Rubber Soul's 40th anniversary

With the release in 1965 of this rushed-into-production-for-Christmas album, the Beatles began the change to more varied musical styles, complex arrangements, and sometimes-darker subject matter. Revolver gets top billing on many of the "best of" lists, but Rubber Soul has always been my favorite. It was such a hip change for them at the time that many in the Beatles' pop fan base began to abandon them. Interestingly, two songs, "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man," were not included on the USA release. They are on the CD version.

There will be lots of press hype surrounding the anniversary of the December 3rd release date (December 6 in the USA), but I found a potentially interesting tribute CD containing covers by Ben Harper, the Donnas, Cowboy Junkies on Daedalus' music website - This Bird Has Flown. The title refers to Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).

..."You can’t muck with greatness, but you can sometimes put together a dang good cover album. A case in point is this track-by-track recapitulation of a landmark Beatles disc by a gaggle of adult-alternative and indie rock artists. With banjos and mandolins, the Yonder Mountain String Band recasts “Think for Yourself” as a bluegrass tune, while Ben Harper infuses “Michelle” with a reggae flavor. Mindy Smith’s “The Word” is a little bit country, while Ted Leo's “I'm Looking Through You” is a little bit rock 'n' roll. One of the most exhilarating tracks is the Donnas’ “Drive My Car,” which mimics the original arrangement but takes on a sweetly distinctive flavor because of the female voices. Another nice reworking is Low's “Nowhere Man,” enhanced by the harmonies of husband and wife duo Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk. Other highlights are a folksy “You Won't See Me” by Dar Williams, a typically laconic “Run for Your Life” by the Cowboy Junkies, and an alluring deconstruction of “If I Needed Someone” by Nellie McKay."