Rubber Soul Super Deluxe: The Backing Tracks Are the Real Story

The Beatles’ Rubber Soul 4CD Super Deluxe edition arrives with a full catalog of the 1965 record, and it gives listeners the full story of the album rather than just the finished songs. It’s a weighty package, but it’s also a chance to hear exactly how these songs came together.

The standard album was a step forward for the band. It’s the record where they turned away from the joyful pop of the early years and toward something moodier and more literate. The songs here are tighter than on their earlier records, and the playing is sharper. It’s a clear line between the bright sound of their early work and the more grown-up music that came after.

The Super Deluxe edition keeps all of that, and it adds a huge amount of studio detritus on the second and third CDs. That’s where the real interest lives. The fourth CD is the standard album, which is fine on its own but the least essential part of the package.

Opening the Standard Album

The record opens with “Drive My Car,” a loose, driving track that sets the tone for the first half. “Norwegian Wood” follows with a sitar part that would become one of the album’s most discussed features. The third track, “You Won’t See Me,” is a piano-led composition that shows a different side of the band’s writing.

“Nowhere Man” is a fast, bitter track that critics have named as one of the record’s high points. “Think For Yourself” and “The Word” are both sharp, direct songs that don’t waste a note. “Michelle” is a direct pop song, and “What Goes On” is a simple, effective track that was written and finished quickly.

“Girl” is a short, forceful track that critics have praised as one of the best songs on the record. “I’m Looking Through You” is the standout of the album, a bitter, driving track that’s the most grown-up thing the band had put on record at that point. “In My Life,” “Wait,” “If I Needed Someone” and “Run For Your Life” close the album, and they’re all solid without reaching the heights of the best tracks.

The Backing Tracks

The second CD is where the real work begins. “Wait (Take 3 – Instrumental Backing Track)” and “Run For Your Life (Takes 1-5 – Instrumental Backing Track)” show the songs in their bare form, and they work as a way to hear the arrangements before the vocals were added. The versions of “Norwegian Wood” — “Take 1,” “Take 2” and “Take 3” — are worth hearing for the different guitar parts.

“Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape),” “Day Tripper (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)” and “Day Tripper (Takes 2 And 3 – Instrumental Backing Track)” run the gamut from a rough demo to a finished instrumental backing track. “If I Needed Someone (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)” and the “In My Life” takes show the work that went into two of the record’s best songs. “We Can Work It Out (Paul’s Demo) and “We Can Work It Out (Take 1 – Instrumental Backing Track)” are early versions of a song that would become one of the band’s biggest songs.

The “Beatle Talk (Think For Yourself Vocal Overdubs)” is the most unusual track here. It’s a vocal track with no instrumental backing, and it shows how the band worked through the parts together. “Little Girl (John’s Demo)” is a solo demo from John, and it’s a small but interesting piece of the band’s history.

The Alternate Versions

The third CD is a collection of alternate versions and early recordings that show how the band worked at different points in their career. “Day Tripper (2023 Mix)” and “We Can Work It Out (2023 Mix)” are the most interesting tracks here.

The rest of the third CD is a mixed bag. “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is a pleasant track, but it doesn’t add much. The remixed versions of “Norwegian Wood,” “You Won’t See Me,” “Think For Yourself,” “The Word,” “Michelle,” “It’s Only Love,” “Girl,” “I’m Looking Through You,” “In My Life,” “Wait” and “Run For Your Life” are pleasant but unnecessary for anyone who already owns the standard album.

The Fourth CD

The fourth CD is the standard album, and it’s the least essential part of the package. It’s fine on its own, but the real value is in the studio detritus on the second and third CDs.

Where It Lands

The Super Deluxe edition is a good record for people who want to understand how the band worked. It’s a great record for people who study the band’s history. It’s a solid but not essential record for people who just want to hear the songs.

The album itself is a transitional record, and it’s not as fully ambitious as the band’s later work. But it’s consistent and influential, and its final track, “I’m Looking Through You,” stands as a standout.

Here’s how the tracks rank, in my own order:

1. “I’m Looking Through You” — the best track on the album, a bitter, driving standout.
2. “Girl” — a short, forceful track that critics have praised.
3. “Drive My Car” — a loose, driving track that sets the tone for the album.
4. “Michelle” — a direct pop song.
5. “What Goes On” — a simple, effective track that was written and finished quickly.
6. “The Word” — a sharp, direct song that doesn’t waste a note.
7. “Norwegian Wood” — a sitar-led track that would become one of the album’s most discussed features.
8. The rest of the standard album — solid but not as essential as the tracks above.

The Super Deluxe edition adds a huge amount of material, and most of it is worth hearing at least once. The backing tracks and alternate versions are the real reason to own this edition, not the standard album itself.

The score: 8 of 10.

1965 · album review · classic rock · Rubber Soul · Super Deluxe · The Beatles