Between The Buttons (UK) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [HYBRID SACD]

The Rolling Stones

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Original Release Date: January 20, 1967
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Hybrid SACD
• Label: Abkco
• ASIN: B00006AW2D
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,773 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Once known as hard-core blues/R&B traditionalists, the Stones plunged deeper into the waters of original songwriting on BETWEEN THE BUTTONS, leading to a golden age of classic albums including LET IT BLEED, BEGGAR'S BANQUET and EXILE ON MAIN STREET. BUTTONS was also the last album produced by then-manager/svengali Andrew Loog Oldham. More importantly, the obscure songs on this tight package show the Stones coming into their own as composers.

Between the melodic balladry of "Back Street Girl" and Mick Jagger's Dylanesque inflections on "She Smiled Sweetly," BUTTONS found the Stones in a strata far beyond covering Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. Although none of these developments ranks with the Beatles' contemporaneous sonic experiments, the Fabs' bad-boy counterparts showed differing degrees of whimsy and sass, i.e. Ian Stewart's barrelhouse piano and Brian Jones' kazoo playing on "Cool, Calm & Collected" or the Dixieland-flavored "Something Happened To Me Yesterday."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is It! - The Real Thing At Last, September 8, 2002

By	Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the remastered January 20, 1967 - U.K. Decca release 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.

This is the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material. ABCKO acquired the Stones' catalog after Allen Klein became their manager in 1965. 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.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY the authorised UK version!, September 3, 2002

By	Brian Christie (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Button Up With The Stones!, September 9, 2002

By A Customer

"Between The Buttons" is easily one of The Rolling Stones best albums. Like most Britsh LPs from the '60s (before The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper and The Stones' "Satanic Majesties") "Buttons" has been issued on both sides of the Atlantic with different contents. With ABKCO's Stones' restoration project, you can choose between the US and UK versions of "Between The Buttons". The UK version of this album is the definitive one and is the one to go for. While you lose the hits "Ruby Tuesday" & "Let's Spend The Night Together" you'll gain by getting "Back Street Girl" and "Please Don't Go" which are two of the best Stones' LP cuts (and you can get "Ruby" & "Night" on any Stones compilation). "Buttons" catches The Stones at the beginning of the psychedelic era with exotic instumetation (harpsichord, marimba, banjo, kazoos) enchancing the groups sound without overwhelming it (as they would on "Satanic Majesties") and shows some the funniest ("Cool, Calm & Collected", "Something Happend To Me Yesterday"), caustic ("Yesterday's Papers" , "All Sold Out") and melodic ("Back Street Girl", "She Smiled Sweetly") songs that The Stones ever recorded. The remastering here is excellent and is far superior to the CD issued in the '80s. In short, one of the greatest albums of the '60s has finally been done justice. Button up!