Beatles’ Rubber Soul special edition adds unknown John Lennon demo
The Beatles’ 1965 album returns Oct. 2 with new mixes, 20 unreleased takes and a Lennon demo called “Little Girl.”
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
The Rubber Soul special edition is bringing the Beatles’ 1965 turning-point album back on Oct. 2, with Apple Corps Ltd. and UMG issuing new mixes, archival takes and a previously unknown John Lennon demo, according to Rolling Stone.
The set revisits the moment John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr moved beyond the early Beatlemania formula and treated the LP as a full artistic statement. Rolling Stone reports that “Michelle (Take 1)” is available to hear now, with the new editions also available for pre-order.
Producer Giles Martin, the son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin, told Rolling Stone the record came from the band’s urge to stop being seen as “little boys” and that it marked the first time they were not focused on making a batch of possible singles.
What is on the Rubber Soul special edition?
The release includes the original 14-track album in stereo, mono and Dolby Atmos. Rolling Stone reports that Martin and engineer Sam Okell remixed the album using the “de-mixing” technology developed for Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary by Emile de la Rey’s team at WingNut Films.
The expanded material includes outtakes, alternate versions and 20 previously unreleased takes. The package also adds “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper,” the two sides of the 1965 single recorded around the same period as Rubber Soul.
Three unreleased home demos are part of the set, including early versions of “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out.” Rolling Stone says the biggest archival surprise is “Little Girl,” a Lennon demo that had not previously been known to fans or historians.
Martin told Rolling Stone the recording came from the Lennon Estate and said he believed Sean Lennon was involved in surfacing it. The track is described in the report as a rough, unfinished sketch whose melody points toward “I’m Only Sleeping,” later released on Revolver.
How many tracks and formats are included?
The Super Deluxe Edition contains 68 songs and will be sold as either a four-CD set or a five-LP vinyl set, Rolling Stone reports. It also includes a “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper” 7-inch single.
The package comes with an 88-page hardcover book featuring photos, essays, a new introduction by McCartney, Lennon quotes and track notes by Beatles historian Kevin Howlett. The U.S. version of Rubber Soul, which had a different track list, is also included.
Other editions will include a standard single-disc version, a two-disc Special Edition and a Blu-ray edition featuring the Dolby Atmos mix.
The new release follows a run of Beatles archival projects, including expanded editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be, Revolver and Anthology.
Why does Rubber Soul still matter?
The Beatles recorded Rubber Soul under a tight deadline in 1965, completing the album in about a month for a Christmas-season release, according to Rolling Stone. The sessions produced experiments including George Harrison’s sitar on “Norwegian Wood” and harmonium on “The Word.”
Rolling Stone reports that the album’s reach was immediate. Brian Wilson said in 2009 that hearing Rubber Soul pushed him toward making an album as strong as it, an ambition that led into the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.
The new edition also includes studio chatter from November 1965, with the band working through harmonies for Harrison’s “Think for Yourself.” Martin told Rolling Stone he likes including dialogue because it lets listeners hear the Beatles “as people.”
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.