictates its quality in any way.
     
  23. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    No but it is more easily recognizable to a casual fan.
     
  24. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    Only in America. Literally everyone else uses the U.K. albums.
     
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  25. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Run For Your Life is a good track.
    It's one of the first real "jerk" songs and Paul singing harmony on the chorus as if he's in agreement she needs to watch out or die always seemed funny.
     
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