Phil Angotti on Rubber Soul

It’s time to talk about the new five-LP, four-CD deluxe box set dedicated to the Beatles’ 1965 masterwork Rubber Soul, so we enlisted Phil Angotti, a Chicago musician who not only performs Beatles songs but whose own songs are inspired by such smart, tuneful music. Angotti and I dig into the new Giles Martin/Sam Okell mix, the all-analog masters of the mono mix and the original U.S. stereo version, and the two-record collection of sessions, demos and studio chatter. Is the new mix the definitive one or unwelcome revisionism? Which is superior, the UK or U.S. sequence? Which Rubber Soul track is Angotti’s favorite Beatles song of all? What do we think of the previously undiscovered Lennon demo “Little Girl”? Angotti also discusses his own impressive discography, including 2023’s Once Around Again; his work with Material Issue and whether that band will ever record new material; his vintage guitar collection and love of Rickenbackers; and what’s next.