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Liner Notes: The Beatles album whose U.S. version is better
A weekly column by Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross
Apple Corps Ltd.
Whether by accident (likely) or design (unlikely), the U.S. version of "Rubber Soul" has a sustained air of wistfulness, perfect for gray afternoons, a real tea-and-sympathy album.
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Published: November 5, 2009
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In the United States, the early Beatles albums were 11-track hodgepodges, allowing Capitol to release almost a dozen albums here by the end of 1966 compared with seven in the U.K.
At least "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" bore the same titles and cover art as their British counterparts, but with altered track listings.
The British "Rubber Soul" is a varied collection that shows the band branching out successfully in several directions. The U.S. version is another matter. But God help me, I love it.
Whether by accident (likely) or design (unlikely), the U.S. version has a sustained air of wistfulness, perfect for gray afternoons, a real tea-and-sympathy album.
The U.S. "Soul" dropped "Drive My Car," "Nowhere Man," "What Goes On" and "If I Needed Someone." It added two tunes from the U.K. "Help": "I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love."
Significantly, it placed those songs at the beginning of Side One and Side Two, respectively. Hence, the acoustic guitar-and-sitar ballad "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" follows not the rocking "Drive My Car" but the folkish "I've Just Seen a Face," setting an autumnal tone that hovers even over rockers such as "The Word." And "Girl" is preceded by the similarly serious "It's Only Love," not the loopy "What Goes On."
It's Beatle heresy to prefer a U.S. version -- the infamous "Butcher Cover" was supposedly a response to Capitol's treatment of their music -- but in this case, it works.
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