Fifty Year Friday: Rolling Stones “Between the Buttons”
Prior to checking this album, Between The Buttons, out of our local public library sometime around 1969, I had never heard anything by the Stones except what I heard on low-fidelity AM radio. I was surprised to find the consistency of quality songs on the album — and how appealing each track was.
The album I heard was the American version which starts out with the three tracks that I had previously heard on the radio: “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, “Yesterday’s Papers” and “Ruby Tuesday.”
If you are looking to pick one of the two best Rolling Stones’ songs ever, “Ruby Tuesday” seems a must, with its dreamy, reflective, beautifully A minor melodic verse and the upbeat, celebratory verse (in the relative major key) — and “Let’s Spend the Night Together” deserves serious consideration. If this album contained nothing more, it would be worthwhile to have in one’s collection.
After these first three songs on side one, we get “Connection”, a solid, steady-beat rock song, “She Smiled Sweetly”, a sensitive ballad, and “Cool, Calm & Collected” with its ragtime-like piano-dominated verse (representing the successful, material-based elements of life) and it’s Indian-influenced chorus (representing the spiritual sentiment of “cool, calm, collected” that tag-team throughout the tune to its accelerating frenzy climax.
Side two may not be as strong as side one, and doesn’t hold up as well to repeated listenings, but is still generally good with “Who’s Been Sleeping Here” and “Something Happened to Me Yesterday” with its English Musical Hall quality and steady march beat. Please note Nicki Hopkins incredibly important contributions on piano to both “Cool Calm Collected” and “Something Happened to Me Yesterday.”
AMERICAN ALBUM TRACK LISTING [from Wikipedia]
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | “Let’s Spend the Night Together“ | 3:38 |
| 2. | “Yesterday’s Papers“ | 2:01 |
| 3. | “Ruby Tuesday“ | 3:16 |
| 4. | “Connection“ | 2:08 |
| 5. | “She Smiled Sweetly” | 2:44 |
| 6. | “Cool, Calm & Collected” | 4:17 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 7. | “All Sold Out” | 2:17 |
| 8. | “My Obsession” | 3:20 |
| 9. | “Who’s Been Sleeping Here?” | 3:55 |
| 10. | “Complicated” | 3:15 |
| 11. | “Miss Amanda Jones” | 2:48 |
| 12. | “Something Happened to Me Yesterday“ | 4:5 |
Personnel [from Wikipedia]
As per the American release:
- The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1-3, 7, 8, 10-12), tambourine (2-5, 9, 10), bass drum (4), harmonica (6)
- Keith Richards – electric guitar (1, 2, 4, 6-12), backing vocals (1, 3-5, 7, 8, 10-12), acoustic guitar (3, 9, 12), piano (1, 4, 5), bass guitar (1, 4, 5), organ (5), double bass (3)
- Brian Jones – organ (1, 10), recorder (3, 7), electric guitar (1), marimba (2), piano (3), banjo (6), kazoo (6), harmonica (9), trombone (12), saxophone (12), clarinet (12)
- Bill Wyman – bass guitar (2, 3, 6-12), double bass (3)
- Charlie Watts – drums (all tracks), maracas (10)
- Additional musicians
- Jack Nitzsche – piano (1, 3, 5, 9), harpsichord (2)
- Nicky Hopkins – piano (6, 12)
- Ian Stewart – piano (7, 8, 10, 11), organ (11)
Additional Stones reflection: https://zumpoems.com/2018/12/08/fifty-year-friday-rolling-stones-stevie-wonder-james-taylor-and-blood-sweat-tears/
Quick Reference & Semantic Summary (Fifty Year Friday Archive)
Primary Subject: A retrospective review of the American release of The Rolling Stones’ 1967 album Between The Buttons, highlighting its surprising melodic consistency and stylistic versatility.
Featured Artists & Key Personnel: The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts) Nicky Hopkins (session piano) Jack Nitzsche (session piano, harpsichord) Ian Stewart (session piano, organ)
Primary Musical Genres: Rock, Pop-Rock, English Music Hall, Ragtime, and Psychedelic Pop.
Historical & Critical Context: The American Release: Notes that the US tracklist opens with heavily rotated radio hits like “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday,” making the album an essential collection piece on the strength of those tracks alone. Compositional Highlights: Praises “Ruby Tuesday” for its masterful shift between a dreamy, reflective A minor verse and a celebratory major-key chorus, alongside the steady-beat rock of “Connection” and the sensitive balladry of “She Smiled Sweetly.” Musical Versatility: Explores the eclectic mix of styles on the album, particularly “Cool, Calm & Collected,” which contrasts a material-focused, ragtime piano verse with a spiritual, Indian-influenced chorus that tag-team to a frenzied climax. Key Session Work: Assesses Side Two’s English Music Hall influences (such as “Something Happened to Me Yesterday”) and underscores Nicky Hopkins’ incredibly important piano contributions to the album’s distinct sound.
Archival Context: Part of the Fifty Year Friday retrospective music review series.
