TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Between The Buttons" - The Rolling Stones (1967)

"Between The Buttons" - The Rolling Stones (1967)

I had never listened to this record proper.  Never gave it a spin front to back.  And I had no idea.  The music is much different from their early r&b cover song style.  Or their harder rock style that was on the horizon.  "Between The Buttons" is a straight-up pop-rock album dusted with psychedelic ideas here and there.  Spinning this square is like catching The Rolling Stones in the middle of shape-shifting.  And that's pretty cool.

Deeper track favorites include "She Smiled Sweetly" with its Dylanesque hints of "Just Like A Woman."  Just slightly, but that may just be my ears.  "My Obsession" has a garage-punk vibe with off-key vocals fighting for purchase and Charlie's drums reffing the match.  In fact, Charlie's drumming is way out front on a lot of the songs.  "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" is a real charmer and sounds the way Brian Jones looks on the cover.  In fact, Brian Jones reminds me of Brewster's crazy friend in the movie "Fright Night" and his presence is felt all over this square.  Not terribly psychedelic, but the pop-psych is present nonetheless.  The album makes for a pretty good snapshot of the times.  And of the Rolling Stones. 

"Between The Buttons" (back)

My copy has some ring wear near the bottom, but no splits or spine crud.  It was only $5 but had a visible scratch almost an inch long on one side.  I couldn't feel it, but it was ugly.  The dealer told me he wouldn't sell it if it wasn't a good spin and to bring it back if I wasn't happy.  I'd seen the dealer before, so I popped.  And the record did play just fine, as he said.  Weird how those things happen.  This almost completes my 60's Stones collection.  (I'm still missing "Aftermath" and "Beggar's Banquet.")

If you look real close on the front of the album, Charlie is wearing two buttons on his coat that reads "Between The Buttons" and "The Rolling Stones."  The story goes that Charlie Watts asked the producer Andrew Long Oldham what the album was going to be called and Oldham told him it's between the buttons...which is a British euphemism for "undecided."  Charlie thought that was really the name and after he finished the drawings on the back of the album, he titled it "Between The Buttons"...and the rest is history.  The album is #357 on RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

London label

Cat #
PS 499
SIDE A  MATRIX
P Q  XZAL 7616-1K  Bell Sound  (?)  A   
SIDE B  MATRIX
P Q  XZAL 7617-1P  1  Bell Sound  A S

"My Obsession" - The Rolling Stones / "Between The Buttons" (1967)

TRACKS:
A1  "Let's Spend the Night Together" 3:38
A2  "Yesterday's Papers" 2:01
A3  "Ruby Tuesday" 3:16
A4  "Connection" 2:08
A5  "She Smiled Sweetly" 2:44
A6  "Cool, Calm & Collected" 4:17
B1  "All Sold Out" 2:18
B2  "My Obsession" 3:20
B3  "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" 3:55
B4  "Complicated" 3:15
B5  "Miss Amanda Jones" 2:48
B6  "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" 4:55

PERSONNEL:
Mick Jagger - vocals, tambourine, bass drum, harmonica
Keith Richards - guitar, b-vocals, piano, bass guitar, double bass
Brian Jones - organ, guitar, accordion, recorder, vibraphone, piano, tambourine, harmonica, dulcimer, kazoo, b-vocals, tuba, trombone, trumpet
Bill Wyman - bass, double bass, b-vocals
Charlie Watts - drums, maracas
ADDITIONAL:
Jack Nitzsche - piano, harpsichord
Ian Stewart - piano, organ

Good stuff.

Follow Me On FACEBOOK

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Interview:-- Joan Staley (Actress - Classic Movies & Television)

Interview:--> Terry Kirkman (The Association)

Interview -- Henry Lee Summer (Singer/Songwriter)