Rubber Soul: Special Edition is an expanded reissue of the 1965 album Rubber Soul by the English rock band the Beatles. It released on 2 October 2026 by Apple Records.
Background and release On 28 July 2026, a cryptic countdown appeared on the Beatles' official website with the caption "Good things come to those who Wait", referencing a Rubber Soul track. The countdown ended at 2PM BST, with the announcement being Rubber Soul: Special Edition. The box set was leaked by Amazon France, who put the set up on their website for pre-order before the timer ended.
The release contains a partially complete unreleased demo recorded by John Lennon titled "Little Girl". It also contains the 2023 remixes of the group's non-album single released around that time, "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out". The first take of "Michelle" was released as the first single from the set. The songwriting work tape of "Day Tripper" was released as the second single from the set. Take two of "Norwegian Wood" was released as the third single from the set.
Contents
Newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, the definitive version of the album is packaged in a 4CD/5LP edition featuring new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes along with the original mono mix and the original Capitol US and Canadian album version.
The CD set contains four discs: the first disc being new stereo mixes of the international (except North America) Rubber Soul's tracks, the second disc being the demos and session takes and backing tracks, as well as the 2023 remix of the non-album double A-side single "We Can Work It Out" / Day Tripper", recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions from the 2023 remix of the 1962–1966 Beatles compilation album, the third disc being the original mono mix of the release of Rubber Soul in everywhere except North America, and the fourth disc being a reassembly of the US and Canadian release by Capitol Records.
The 88-page booklet contains an introduction from Paul McCartney, and a foreword compiled from Lennon's own words.
The album's new stereo remixes were sourced from the original four-track master tapes, and were created with the help of the "de-mixing" technology developed by the team at director Peter Jackson's WingNut Films for his 2021 The Beatles: Get Back documentary series.
Track listing According to the Beatles' official store:
Reissue personnel
According to the following sources:
Giles Martin – remixer Sam Okell – engineer
References