Rubber Soul

Stunning NZ pressed album with a very smart flipback gloss cover and original black inner sleeve

Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock group the Beatles. It was recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market, and was released on 3 December 1965. It was produced by George Martin. Unlike the five albums that preceded it, Rubber Soul was recorded during a continuous period, whereas the group had previously recorded albums during breaks in between tour dates or other projects.^[3] After this, Beatles albums would be made without the burden of other commitments, except for the production of short promotional films.

Rubber Soul incorporates R&B, pop, soul, folk rock, and psychedelic music styles.^[2][4][5] The album is regarded by musicologists as a major artistic achievement that continued the Beatles' artistic maturation while attaining widespread critical and commercial success.^[6] The album's name comes from the term plastic soul which popular African American soul musicians coined to describe Mick Jagger, a white musician singing soul music. It was the second Beatles album – after the British version of A Hard Day's Night – to contain only original material; the Beatles would record no more cover songs for their records until 1969, with the "Maggie Mae" excerpt appearing on Let It Be.

Rubber Soul is regarded by fans and critics alike as one of the greatest albums in popular music history.^{[7][8][9][10]} In 2012, Rubber Soul was ranked number five on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".^[11] In 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed their sales award rules, the album was declared as having gone platinum.^[12]