The Beatles have set October 2 for Rubber Soul Special Edition, an expanded version of the 1965 album that gathers a new mix, the versions already in circulation, and session material that is not. Indie Hoy laid out the contents while reporting a previously unreleased Day Tripper work tape put out ahead of it.
The remix is by producer Giles Martin with engineer Sam Okell. Their work comes in stereo and in Dolby Atmos, and the set presents both alongside the original mono mix and the version of the album Capitol assembled for release in the United States.
The original running order stays, with Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Nowhere Man, Michelle and In My Life on it. Added to that are Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out, plus session recordings and demos that have never been released.
Those two additions are the point for anyone who has ever argued about what Rubber Soul is. Both were cut during the same 1965 sessions and both were kept off the album, going out instead as a double A-side single, a format that told buyers neither side was the B-side. Sixty-one years later the special edition puts them back with the sessions they came from.
The work tape released ahead of the set is the clearest preview of what the unreleased material sounds like. John Lennon and Paul McCartney can be heard building the song and joking about the level being recorded, with the riff that defines the finished version still missing.
Reissues on this scale have been the year's steady business. Boston's debut is being expanded for its 50th with demos that were lost, and Roxy Music are adding unheard material to For Your Pleasure. Rubber Soul Special Edition goes on the release calendar for October 2, one more entry in a rock reissue year that also saw Revolver reach 60.
The facts
- Rubber Soul Special Edition is due on October 2.
- Giles Martin mixed the set and Sam Okell engineered it.
- It carries stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes plus the original mono mix.
- The Capitol version of the album made for the United States is included.
- Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out are added to the original tracklist.
- Both songs were cut in the 1965 Rubber Soul sessions and left off the album.
- They went out at the time as a double A-side single.
- Unreleased session recordings and demos are part of the set.
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