The Beatles Rubber Soul Influence on Psychedelic Rock
It all changed with "Rubber Soul". Their songs became more soulful, psychedelic, trippier. The Beatles decided to trade in the collarless evening jackets for flowered robes and the twangy guitars for sitars. It is not their best album, but it was possibly the greatest turning point in music ever. The Beatles embraced the "flower power generation". Things in this album were racier, less obvious, and covering a wider variety of topics. Norwegian Wood, Michelle, and In My Life are still radio staples. Directly following this came "Revolver", an album considered many the greatest of all time. Norwegian Wood, The Word and Nowhere Man all shows the Beatles were already turning psychedelic in late 1965. They hit the unsuspecting music world with this new art/music hybrid in 1965, with their hit song "Nowhere Man," and it soon spread to other groups, becoming a large part of what was to be called "psychedelic rock," and revolutionizing the rock music world. To popularize the use of surrealism in lyrics and instrumentals. The Word deals with universal love a theme that would also be popular in psychedelic rock.
"The Word" is a great tune. It start with a zanny piano sound and it's pretty funky. Ringo adds some eccentric backward style drum fills and the harmonium drones anticipates psychedelic rock.
"Norwegian Wood" and "Nowhere Man" have their moments as well. With the former having the psychedelic buzzing of the sitar and the latter with vocal harmonies and the very trebly guitar sound. Not on the album "We Can Work It Out" and not really a psychedelic song. I like the various takes the Beatles had on folk rock and the harmonium swell pedal effects on We Can Work it Out also predicts what would happen later on psyschedelic rock.