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It's been a while since the last Special Edition. The time has come for Rubber Soul! This is one of my most beloved Beatles records. After Revolver, I was wondering whether they'd decide to issue a Super Deluxe Edition of their '65 record, and they sure did. It marked the time when they got seriously good in the studio:
[On Rubber Soul] the Beatles demonstrated an ability to reach beyond the confines of acceptable rock and roll techniques and bring to the studio truly innovative ideas such as layering bass and fuzz-bass guitars, creating rhymes in different languages, mixing modes on a single song, utilizing tape manipulation to give instruments entirely new sounds, and introducing the sitar – a most unusual instrument for a rock band.
— Music journalist Chris Smith
I think it's worth noting that quite a few songs were already available in new mixes, released not too long ago. They came out as part of the 2023 remixed edition of the 1962-1966 (Red) compilation: the double A-side single (We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper), Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, In My Life, If I Needed Someone & Girl. That's half of the entire record, plus the single. I guess it goes to show just how strong that album was!
A few things I really dig, in no particular order:
- The inclusion of the Capitol (US) version of the album on disc four! This is fantastic, as it was this release that, among other things, inspired Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys!
- Having We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper (2023 mixes) on disc two. I still find it fascinating that their singles usually weren't part of the albums themselves.
- Beatle talk (Think for Yourself vocal overdubs) and Little Girl (John's demo) on disc two are great additions, but I wish there was a bit more banter.
- A separate Blu-ray edition for the Dolby Atmos mixes. Its absence was a huge blow with Revolver, where these mixes were only available on streaming services. This time it's done properly, and they've also included promo videos for the singles (two for each!).
This is, almost certainly, the very last of the super deluxe editions we'll get. It's a technological miracle (thanks to the demixing tech from Get Back) that we got Revolver and Rubber Soul. I don't expect any others to offer much new on top of the 2009 stereo and mono box sets.
It's been quite a journey collecting all of these:
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 50th Anniversary Edition (2017)
- The Beatles (White Album): 50th Anniversary Edition (2018)
- Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary Edition (2019)
- Let It Be: Special Edition (2021)
- Revolver: Special Edition (2022)
- Rubber Soul: Special Edition (2026)
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