Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label, alongside the non-album double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out". The original North American release, issued by Capitol Records, included ten of the fourteen songs and two tracks that had been withheld from the band's Help! (1965) album. Rubber Soul received positive critical response and achieved commercial success, topping sales charts in both Britain and the United States. Recording sessions took place in London over a four-week period beginning in October 1965. This was the first album the Beatles recorded without concurrent concert, radio, or film commitments. The album is often categorized as folk rock, particularly in its North American version, and incorporates elements of pop, soul, and folk music. The title is derived from the term "plastic soul," reflecting the band's acknowledgment of their interpretation of African-American soul music. Following A Hard Day's Night (1964), it was the second Beatles LP to contain only original material. The songs on Rubber Soul reflect the Beatles’ developing lyricism and experimentation with instrumentation, including sitar, harmonium, and fuzz bass, as well as brighter guitar tones. The album marked a shift in the band's approach to albums as artistic works, an approach they continued with Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)