Amazon France has inadvertently published the complete track listing for The Beatles’ long anticipated Rubber Soul Super Deluxe Edition, confirming both the UK and US versions of the landmark 1965 album will be included alongside an extensive collection of session recordings and alternate takes.
by Paul Cashmere
The Beatles’ forthcoming Rubber Soul Super Deluxe Edition appears to have been revealed ahead of schedule after Amazon France briefly published the complete four disc track listing before Apple Corps’ official announcement. The listing confirms the release will feature newly remixed editions of both the original UK album and the Capitol Records US configuration, together with a substantial archive of studio outtakes, alternate takes and period recordings.
The premature publication effectively confirms weeks of speculation surrounding the next release in The Beatles’ acclaimed archival series. It also answers one of the biggest questions surrounding the project by showing that Apple has chosen to present both the internationally recognised Parlophone version of Rubber Soul and the distinctly different American Capitol Records edition, acknowledging the album’s dual history on either side of the Atlantic.
Disc One follows the original UK running order released in December 1965, beginning with “Drive My Car” and concluding with “Run For Your Life”. Disc Four recreates the Capitol Records version issued in the United States, which opened with “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and omitted “Drive My Car”, “Nowhere Man”, “What Goes On” and “If I Needed Someone” in favour of two tracks drawn from the British Help! album.
The inclusion of both versions reflects the album’s unique place in Beatles history. While the UK edition has long been regarded as the definitive artistic statement approved by the band and producer George Martin, the American configuration became enormously influential in its own right. Its folk influenced opening sequence left a lasting impression on generations of US listeners and has often been cited as shaping perceptions of the album’s sound.
The newly published listing also points to a comprehensive collection of studio material across Disc Two. Multiple versions of “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, “Day Tripper”, “We Can Work It Out”, “In My Life”, “Nowhere Man”, “I’m Looking Through You” and “Michelle” are included, together with the spoken recording “Beatle Talk” and “Little Girl”. While the listing confirms titles only, it suggests the box will follow the established format of previous Beatles Super Deluxe Editions by presenting alternate takes, work in progress recordings and session highlights from the Rubber Soul era.
The release continues a series that has already revisited Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (White Album), Abbey Road, Let It Be and Revolver. Each has featured new stereo mixes overseen by Giles Martin using advanced audio separation technology capable of isolating instruments and vocals that were originally locked together on four track master tapes.
Rubber Soul has long been viewed as one of the most technically challenging albums in The Beatles’ catalogue. Much of the album was recorded on four track machines with vocals and instruments combined onto shared tracks, making conventional remixing impossible. Advances in machine assisted audio separation developed during work on Revolver, the expanded Red and Blue collections and “Now And Then” have since made it possible to revisit these recordings while preserving the integrity of the original performances.
Several Rubber Soul session recordings have previously surfaced through earlier archival projects. Anthology 2 featured “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” Take 1, “I’m Looking Through You” Take 1 and an edited version of “12-Bar Original”. The expanded Anthology collection later added “In My Life” Take 1 and an early version of “Nowhere Man”. The 2023 expanded 1962-1966 collection also introduced newly remixed versions of several Rubber Soul era recordings, demonstrating how the latest restoration technology could be applied to the material.
Historically, Beatles archival releases have been issued during the final quarter of the year ahead of the Christmas market. With the track listing now publicly visible before Apple’s planned announcement, attention will quickly shift to confirmation of release formats, audio specifications and the extensive hardcover book that has accompanied previous Super Deluxe Editions.
For Beatles collectors, the accidental Amazon France listing has transformed what was expected to be a carefully staged reveal into an early confirmation of one of the year’s most anticipated catalogue releases.
Amazon France has the box set priced at 126.74 Euro for the CD set (roughly $AUD206).
Tracklisting
Disc 1 (Original UK tracklisting)
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
Disc 2 (Outtakes)
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 (Mono version)
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
Disc 4 (Original US tracklisting)
I’ve Just Seen A Face
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
You Won’t See Me
Think For Yourself
The Word
Michelle
It’s Only Love
Girl
I’m Looking Through You
In My Life
Wait
Run For Your Life
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