Guide to British Music of the 1960s

June 2002

CD Review

The Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons

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This is a Rolling Stones album from the mid-1960s period. It followed the classic Aftermath and preceded Their Satanic Majesties Request. There are no singles on the album, or at least on the UK release of it. It doesn't need them as this is a fine collection of Rolling Stones tracks. It was the final production work by Andrew Loog Oldham who moved to form Immediate Records. 

While it does not have the immediate punch of a track such as Satisfaction or 19th Nervous Breakdown, it does have consistency not just in the song quality but also in the music. There are fuzzy guitar riffs everywhere and Charlie Watts' drums are well to the fore. Maybe the fact that it did not contain singles meant that it did not earn the recognition that it deserves. Maybe this is Rubber Soul for the Stones. 

The album begins strong with the bass and drum intro to Yesterday's Papers. Fuzzy guitars are all over My Obsession and Connection. Connection was Keith Richards' first solo composing effort. 

There are some high quality ballads included such as Back Street Girl and She Smiles Sweetly. Cool Calm and Collected show that the Stones were able to embrace a style more akin to British music hall with the honky-tonk piano. 

Complicated is one the album's strongest tracks. Again this has plenty of fuzzy guitar and Charlie Watts driving the track forward.

The album ends with Mick Jagger's Dixon of Dock Green impression. this proved to be somewhat ironic as Keith Richards' Redlands home was raided by the police shortly afterwards. 

Note: The current Deram CD release includes Ruby Tuesday and Let's Spend the Night Together in place of Back Street Girl and Please Go Home. This is the US version of the album, not the original UK release.