h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Rubber Soul - The Beatles Album - A12091303
Author: 42donpanic : I am not going to write anything after my name. Oops, sorry. - U1779623

I guess this pretty much ready for Peer Review.

I was convinced we already had an entry on this particular album. Well done you!

When this is finished, I don't suppose you fancy tackling one of the earlier albums? I'd love to see an entry on Please Please Me...

I'll pop back when this has been reviewed a little more. There are a few small pick-ups I can spot straight away: we have a house style for numbers. Numbers 1-10 are always displayed in word form (One-to-ten), while 11 upwards should always be in numeric form (11, 12, 42, 123), unless you're talking about units when words are used (hundreds, thousands, millions).

Also, individual song titles should be inside single inverted commas - so 'Drive My Car'. Album titles are, of course, italicised.

But it's looking good so far!

Thank you!

I don't know if will do another one later, or not. My other favourite albums are Sgt. Peppers and Revolver, but those have already been done. I have been thinking of doing an entry on Hard Days Night, possibly both the album and movie, but I don't know. The White Album would make a good Entry, but I don't really feel like doing that.

Found a couple of spelling errors ..

In "Michelle" you have put vaguely = vaguely

and further down

>> Nowhere Man was taken off completley << = completely


Well done!

Ok, all fixed.

oh this is one of my favourites, and I reckon that Girl is about my 2nd or 3rd favourite Beatle track.

I have a question/comment or two.

In the introduction there is a mixed up tense or two.

Maybe you had better explain Q magazine (in a footnote, or a link to their site?)

Drive my car - you could mention that the "beep-beep, beep-beep Yeah!" was used as the traffic news jingle for Radio 1 for yonks (a lot of people's first introduction to the song, I would guess) and I think it's now used on Virgin radio. if you wanted

Is Word only on one note? I'll have to have another listen

Girl - where did you get the titititit information? to me it just sounds like noises (of course I am wholly prepared to believe you, I've never investigated these songs at all). Also, the same for that long inhalation. I've always thought of it as one of those eye-rolling sighs that people do when they're annoyed or frustrated. (and listening to the lyric, the Girl certainly is a pest)

In My Life - maybe a little more about the piano. Was it a normal piano? I've always thought sounds very Elizabethan or something (but I'm not an expert) it certainly doesn't sound like any of the pianos I've ever played - and not only because the player is more than competent)

If I Needed Someone - you don't seem to have much to say about this. It's a fairly bland nothing of a song though.

Is there any reason why the American version has different tracks? (and in that case, what did they have on Help! instead of I've Just Seen a Face?)

Finall, isn't Rubber Soul considered to be one of a sort of trilogy? Along with With The Beatles and... er... Revolver?

This is fab, I really will love seeing this on the FP

I have a feeling that the reason for the differences in the US version is 1 because Americans enjoy messing things up, and 2 because Amercans back then couldn't handle the sex metaphors in Drive My Car.

I don't about the trilogy thing of which you speak.

I read that the inhaling *possibly* means a drug.

I orgiginally thought that the titititit thing was just dootdootdootdoots, then when I read about it it made sense.

I was meaning to link to Q magazine.

But thanks I shall deal with these issues tomorrow.

>> Is Word only on one note? I'll have to have another listen<<

The middle-eight is largely sung on one note until the last sylable of each line. 'She's-the-kind-of-gilr-who-puts-you-down-when-friends-are-ther-you-feel-a' and then Lennon rises and falls on 'fooool'.

The keyboard used in 'In My Life' isn't a piano; sounds to me like a harpsichord, but I'm afraid I don't know for sure.


[And 'A Hard Day's Night' would be superb - my joint-fave Beatles album, really]

It's a piano, I'm pretty sure.

Yes, I think later, I will totally do an Entry on Hard Day's Night. Probably the movie, also.

Great stuff 42.

One minor change - in this sentence - "It is the first Western pop song to feature a sitar, played by George." There is a missed emphasis, suggesting its the just the first Western song to feature George's sitar playing, this is avoided by adding the word "here", thus ' "It is the first Western pop song to feature a sitar1, played here by George."

Good point, I'll change that now

Jimster, a harpsichord has a different sound again.

I have often heard the piano part bing referred to as being played in an Elizabethan style but (and I'm no expert) I'm not sure pianos were around then.

It definitely sounds a lot more... muffled and tinkly than a piano so I think that deserves to be mentioned.

Or maybe that's just the way that particular piano sounded - Pretty much all pianos sound different depending of age, style, condition, brand, the way it's tuned, whether or not the lid is opened and various other reasons. (My dad is a piano tuner, so I maybe I'll ask him.)

It's double speed piano. George ran the master tape at half speed, recorded the accompaniment, and the result when played back at normal speed is what you hear on the album.

The Beatles were experimenting with multi-tracking on this album and early effects like the one BH describes above.

ah, that's why it sounds a bit high pitched and tinny?

And fast.

well... I just thought that was down to lots of scales at age 6...

I read somewhere (I can't find out where, or I'd source this, sorry) that Dylan thought "Norwegian Wood" borrowed from his style too much, and rebutted it with "4th Time Around" which includes the line "I never took much, I never asked for your crutch, now don't ask for mine".

Like I said though, I can't remember my source for it, so worry about it too much.

Good entry, too. Readable and direct. This wouldn't be h2g2 unless we had an entry about the album "Drive my Car" was on!