The Rolling Stones Album: “Between The Buttons UK [Remaster]”

On 20 January 1967, Decca Records issued The Rolling Stones' 5th studio album BETWEEN THE BUTTONS in the UK. After issuing AFTERMATH nine months earlier which was the first written completely by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard(s), the duo perform the same songwriting function here. "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" were concurrently released as the band's latest single. UK practice meant that it would remain independent from the album, while the US mentality was to kick off two songs and slap the single on to ensure sales (that's why "Paint It, Black" appears on the US AFTERMATH in the place of "Mother's Little Helper"). Avoid the US versions of both albums like the plague. They are not what The Rolling Stones and producer Andrew Loog Oldham had in mind when they created them. BETWEEN THE BUTTONS reached a strong # 3 in the UK (its American counterpart hit # 2). The Monkees inconceivably were what kept the infinitely superior Stones out of # 1. "Yesterday's Papers" was a brisk, trippy and sophisticated opener, with Brian Jones (who was starting to fall away during these sessions) on marimba. "My Obsession" is a fantastic and ingeniously abstract recording with Charlie and Keith as the focal points (on rigid and deliberately off-time and drums and Keith with his electric stun guitar effects - something that you can actually hear on this remastered CD which sounds WAY better than the 1986 version). "Back Street Girl", one of the castaways for the US album (it ended up on the loose ends compilation FLOWERS later in 1967), is one of the major highlights here with its parisienne waltz style with well played accordian. Great track. "Connection" is a brilliant example of Brit Rock in the mid-60's and still a band favorite today. It's short, catchy and infectious and you'll be hitting repeat on that one many times. "She Smiled Sweetly" (which apparently the band will revive for their upcoming tour) is distinguished by the church organ played by Keith. "Cool Calm And Collected" was a comedy number full of kazoos, banjos and a sped up ending with the band laughing at its end. Not the best cut here, but still fun to listen to. "All Sold Out" is more solid Brit Rock with Charlie's drums as the focal point. "Please Go Home" (again pushed onto the US FLOWERS album) is a Bo Diddley-ish song in the tradition of "Not Fade Away" - not the high point of the album, but still nice. "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" is a Dylan pastiche with its jangly piano and harmonica à la "Like A Rolling Stone". Beating Dylan at his own game is usually tough but this track pleases. The band return to their usual style with "Complicated" which is distinguished by its distorted lead guitar line (reminiscent of "Satisfaction"). Great and fun track. "Miss Amanda Jones" is more uptempo rock and "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" is a return to the music hall variety sound of "Cool Calm And Collected", though the subject matter is about taking acid. Keith even sings a few lines (sounding nowhere near his raspy self now). All in all, BETWEEN THE BUTTONS was, and still is, a great Rolling Stones album. It has always been considered inferior to AFTERMATH, and while the number of phenomenal songs are less forthcoming here, there's more clunkers on AFTERMATH, making BETWEEN THE BUTTONS the more balanced album. I love this album. The Stones were in the middle of the psychedelic period here - culminating in THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST, after which they returned to R&B. This may not be the best album the Stones ever did, but it is a piece of history and recorded by a band that was at the peak of creation and innovation.

Disclaimer: This review is *not* primarily a review of musical quality. Between the Buttons UK is one of my favorite albums, and if sound quality/etc. don't bother you, it should hopefully rank amoung your favorite Stones discs. That said, this is a reissue and--frankly--a long awaited one, so it must be judged in part as such.

As with many 60s groups, the Stones had their albums configured differently in the US and UK. Between the Buttons was no exception, with the US version losing "Please Go Home" and "Back-Street Girl" and gaining their current hit, "Let's Spend the Night Together/Ruby Tuesday," and suffering a slight reconfiguration in track order. ABKCO initially issued only the US version on CD, but for this reissue campaign--for reasons known only to them, although said reasons probably include a heck of a lot of green--they declined to "combine" the two albums, instead issuing both. Curious.

That said, to me, Buttons is the strongest of their pre-Beggars efforts, combining a pop sensibility with some excellent arrangements, and--unlike on Majesties and Aftermath--there don't seem to be any obvious "throwaways" here.

ABKCO's first CD version of Buttons was, in a word, horrific. What had once been a nice, wide stereo album was now a bizarre mixture of stereo, folded stereo, and near-mono tracks, with sub-par quality to boot. This new version is a definite upgrade, but is almost as frankensteinian as its predecessor; in short, it sounds like every track was worked on separately, without any consideration to the whole. Some tracks sound massively altered ("My Obsession" and "Miss Amanda Jones") while others sound comparitively untouched ("Connection" "Complicated"). If you're sensitive to these things, expect to be thrown off a bit. Also, while the stereo spectrum is much wider than on the old ABKCO disc, there is some folding in present, not to mention odd uses of noise reduction (the aforementioned "Miss Amanda Jones.")

The verdict? Great album, and this version will be just fine for the uninitiated. It's also a wonderful upgrade from the ABKCO disc. But if you're one of the lucky owners of the London Records disc that was in-print in Europe before 1995 (and Japan before 1997), think twice about upgrading, even with the correct UK tracklisting at stake; the London disc remains the best reference version of this album on CD.

This album was panned by the critics but is loved by those of us who have taken the time to check it out. My only complaint is the inclusion of Let's Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday which do not belong on this album. They were only put on to cash in on their hit status. On the original UK version they are left off and the songs Back Street Girl and Please Go Home appear. Also if you have the original on vinyl there is a cartoon on the back drawn by Charlie Watts. Whether you have the US or UK version this album is a lot of fun to listen to. One of the many highlights of this album is Keith's vocals on Something Happened to Me Yesterday. Keith sings lead for the first time. This tune is supposedly about Mick's first experience with acid. This album is unique for the Rolling Stones. Noone has recorded anything like it before or since. The only thing that comes close (about a million miles away) is Paul McCartney's Wings Wild Life which was a radical departure from the rest of his work. When I first bought this album (US version) over 20 years ago I played it once or twice and forgot about it. Years later I bought it on cassette (UK version). I started playing it in my car and I was hooked. Don't overlook this album like I did. It is an underated, often forgotten Stones' classic.

The four Stones' albums from 1968 through 1972 get all the acclaim, but in the era before Beggars Banquet there was one true masterpiece, Between The Buttons.

This collection of songs is unique in the Stones' catalogue: nothing sounds like it. It ain't blues, not hard rock or even psychedelia. Even worse, the Stones themselves disown the album and have rarely played any of these songs in concert. However, Frank Zappa and Neil Young swear by BUTTONS -- and so do I.

Between The Buttons is to the Stones what Rubber Soul was to The Beatles. It's the band's transitional album, a break from the past that explores new sounds, rhythms and instruments. BTB is also a rock album invaded by folk. Acoustic guitars dominate. Add to that the various textures in drumming and percussion by Mr. Watts that I've never heard on any other Stones record. And add to that the experimentation by Brian Jones on several tracks, most notably on Ruby Tuesday (on the US version), which is perhaps his shining hour.

Lyrically, Mick's misogyny continues to flourish on tracks such as Yesterday's Papers with its voodoo beat, and the bittersweet Back Street Girl, but Jagger reveals his tender side on the brooding and magnificent She Smiled Sweetly (used throughout The Royal Tenenbaums film). Arguably, BTB is the Stones album most influenced by Bob Dylan.

The Stones can still rock (Complicated, All Sold Out, Miss Amanda Jones), but there's little trace of Chuck Berry or Muddy Waters on these songs. Instead, BTB is a melting pot of musical styles that works wonderfully. It it both light and dark, hopeful and cynical, and above all imaginative.

My only complaint is with Mr. Klein for issuing both the UK and US versions when the track lists are virtually the same. What, you couldn't throw Ruby Tuesday and Let's Spend the Night Together onto the UK edition as bonus tracks?

The difference between the UK and US versions of "Between The Buttons" is probably the least disruptive of all the Stones' early albums. The single sides "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" are replaced by the equally good "Back Street Girl" (a classic, which has been gradually overlooked over time) and "Please Go Home" (an early stab at psychedelia), otherwise the essential feel and flow of the album is the same. Influenced by "Revolver", this was the group's attempt to come up with the perfect UK pop album, an attempt which is either viewed as a relative failure or a smashing success by fans and critics alike. I go for the latter--if The Stones could only release an album half as good as "Between The Buttons" these days, I'd be more than satisfied. The sound quality on the remaster is not as dramatic as that for "Aftermath" but still an improvement; there is even an added stereo effect at the end of "Cool Calm And Collected" I had never heard before. The packaging is faithful to the original vinyl, and of course the cover photo is one of the best--if not THE best--in the band's career. With songs like "Yesterday's Papers", "My Obsession", "Back Street Girl", "All Sold Out", "Connection" and "Please Go Home" all perfect encapsulations of contemporary sounds by The Beatles, Who, Kinks, Yardbirds etc, this really is a snapshot of Swinging London at the height of its giddy, druggy glamour in late '66/early '67.