Picking Rubber Soul

(drugs references veiled lightly)

My first listen (of a surprising 5 times already this month) caused a fun wave of nostalgia to emerge. My mom had a cassette tape of some greatest hits compilation. She used to put the tape on while I was taking a bath. I must have been 3 or 4 years old. I might be conflating memories, but I swear it had Hard Days Night and Michelle and Yellow Submarine, so it was a pretty sprawling set for a single tape. Maybe it was multiple tapes.

Regardless, I ended up putting this album on several times when I sat down to look at the list and pick what’s next. That’s in line with the spirit of the endeavor - if I force myself to listen to things I don’t enjoy, I’ll never keep the routine up. It was surprising, though, how fast I found myself stuck on something to love.

I have a sordid past with the Beatles. Like I said, I have memories of them in my childhood, but I also have memories as a teenager of friends going through their Beatles-Are-Genius discovery phases while I distinctly did not give a shit. I did a run through the discography in 2022 that was pretty educational and fun, so I can finally say that I know the difference between a Lennon and a McCartney song. Embarrassing, right?

Anyway, now I’m a fan.