The Beatles’ Rubber Soul Gets Expanded Reissue with New Mixes and Unreleased Demos

On October 2nd, UMG and Apple Corps Ltd. will unveil new special editions of Rubber Soul, The Beatles’ seminal 1965 album. Rubber Soul will be reissued in several formats, including standard single-disc CD and LP editions, two-CD and two-LP Special Editions, and four-CD and five-LP Super Deluxe Editions. Newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, the collection features newly created stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes, along with the album’s original mono mix, the Capitol US version, previously unreleased session recordings and home demos, and the double A-side single “Day Tripper” / “We Can Work It Out.” All of the formats boast new stereo mixes sourced directly from Rubber Soul’s original four-track master tapes. To achieve the final product, the album was effectively “de-mixed” using cutting-edge mixing technology developed by the award-winning sound team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. According to a press release, the aim of this process was to provide the new mixes with “stunning clarity” while “remaining faithful to the spirit of the original recordings.” With 14 new stereo mixes assembled for the very first time, the expanded Rubber Soul offers up a veritable cornucopia of archival material. That includes 24 early session recordings, including 20 previously unreleased takes and three previously unreleased home demos. Among them are early versions of “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper,” as well as the unheard John Lennon “song outline” titled “Little Girl.” There’s also a Blu-ray edition featuring the Dolby Atmos mix, high-resolution stereo audio, and promotional films for “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out,” alongside limited-edition orange vinyl and a D2C-exclusive Zoetrope vinyl edition. The Super Deluxe editions also include an 88-page hardbound book with rare photos, an introduction by Paul McCartney, a foreword compiled from Lennon’s own words, in-depth album background, and track notes that contextualize Rubber Soul in both The Beatles’ grand career and landmark discography. As a preview, organizers have unveiled “Michelle (Take 1).” If the original release made you swoon into the upper atmosphere, this one will somehow take your heart even higher. Check it out below. Pre-orders for the Rubber Soul special editions are available here. Released on December 3rd, 1965, Rubber Soul arrived during a pivotal period in The Beatles’ development, following a year in which the band reached new commercial and artistic heights. Often heralded as a personal and creative evolution for the band and its members, Rubber Soul helped define and outline the world-changing capabilities of a truly great pop album. Tackling new sounds, instruments, and recording techniques during four weeks of recording in October and November 1965, The Beatles eventually crafted some of their biggest tunes, including “Nowhere Man,” “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” and “Drive My Car.” Rubber Soul Special Edition Tracklist: Side A A1. Drive My Car A2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) A3. You Won’t See Me A4. Nowhere Man A5. Think For Yourself A6. The Word A7. Michelle Side B B1. What Goes On B2. Girl B3. I’m Looking Through You B4. In My Life B5. Wait B6. If I Needed Someone B7. Run For Your Life LP2: Sessions, Demos and The Single (Disc 1) Side A A1. Wait (Take 3 – instrumental backing track) A2. Run For Your Life (Takes 1-5 – instrumental backing track) A3. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (First version –Take 1) A4. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Second version –Take 2) A5. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Third version – Take 3) A6. Drive My Car (Takes 1 and 2 – instrumental backing track) A7. Day Tripper (Songwriting work tape) Side B B1. Day Tripper (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) B2. Day Tripper (Takes 2 and 3 – instrumental backing track) B3. If I Needed Someone (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) B4. In My Life (Take 1) B5. In My Life (Extract with unused organ solo) B6. We Can Work It Out (Paul’s demo) B7. We Can Work It Out (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) LP3: Sessions, Demos and The Single (Disc 2) Side A A1. Nowhere Man (First version – Take 2) A2. Nowhere Man (Second version – Take 5 – instrumental backing track) A3. I’m Looking Through You (First version – Take 1) A4. I’m Looking Through You (Second version – Take 2) A5. I’m Looking Through You (Second version – Take 3) A6. Michelle (Guitar rehearsal) A7. Michelle (Take 1) Side B B1. What Goes On (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) B2. The Word (Takes 1 and 2 – instrumental backing track) B3. Girl (Take 2 – instrumental backing track) B4. Beatle Talk (Think For Yourself vocal overdubs) B5. Little Girl (John’s demo) LP4: Mono Side A A1. Drive My Car A2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) A3. You Won’t See Me A4. Nowhere Man A5. Think For Yourself A6. The Word A7. Michelle Side B B1. What Goes On B2. Girl B3. I’m Looking Through You B4. In My Life B5. Wait B6. If I Needed Someone B7. Run For Your Life LP5: US Album Side A A1. I’ve Just Seen A Face A2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) A3. You Won’t See Me A4. Think For Yourself A5. The Word A6. Michelle Side B B1. It’s Only Love B2. Girl B3. I’m Looking Through You B4. In My Life B5. Wait B6. Run For Your Life 7” Single Side A: A1. Day Tripper Side AA: AA1. We Can Work It Out 4CD Super Deluxe Box Set DISC 1: New Stereo Mix (14 tracks – identical sequence to LP1) DISC 2: Sessions, Demos and the Single (28 tracks) Wait (Take 3 – instrumental backing track) Run For Your Life (Takes 1-5 – instrumental backing track) Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (First version – Take 1) Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Second version – Take 2) Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Third version – Take 3) Drive My Car (Takes 1 and 2 – instrumental backing track) Day Tripper (Songwriting work tape) Day Tripper (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) Day Tripper (Takes 2 and 3 – instrumental backing track) If I Needed Someone (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) In My Life (Take 1) In My Life (Extract with unused organ solo) We Can Work It Out (Paul’s demo) We Can Work It Out (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) Nowhere Man (First version – Take 2) Nowhere Man (Second version – Take 5 – instrumental backing track) I’m Looking Through You (First version – Take 1) I’m Looking Through You (Second version – Take 2) I’m Looking Through You (Second version – Take 3) Michelle (Guitar rehearsal) Michelle (Take 1) What Goes On (Take 1 – instrumental backing track) The Word (Takes 1 and 2 – instrumental backing track) Girl (Take 2 – instrumental backing track) Beatle Talk (Think For Yourself vocal overdubs) Little Girl (John’s demo) Day Tripper (2023 mix) We Can Work It Out (2023 mix) DISC 3: Original Mono Master (14 tracks – identical sequence to LP4) DISC 4: Original Capitol US Album (12 tracks – identical sequence to LP5) Blu-ray Edition DISC 1: New Stereo Mix (14 tracks – identical sequence to LP1) Drive My Car Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) You Won’t See Me Nowhere Man Think For Yourself The Word Michelle What Goes On Girl I’m Looking Through You In My Life Wait If I Needed Someone Run For Your Life Day Tripper We Can Work It Out Day Tripper * Day Tripper (Alternate Version) * We Can Work It Out * We Can Work It Out (Alternate Version) * * = Exclusive Videos