Between the Buttons

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Template:Album infobox Between the Buttons is the fifth UK and seventh US studio album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1967 as the follow-up to the ambitious Aftermath.

Recorded in two spurts in Los Angeles in August 1966 and London that November, Between the Buttons caught The Rolling Stones at a period where they were moving more into arty territory and away from their R&B roots. With the release of The Beatles' Revolver, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde during 1966, the parameters of rock music had been expanded considerably and The Rolling Stones - in particular Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, as the main songwriters - were forced to keep up. Conscious that they had to progress beyond Aftermath, the Stones follow-up - betraying influences drawn from the British pop of contemporaries like The Kinks - was Between the Buttons. Although Jagger has publicly denounced the album over the years, it is still highly prized by most contemporary critics and considered somewhat of a curio for most Rolling Stones fans.

Much like Aftermath, Between the Buttons saw some differences in its UK and US versions. The UK edition (how producer Andrew Loog Oldham and The Rolling Stones intended it) was issued in January 1967 on Decca Records, concurrently with a separate single, "Let's Spend the Night Together" b/w "Ruby Tuesday". Because of common practice in the British record industry at the time, the single did not appear on the album. Generally well-received (although the critics took note of their influences), Between the Buttons reached #3 in the UK.

In the US, "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" were naturally slotted onto the album, with "Back Street Girl" (one of the album's major highlights) and "Please Go Home" getting the boot. With "Ruby Tuesday" (allegedly co-written with an uncredited Brian Jones) reaching #1, Between the Buttons shot to #2 in the US, going gold.

Brian Jones continues his experiments in exotic instruments on this album, playing electric and acoustic guitars, sitar, recorder, piano, trumpet, trombone, banjo and kazoo, in addition to singing backing vocals.

Additionally, Between the Buttons would prove to be the last album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, with whom The Rolling Stones would have a creative falling-out in mid-1967.

In the years following its release, Between the Buttons somehow became overlooked. Today, however, many critics and fans have come to appreciate the album's eclectic qualities and a wealth of obscure gems, making it a unique album in The Rolling Stones' released catalogue, one that more or less abandoned the Stones blues based and featured more consistent songwriting than their previous efforts.

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In August 2002 both editions of Between the Buttons were reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records.

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UK Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards except where noted.

"Yesterday's Papers" - 2:04
"My Obsession" - 3:17
"Back Street Girl" - 3:27
"Connection" - 2:08
"She Smiled Sweetly" - 2:44
"Cool, Calm And Collected" - 4:17
"All Sold Out" - 2:17
"Please Go Home" - 3:17
"Who's Been Sleeping Here?" - 3:55
"Complicated" - 3:15
"Miss Amanda Jones" - 2:47
"Something Happened To Me Yesterday" - 4:55

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US Track listing

"Let's Spend the Night Together" - 3:36
"Yesterday's Papers" - 2:04
"Ruby Tuesday"* - 3:17
"Connection" - 2:08
"She Smiled Sweetly" - 2:44
"Cool, Calm And Collected" - 4:17
"All Sold Out" - 2:17
"My Obsession" - 3:17
"Who's Been Sleeping Here?" - 3:55
"Complicated" - 3:15
"Miss Amanda Jones" - 2:47
"Something Happened To Me Yesterday" - 4:55

According to various people present during the recording of this song, this was a Brian Jones/Keith Richards composition. However on all official releases it remains a Mick Jagger/Keith Richards credit.

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