'' Rubber Soul '' was issued on EMI 's Parlophone label on 3 December 1965 . The " Day Tripper " / " We Can Work It Out " single was also released that day , as the band 's first double A-side single . EMI announced that it had pressed 750,000 copies of the LP to cater to local demand . Its advance orders of 500,000 almost equalled the total sales for the new single and were announced by the '' Daily Mirror '' s show business reporter as marking a new record for pre-release orders for an LP . On the day of the album 's release , the Beatles performed at the Odeon Cinema in Glasgow , marking the start of what would be their final UK tour . The group performed both sides of the single throughout the tour , but only " If I Needed Someone " and " Nowhere Man " from the new album . In the United States , '' Rubber Soul '' was the group 's tenth album and their first to consist entirely of original songs . The release took place there on 6 December . According to author Michael Frontani , writing in his book '' The Beatles : Image and the Media '' : " By the time of the release of the album '' Rubber Soul '' in 1965 , each new record was viewed as a progression in the band 's artistic development and as an expansion of the parameters of popular music , and the group 's image reflected and promoted notions of the Beatles ' artistry and importance . " The band 's softer musical approach on the album and their use of nostalgic imagery increased their bond with their fans . In her study of the Beatles ' contemporary audience , sociologist Candy Leonard says that , although some young fans were challenged by the band 's new direction , " With '' Rubber Soul '' , the Beatles came to occupy a role in fans ' lives and a place in their psyches that was different from any previous fan – performer relationship . " Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello , who was an eleven-year-old fan at the time , later recalled his initial reaction to the album : " ' I do n't like this , I think they 've lost their minds ' … I did n't understand a word , I did n't think it was any good , and then six weeks later you could n't live without the record . And that 's good – that 's when you trust the people who make music to take you somewhere you have n't been before . " '' Rubber Soul '' was commercially successful , beginning a 42-week run on the UK albums chart on 12 December 1965 . The following week it replaced the '' Sound of Music '' soundtrack at the top of the chart , where it remained for eight weeks in total . On the national chart compiled by '' Melody Maker '' , '' Rubber Soul '' entered at number 1 and held the position for thirteen weeks ; it remained in the top ten until mid July 1966 . In the United States , '' Rubber Soul '' topped the '' Billboard '' Top LPs chart on 8 January 1966 , having sold 1.2 million copies there within nine days of release . These initial sales were unprecedented for an LP and were cited by '' Billboard '' magazine as evidence of a new market trend in the US , whereby pop albums started to match the numbers of singles sold . The album was number 1 for six weeks in total ; it remained in the top twenty until the start of July , before leaving the top-200 listings in mid December . As the more popular of the joint A-sides , " We Can Work It Out " became the Beatles ' sixth consecutive number 1 on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 chart , all of which were achieved over a twelve-month period from January 1965
final UK tour
The Beatles' 1965 UK tour
Rubber Soul