Customer Reviews

Between the Buttons (US Version)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the remastered February 10, 1967 - U.S. London release, which was not as the Stones intended it. To further explain:

With the release of the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material), there are now 2 different Between The Buttons releases available, the original UK version that was released on January 20, 1967 and the US version that was released on February 10, 1967. There are now 2 US versions, the original CD release (which is the same mix as the original vinyl release) and the remastered version, which has much better sound, although some reviewers are commenting that not all tracks have been mixed to the same quality level.

In addition, the UK and US versions include different tracks. The Stones designed the UK release, which did not include the just released single Let's Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday. The American record execs removed Back Street Girl and Please Go Home to make room for the two single cuts. To clarify:

There are 3 Between The Buttons releases:
January 20, 1967 - U.K. Decca (remastered on SACD)
.....does not include Let's Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday
February 10, 1967 - U.S. London (remastered on SACD)
.....does not include Back Street Girl and Please Go Home
February 10, 1967 - U.S. London (not remastered)
.....does not include Back Street Girl and Please Go Home

Back Street Girl and Please Go Home were released in the U.S. on the Flowers album on July 14, 1967. Let's Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday were released on an album in the U.K. on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) on September 12, 1969.

Note: ABCKO acquired the Stones' catalog when Allen Klein became their manager in the 70s. The resulting legal battles produced releases that the Stones opposed (they took out full page adds asking fans not to buy them), including the controversial Metamorphosis releases (which are now available on CD for the 1st time ever). But the sad fact is that the Stones lost control of their great early material. With the remastered SACD releases, we at last have some idea of what they really sounded like in the studio. I guess if we had these 40 years ago they would have ended up Greatest Rock And Roll Band in the Universe instead of just the Greatest Rock And Roll Band in the World.

The Between The Buttons tracks were recorded in 1966 as follows:

Aug 3-11, 1966 at RCA Studios in Hollywood
.....Who's Been Sleeping Here?
.....Miss Amanda Jones
.....Connection
.....Back Street Girl
.....All Sold Out
.....Please Go Home
.....Let's Spend The Night Together
.....Something Happened To Me Yesterday
.....Cool, Calm, Collected
.....Complicated
.....Yesterday's Papers
.....She Smiled Sweetly
.....My Obsession
Nov 9-26, 1966 at Olympic and Pye Studios in London
.....Ruby Tuesday
.....final mixes were done on all the Aug RCA Studio tracks as well

Tracks recorded at the Aug RCA sessions but not released on Between The Buttons were:
.....Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?
.....Who's Driving Your Plane (also released as Who's Driving My Plane)
Tracks recorded at the Aug RCA sessions but never released were:
.....Panama Powder Room
.....Godzi
.....Get Yourself Together
.....Something BB
Tracks recorded at the Nov Olympic/Pye sessions but not released on Between The Buttons were:
.....Dandelion
Tracks recorded at the Aug RCA sessions but never released were:
.....Trouble In Mind
.....English Summer

An interesting note is that English Summer was intended as a UK single release, but it was put on hold (and never released) when Brian, Mick, and Keith's arrests began in the summer of 67. We Love You was released instead. It was recorded with Nicky Hopkins, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney as a thank you for fan support during the trials.

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection.

Don't get me wrong, the music on this CD is superb (hence the 5 star rating) but when The Rolling Stones and Andrew Loog Oldham (producer) made these recordings in the latter half of 1966 and sequenced it for release, THIS is not how the envisioned it. Their authorized version was issued in England on January 20, 1967 with "Let's Spend The Night Together" & "Ruby Tuesday" as their current single SEPERATE from the album (common UK practice at the time). In North America, they were shoehorned onto BETWEEN THE BUTTONS and in their place, "Backstreet Girl" & "Please Go Home" (both, especially the former, fine songs) were knocked off and put onto the loose ends US-compiled FLOWERS album in mid-1967. Buy the UK version. It's what the band intended, and besides, you can hear "LSTNT" & "RT" on FORTY LICKS, HOT ROCKS, THROUGH THE PAST, DARKLY & THE SINGLES COLLECTION. And chances are that you'd already have one of those above mentioned hits collections if you're shopping for their proper studio albums. Hope this helps. :-)

I don't care what anyone thinks, this is my all time favorite Rolling Stones. Everything about it is truly amazing. The songs are so diverse; they range from simple rockers like "Connection" and "My Obsession" to divine classics like "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday". "Let's Spend The Night Together" is the best Stones song ever recorded. I love everything about it; from the drumming to the backing vocals. "Ruby Tuesday" also stands out as very heartfelt, especially with Brian Jones playing the recorder. "Yesterday's Papers" is another good one that really has that sixties sound to it. I especially like the guitar solo in it. "She Smiled Sweetly" is a lovely ballad and songs like these are very rare in the Stones catalog. I love "My Obsession" also; it's very simple as is "Connection", where Keith delivers some of his best back-up vocals. "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" ends the album sweetly; the song is light hearted and fun. I enjoy listening to it.

This is probably the best of the Stones' three albums released between June 1976 and June 1977, with "Flowers" and "Aftermath" following. The songs are incredibly creative, with great variations in arrangements and mood, from the sexual rocker "Let's Spend the Night Together" to the truly romantic "She Smiled Sweetly" and the music hall romp of "Something Happened to Me Yesterday." It's also one of Jagger's most impressive vocal performances, with nuanced, risk-taking interpretations.

"Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" were released in the U.S. as the A- and B-sides. Because of the sexual lyrics of Let's Spend the Night Together, " "Ruby Tuesday" got more airplay and reached #1 on Billboard. Both songs represent the best of the Stones, and were included on the later "Flowers" LP. The great `Night' benefits from Jagger's impassioned vocals, rocking guitars and piano, and the doo-wop background at the break. The drumming is sometimes unimaginative though, but that's a minor problem. "Ruby Tuesday" is one of rock's greatest lyrical achievements, and, again, Jagger is completely triumphant." Brian Jones' recorder solo is just one of many examples of multi-instrumental texture on the album.

"Yesterday's Papers" is even better than remembered. It's fairly prosaic lyrically, but the minor key, unusual arrangement, and a great riff on marimba make this another great. "Connection" is also a bit simple, but has great drumming and drive, as well as the fun of all those "ion" rhymes: "direction," "injection," "infection," etc. "She Smiled Sweetly and "Cool, Calm, and Collected" are among Jagger's finest vocals. On the former, he sounds vulnerable, even grateful, and he sings it straight in a simple, low-toned voice. The Dylan-esque quality is notable as well as the churchy Hammond organ meshing with the almost reverential tone. Definitely a departure for the Stones. The latter song typically criticizes a woman, but there's a very playful quality in both Jagger's voice and the instrumentation and playing: a banjo/sitar, ragged piano, harmonica, and kazoo. (There's also some fun, purposefully bad notes by Richards, and a sped-up ending) It's a fantastic combination of the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Bonzo Dog Band, and echoes England's great music hall tradition. The same mix permeates the wonderfully playful "Something Happened to Me Yesterday," one of their most underrated songs (and even more reminiscent of the Beatles).

The remaining songs are more typical (but still excellent) Stones fare, with "Amanda Jones" standing out for its harmonies and driving rock/pop attitude. "All Sold Out" (dig those "hey hey!" background vocals) and "My Obsession" (great bass riff, drumming, and probably Nicky Hopkins on piano) feature Keith Richard's biting guitar licks. They barely qualify as solos, but they give a taste of things to come. "Who's Been Sleeping Here" echoes Dylan both vocally and musically (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is obvious) and, though Jagger's vocal is uneven, the mix of acoustic and electric guitars is very appealing. Only "Complicated" is a disappointment. The best of these songs predate and, arguably, rival the creativity of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper." The album definitely evokes 1960's London, but the sound is transcendent.

Please, do yourself a favor and get the U.K. release of _Between the Buttons_ rather than the U.S. release. The U.K. album is well-balanced and has two tracks that you must hear -- especially "Backstreet Girl," which is now one of my favorite Stones songs. Sure, "Ruby Tuesday" and "Let's Spend the Night Together" are great songs; they just don't fit on the album very well. My advice: buy the U.K. version from Amazon and download the two hits from iTu^es.

Comprised entirely of original material, "Between The Buttons" was released in early 1967 to mixed reviews.

Some critics, and part of the record-buying public as well, felt that the Rolling Stones had made a mistake in abandoning their raw, bluesy origins in favour of pop songs, Dylan-emulations, and psychedelia, and "Between The Buttons" is certainly the least R&B-influenced album the Stones had delivered at the time.
But it has a lot of qualities as well, and it went a long way towards establishing Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as versatile songwriters who could do a lot more than just cover Bo Diddley and write basic, three-chord rock songs.

The best-known songs on this superior US-edition are "Let's Spend The Night Together", a classic piano-driven rocker, and Keith Richards' quasi-"power ballad" "Ruby Tuesday", but songs like the mean-spirited "Yesterday's Paper", the catchy pop-rockers "Connection" and "Something Happened To Me Yesterday", and the grand "Who's Been Sleeping Here" are of high quality as well, showing how much the songwriting abilities of the Glimmer Twins had evolved.

A couple of these songs are a little too psychedelic for my taste, and I sometimes find myself wishing that the Stones would have stuck to being the Stones rather than attempting to be the Kinks.
But most of what's here is very good, and certainly worth your while. "Buttons" is hard to categorize...it is quite different from what most people would expect from the Rolling Stones, and those who prefer them in their hard rock-guise may be somewhat disappointed.

Still, "Buttons" also shows the breadth and depth of the Stones' collective talents, and while it's not consistently great there are several highlight here which any self-respecting Stones fan absolutely must hear.
3 3/4 stars. I'm not sure how to spell "breadth".

Between The Buttons is the superb follow up to Aftermath. It contains the band's fourth number one single, the lilting and reflective "Ruby Tuesday" which is rare ballad for the band. It's B-side is the much more Stone-like "Let's Spend The Night Together" which was very risqué for the times. "Yesterday's Papers" has a jazzy sound to it and "Connection" contains an early Keith Richards lead vocal effort. "My Obsession" and "Miss Amanda Jones" are hard, edgy rockers and "Cool, Calm & Collected" moves along as the title suggests. "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" is a goofy, whimsical track that closes out the album. Charlie Watts contributes some of his best drum playing as well as the cartoon that graced the album's back cover.

Between The Buttons is an early Rolling Stones recording with a more mature pop style. Yes there are some rocking guitar moments. However this one of the few Stones recordings which emphasizes the vocal harmonies and piano embellishments more.

Each of the band members make some noteworthy contributions. Charlie Watts' drumming is extremely steady and quite creative particularly on songs like All Sold Out and My Obsession. Love Bill Wyman's fuzz bass on that tune and in other spots. Brian Jones flute tones to Ruby Tuesday as well as the guitar tones on Who's Been Sleeping Here stand strong. Keith Richards' voice is definitely more evident in the mix on harmony vocals. He even gets his first solo lead vocal cameo on the rollicking Something Happened To Me Yesterday. His organ contributions to She Smiled Sweetly are very distingusihable. As for Mick Jagger, his voice is in fine form throughout. Sometimes loud, other times soft, but certainly captivating.

Besides the band members, the songs are extremely well written. Its not just rhythm and blues. Its carefully crafted tunes with catchy hooks galore. A strong Beatles influence exists here plus some cabaret stylings on a couple of tunes.

Truthfully this is not as hyped as Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, or Let It Bleed. However, quality-wise, Between The Buttons is on the level of these great discs with some special touches that make this recording unique.

This album is one of my favorites from The Stones. Released in January of 1967, it's another demonstration of how much change took place in rock music during the waning days of 1966. All of England was riveted by The Beatles "Revolver" and the psychedelic explosion was on it's way. Although the Stones weren't answering to their "Satanic Majesties Request" just yet, "Buttons" has its share of psychedelia just the same.

The American release (in February) substitutes "Back Street Girl" and "Please Go Home" for the A/B sides of their pre-release single "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lets Spend The Night Together." To me, it makes much more sense because opening the album with "Yesterdays Papers" (track 2 on the U.S. release) is just ludicrous, it's just not a strong enough track. The pounding piano intro to "Lets Spend The Night Together" opens the album perfectly and that's one reason why the American version gets my higher rating. "Back Street Girl" could have substituted a weaker track like "Complicated" and "Please Go Home" would've been perfect for "Satanic Majesties Request" but both tracks were released in the U.S. on "Flowers" in June of 1967.

"Ruby Tuesday" is by far one of the Stones most beautiful creations ever! The only Stones song that can get me to cry. Brian Jones was such a talented member of the Stones, his recorder flows like a babbling brook throughout the song gives it a feel and edge that other songs of this period just didn't have. The whole album is pure late '66 with its rocking, gentle, and whimsical moments all smeared together. For rocking there's "Lets Spend...," "Connected," "All Sold Out," "My Obsession," "Complicated," and "Miss Amanda Jones." For gentle there's "Ruby Tuesday," "She Smiled Sweetly," and the Dylan-ish "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" For whimsical there's "Cool Calm Collected" and "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" (which is about an LSD trip).

"Between The Buttons" also marks the end of the semi-innocent Stones (if there ever really was such a thing). After drug busts and closing out 1967 with "Satanic Majesties" the overtly-sexual, sort of semi-Satanic Stones would emerge in 1968 with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the "Beggar's Banquet" LP. Jagger would don an image of Lucifer on his arm during "The Rock and Roll Circus" in December of 1968.

"Between The Buttons" is a must for anyone interested in the changing sounds of rock music during the psychedelic transition that took place between 1966-1967. It's not quite as good as "Aftermath" or "Let It Bleed" but still one of their best I think!

This CD captures a very early sound.

Cool, Calm and Collected has a rich sweet but powerful melody to it

Something Happened to Me Yesterday is a unique piece too.

On the whole it's a unique sounding CD of The Rolling Stones that I recommend.