#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.
No. 006
“[George] Harrison called Rubber Soul ‘the best one we made,’ because ‘we were suddenly hearing sounds that we weren’t able to hear before.’ And as for why the band’s hearing had grown so acute, well, that was another aspect of the times. ‘There was a lot of experimentation on Rubber Soul,’ said Ringo Starr, ‘influenced, I think, by the substances.'”
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Released: 1965
Label: Capitol Records
Rolling Stones Ranking: 5
The Beatles will show up on this journey more than any other band or artist as they have a whopping seven albums that have made the cut. I’m excited for every one of their outings as I would definitely consider myself a fan of their work. My father was obssesed with The Beatles when he was younger, so I’ve been exposed to their music since I was a kid. It wasn’t until Across the Universe, the 2007 film that worked Beatles’ songs into a fascinating narrative, that I really fell in love with some of their music, though. As for the album at hand – Rubber Soul – I also discovered something new: the UK and US releases on vinyl didn’t have the same track listing! So while this was the first album I listened to on vinyl since I own it, I had to supplement my Apple Music subscription to listen to many of the album’s most notable songs, including “Drive My Car”, and “If I Needed Someone”. The introduction of the sitar in “Norwegian Wood” also stands out as memorable. Overall, the album is not my favorite from the Fab Five, but it’s still a classic nonetheless.
Cinefessions’ #315Albums Rating: 81%
Image and quote courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
