Paul McCartney Reveals How a Simple Mistake Created One of The Beatles’ Most Iconic Album Covers

Paul McCartney and the rest of The Beatles trusted fate when it came to the band. Speaking to NME, McCartney recalled the process of choosing the cover image for the Fab Four’s 1965 album, Rubber Soul.

“Our friendship with the photographer Robert Freeman, who had lived in the same block of flats as John [Lennon], meant that he was an obvious choice to take the cover photograph,” McCartney said. “We did the session with Robert, and he showed us the results. The method he used in those days was to project the images he had taken on to a white piece of cardboard the shape and size of an album cover.”

While the guys were looking at the images, McCartney said, “the piece of cardboard slipped backwards, giving the image an elongated shape.”

“When things like this happened with The Beatles, instead of just thinking it was a mistake, we grabbed hold of the idea and said, ‘That’s perfect. If you print it with this stretched shape it will echo the title of Rubber Soul,’” he said. “Robert liked the idea and that is what we did.”

What to Know About The Beatles’ Rubber Soul

McCartney’s statement came shortly after the band released a special edition of the LP. The updated version was newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell.

The release presents the album in new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes. It also includes the original mono mix and original Capitol U.S. album version.

The album is expanded with previously unreleased session recordings and home demos. It additionally features the contemporary “Day Tripper” / “We Can Work It Out” single.

According to a press release, Lennon once described Rubber Soul as “the first album where we took over control completely.” Meanwhile, McCartney dubbed it “a very exciting record to make,” and said he considered it “a strong advance on what had gone before.”

“Rubber Soul was my favorite album, even at that time,” George Harrison said. “I think it was the best one we made; we certainly knew we were making a good album.”

As for Ringo Starr, he called it “the departure record,” reflecting that “we were stretching a lot more in the writing and the playing” and “opening up to a lot of different attitudes, a lot of experimentation.”

Photo by Dave Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Stella McCartney

The post Paul McCartney Reveals How a Simple Mistake Created One of The Beatles’ Most Iconic Album Covers appeared first on American Songwriter.