Rubber Soul: The Beatles

From March 1963 to August of 1965, The Beatles released five albums, seemingly unheard of now in popular music; five albums that were heavily influenced by artists such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. On these albums, rather than focusing on lyrical depth, the group focused on simple song structures and catchy choruses; classic, traditional boyband music. However, in December of 1965, with the release of Rubber Soul, The Beatles released their first cohesive record, as well as their first album that explored deeper lyrical themes and instrumental experimentation (such as the sitar on the track “Norwegian Wood”). While Rubber Soul was largely folk-based, the 1966 album Revolver saw the group push the pop envelope even further, writing songs …show more content…
Pepper’s possesses a bevy of unique sounds and song structures that pop albums simply did not explore at that time. The title-track features a heavy, fuzz-guitar played against a wall of triumphant horns. The harpsichord in “Fixing a Hole” gives the song a Victorian Era flare. “She’s Leaving Home” is perhaps the album’s gentlest song with its swirling harps and heavenly strings. “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” is a psychedelic journey through a circus atmosphere, while “Within You Without You” is an Indian meditation. The track “Good Morning Good Morning” is filled with blaring brass and animal noise snippets. The closing track “A Day in the Life,” the album’s epic, is the most complex song structurally on the album. The song alternates between Lennon’s poignant ballad to McCartney’s frantic jazz-pop number and features two sections of chaotic, heavy, winding string sections; the second culminating in a grand piano note that seemingly never ends, fading away …show more content…
Pepper’s was the perfect album released at the perfect time. With the band growing up musically, along with society, a bold statement was needed in popular music; a musical revolution of sorts. The Beatles delivered visually with the album’s cover, conceptually with the album’s theme and idea, as well as sonically with such a wide array of sounds. What made Sgt. Pepper’s outstanding was that the group was able to make all of these bold ideas presentable and acceptable to a mainstream audience. Without Sgt. Pepper’s, the whole idea behind a cohesive, holistic album experience might have never breached the mainstream. With all of this being said, Sgt. Pepper’s continued to be great based off the fact that The Beatles continued to sharpen their songwriting skills and make some of music’s greatest songs and