Between the Buttons (1967)
The U.S. Version
1.Let's Spend the Night Together
2.Yesterday's Papers
3.Ruby Tuesday
4.Connection
5.She Smiled Sweetly
6.Cool, Calm and Collected
7.All Sold Out
8.My Obsession
9.Who's Been Sleeping Here?
10.Complicated
11.Miss Amanda Jones
12.Something Happened to Me Yesterday
Released a mere six months after the brilliant Aftermath, Between the Buttons is the kind of follow-up that feels more like a continuation than a fresh step forward. Stylistically, it’s hard to tell where one album ends and the other begins. That jangly, textured sound is still here. Brian Jones is still dragging out every obscure instrument known to man. The band is still dabbling in all sorts of sonic experiments. But this time, it doesn't quite land as well. The melodies aren’t as sharp, and the ambition sometimes outpaces the execution.
To complicate matters, the U.S. and U.K. versions of the album differ quite a bit, and not in trivial ways. The American version wisely includes two of the band’s biggest singles: the cheeky, sneering Let’s Spend the Night Together and the immortal Ruby Tuesday. These are easily the best things here—catchy, polished, and just rebellious enough to raise a few eyebrows. Had these not been included, the rest of the album would’ve had a much heavier lift.
To be fair, there’s still a lot of interesting material scattered across the record. Cool, Calm and Collected features a bizarre twenties-era shuffle, complete with Brian Jones on kazoo, and it somehow works. All Sold Out and My Obsession are both solid, with the latter offering up one of the heavier grooves on the record. Yesterday’s Papers opens things up nicely, and it’s another one where Jones shows off his musical utility belt—this time adding vibes to the mix. Who’s Been Sleeping Here? benefits from Ian Stewart’s boogie-woogie piano, helping give it a slinky, late-night charm.
Then there are the tracks that fall flat. She Smiled Sweetly feels like filler—pleasant, but completely forgettable. And the closer, Something Happened to Me Yesterday, is just a mess. It’s got a carnival/marching band vibe that sounds like it was recorded at 10 a.m. the morning after Mardi Gras. It’s the kind of song that makes you wonder if they were just seeing how far they could push things. Keith even sings lead on parts of it. It’s not unlistenable, but you won’t find yourself reaching for it again.
In the end, Between the Buttons is still a worthwhile listen, and if it had come out before Aftermath, it might be viewed more generously. There’s no shortage of creativity here—it definitely has a bit of hippie vibe before "hippie" was even a word.
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