Favourite Rubber Soul

[Justin Peters]

So, for those of you who have compared multiple versions of this album, which was the most sonically appealing?

My favourite (of the limited number I've listened to) is the original UK mono. I've listened to the dash 1 "loud mix" and a later dash 2 or 3 normal mix, and thought the later version was more pleasant to listen to. The mono version had more punch than the original and 70's reissue stereo copies I've heard, and the stereo Capitols sound a little "cloudy."

I've never heard the MOFI's, Japanese, German, etc pressings. Has anyone heard a version they considered a revelation?


Justin

[btomarra]

Justin,

I believe the mono Rubber Soul has a longer fade on I'm looking Through You. I only heard it once a long time ago. My memory is going here. I know on the remixed CD the fade is a little longer than the stereo vinyl.

Would love it on CD

Brian

:cool:

[Steve Hoffman]

The old Capitol USA "Rubber Soul" LP that I had when I was a kid went in the dumpster when my dad brought home a new Zenith portable stereo for me. My little buddy had a STEREO LP of it and I was so excited that you could clearly hear the Fuzz Bass on "Think For Yourself" that I nearly plotzed (as they say). From then on it was stereo. Yeah, I was BURNED many times (like The Animals & Herman's Hermits --SOUNDS GREAT IN STEREO MGM junk and those bad Epic reprocessed Yardbirds & DC Five, crappy Stones fake stuff, etc.) Remember, the stores charged a dollar more for the stereo version. That was a lot of dough to me back then. So I soon learned that "Sounds Great In Stereo" on an MGM LP cover meant "Too bad this one AIN'T". But I digress.

Well, just a couple of years ago, I heard the mono mix of the British "Rubber Soul" for the first time ever I think. "Drive My Car" sounded much better to me, as did most of the other songs. Just a better mix balance on the mono.

So, there you have it. I've done a complete circle on this album.

I still wish that "I've Just Seen A Face" was the real opener of "Rubber Soul", instead of the Dave Dexter, Jr. Capitol version. If ever any Beatle song should have been on
Rubber Soul", that was the song.

[Sckott]

Man O Man.

Bought an MGM black label "Ella And Louis" =Reprocessed in stereo=, as it was issued to replace the mono Verve "Ella And Louis Again" which was in mono. The cover made them both look like the Blue Man Group!

...And you think some of the Beatles 'Dexterized' sound was bad!

This was unplayable. I've owned a few MGM early stereo LPs. Makes me queasy. (shiver).

Yeah the earlier Capitol MONO issues (if you can find em in decent shape) are great on vinyl. The Beatles beatleg "Harry Moss" Rubber Soul Mono CD is very good. Beats trying to dig up a decent mono copy, yet alone a MONO Parlaphone Rubber Soul Mono. Yikes.

[Todd Fredericks]

I have both the UK and US "mono" Rubber Soul's and they both are nice. The UK is great and the US is good. As we've posted many times, RS (IMO) is "gear" in mono rather than the ping/pong stereo mixes. Sounds like a band playing, not a studio creation...

Todd

[mcow1]

Having grown up with the US versions I'm rather partial to the US mono although when I listen to the mono I miss the false start on I'm Looking Through You.

[kda]

I just registered so I could revive this old thread and brag about my most recent vinyl purchase. I picked up a VG+ original UK Mono Rubber Soul a few weeks ago. It's amazing -- you can really hear George pulling the strings compared to the fuzzed up sound on the (admittedly beat up) Capitol mono version I have.

[RicP]

My votes for the UK Mono version. Just fabulous! :)

[Chip Stylus]

I'm seriously partial to the stereo UK lp. I was and somewhat still am a headphone junkie and that is a great headphone lp.

I did like the digital 80's remix in one small way: that the lead vocal was all the eway to the right and the secondary vocal only 80% to the right, so theyre was a smidgen of separation on them. Still, if you wanted to hear any bass with your top end at all, you had to have the uk stereo.

Steve: "I've Just Seen A Face" always sounded like a Beatles For Sale outtake to me. I always found it stylistically "jarring" tacked on Rubber Soul like that. The only US recomp I ever seem to play is the mono Magical Mystery Tour.

See ya

[Steve Hoffman]

Thom,

I love Rubber Soul. My grandma bought it for me when it came out. I was so astounded that she did that for me that when I cracked it open and played "I've Just Seen A Face" for the first time and she seemed to like it as well---That was a big deal for me. Sort of validated my life/music as it were.

So I always think of that song fondly, and for me, it's a Rubber Soul song. "Drive My Car" sounds wrong as a starter for that album, even though I've now heard the British version of the album for over 30 years.

Just call me a crazy American....

[Henry Love]

I lost my original American versions a long time ago when I loaned them out but I liked the James Bond music on Help.I've Just Seen A Face,so simple and clever,what a great song.

[dbryant]

In the UK version's defense, I always thought the album title was oddly inappropriate until I heard it with "Drive My Car" in the lead off spot.

Somewhere else on the board, there's a discussion of videos of the old Shindig and Hullaballoo shows. I remember seeing the Righteous Bros.' Rubber Soul melody cited there (which both began and ended with "I've Just Seen a Face" as I recall) as a kid -- and they were the one '60s pop act my Dad liked, so I've got my own cherished memories on this one!

At the end of previous thread, I put out a call to our assembled experts as to how many Beatles are playing on "I've Just Seen a Face" and how much is overdubbed McCartney. Nobody knows?

[stereo71]

Okay, here's what the Abbey Road session notes
have to say about this song:

..."Paul's folk-rock 'I've Just Seen a Face',
was predominantly acoustic, perfected in 6 takes,
with two acoustic guitars and a maraca overdub."

All the takes were recorded June 14, 1965. Both
the mono and stereo mixes were from take 6,
finished on June 18.

The session commentary for June 14 is mostly
about "Yesterday", which we all know is Paul
with a string quartet. The short note about
"Face" doesn't name the musicians.

Anybody have another source?