Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. Yesterday's Papers |
| 2. My Obsession |
| 3. Back Street Girl |
| 4. Connection |
| 5. She Smiled Sweetly |
| 6. Cool, Calm And Collected |
| 7. All Sold Out |
| 8. Please Go Home |
| 9. Who's Been Sleeping Here? |
| 10. Complicated |
| 11. Miss Amanda Jones |
| 12. Something Happened To Me Yesterday |
Product Description
none
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
'Between The Buttons' is a little lighter and possibly a little more uneven than the Stones previous album 'Aftermath'. However it still contains some very inspired moments although its style is less than typical for the Stones.
'Between The Buttons' fits very well into the timeframe it was recorded (late 1966) as its musical direction is quite typical for a number of groups from around that time (for example The Kinks). There is a certain vaudeville influence on one or two of the songs as well as a real Old English flavour to virtually all of the songs.
On the whole the songs work extremely well with Brian Jones once again making his mark playing some unusual instruments. I particuarly love his accordian playing on the waltz influenced 'Back Street Girl'. It's a little like 'Lady Jane' with its slight aristocratic associations. 'Yesterday's Papers', 'Connection' and 'Who's Been Sleeping Here? are all great - the latter featuring a cast of characters is very reminiscent of Bob Dylan's in its style of writing. 'She Smiled Sweetly' is another unusual sounding song - this time resembling a church sermon.
The only times the album sounds less convincing is when the Stones put more emphasis on the vaudevillian influences ('Cool Carm And Collected' and 'Something Happened To Me Yesterday') yet these songs are still very enjoyable.
'Between The Buttons' is a long way from the Stones more celebrated style of music yet it contains a number of real treasures. It's just a shame the Stones today seem to neglect so much this rich part of their musical legacy.
'Between The Buttons' fits very well into the timeframe it was recorded (late 1966) as its musical direction is quite typical for a number of groups from around that time (for example The Kinks). There is a certain vaudeville influence on one or two of the songs as well as a real Old English flavour to virtually all of the songs.
On the whole the songs work extremely well with Brian Jones once again making his mark playing some unusual instruments. I particuarly love his accordian playing on the waltz influenced 'Back Street Girl'. It's a little like 'Lady Jane' with its slight aristocratic associations. 'Yesterday's Papers', 'Connection' and 'Who's Been Sleeping Here? are all great - the latter featuring a cast of characters is very reminiscent of Bob Dylan's in its style of writing. 'She Smiled Sweetly' is another unusual sounding song - this time resembling a church sermon.
The only times the album sounds less convincing is when the Stones put more emphasis on the vaudevillian influences ('Cool Carm And Collected' and 'Something Happened To Me Yesterday') yet these songs are still very enjoyable.
'Between The Buttons' is a long way from the Stones more celebrated style of music yet it contains a number of real treasures. It's just a shame the Stones today seem to neglect so much this rich part of their musical legacy.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It still puzzles me why this album is so criminally ignored, especially in direct comparison to 'AFTERMATH' which is considered a classic by critics. There isn't a duff track on the album (how many other Stones albums can you truly say that about? Maybe 'STICKY FINGERS'?) which is completely written by Jagger/ Richards.
Perhaps the most striking difference when compared to most Stones albums is that it is far less rock/ rhythmn & blues orientated; instead its an album chock full of melodic pop songs. Lyrically it still features the 'poison pen' approach that the Stones have always been good at but with a new found musical awareness (check out the waltz time accordian driven 'Backstreet Girl' or psych-pop of 'Yesterday's Papers').
This perhaps is the key to the success of the album, as the music goes into Dylan terrority ('Who's Been Sleeping Here?'),vaudeville ('Cool, Calm, Collected'),psychedelia ('Please Go Home') and Dixie Jazz ('Something Happened To Me Yesterday'). In addition the songwriting is very strong as they rely less on riffs and more on melody and harmony. On several songs Jagger seems to really attempt to stretch his vocal range and its actually quite appealing.
The Stones would continue in this "softer" direction with the even more psychedelic (and indulgent) 'THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST', before returning to their roots with 'BEGGARS BANQUET'. They haven't really strayed too far from their core sound since. Given the fact that tracks from this album are rarely found on Stones comps it makes getting this album all the more essential.
Perhaps the most striking difference when compared to most Stones albums is that it is far less rock/ rhythmn & blues orientated; instead its an album chock full of melodic pop songs. Lyrically it still features the 'poison pen' approach that the Stones have always been good at but with a new found musical awareness (check out the waltz time accordian driven 'Backstreet Girl' or psych-pop of 'Yesterday's Papers').
This perhaps is the key to the success of the album, as the music goes into Dylan terrority ('Who's Been Sleeping Here?'),vaudeville ('Cool, Calm, Collected'),psychedelia ('Please Go Home') and Dixie Jazz ('Something Happened To Me Yesterday'). In addition the songwriting is very strong as they rely less on riffs and more on melody and harmony. On several songs Jagger seems to really attempt to stretch his vocal range and its actually quite appealing.
The Stones would continue in this "softer" direction with the even more psychedelic (and indulgent) 'THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST', before returning to their roots with 'BEGGARS BANQUET'. They haven't really strayed too far from their core sound since. Given the fact that tracks from this album are rarely found on Stones comps it makes getting this album all the more essential.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Parked unobtrusively between the critically acclaimed Aftermath and the misguided (though enjoyable) psychedelic pudding, Their Satanic Majesties Request, was this musical curiosity from the Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons. Released at the beginning of 1967, Between the Buttons emerged at a time when the Stones were jaded after three years in the limelight, and it showed; the album didn't really know what it was about and the band seemed momentarily bereft of inspiration. Consequently, this is the Rolling Stones album that time has all but forgotten, perhaps deliberately so; Mick Jagger later said he hated it.
Yet Between the Buttons is not really a bad album as such; it's just not a very memorable one. It contains a number of enjoyable songs, and in places it is musically quite stylish, lyrical and poignant, though the adjective of choice for all the tracks here on offer is 'lightweight'; no song from Between the Buttons will ever pop up on a list of the Rolling Stones' best. That said, there is a strangely modern feel to this album, and if I was hearing two or three of its songs for the first time, I'd never guess that they were four decades old.
The track list is a mix of high-tempo pop songs, some very English whimsy, and a couple of maudlin, downbeat tunes. A few studio 'effects' are in evidence and the guitars clearly benefited from a fuzzbox or two, though the reverb was overdone. All Sold Out, Connection, and Complicated are probably the pick of the upbeat songs, the latter especially, while My Obsession and Please Go Home, though interesting, are messy and sloppily produced. The two slow tunes, She Smiled Sweetly and Back Street Girl, are both endearing, with the second being actually quite beautiful. Something Happened to Me Yesterday is a five-minute whimsical effort that completes the set, and is unusual in that Keith Richards sings the chorus. The song is fun.
It's difficult to know who will buy this album now; Stones fans will already own it, and its reputation is not so great as to attract many curious listeners from the present. However, Between the Buttons, though critically damned over the years, is an eccentric and interesting collection that still deserves our attention. This album was probably the last gasp from the Rolling Stones as pure pop stars before they slowly morphed into "the greatest rock and roll band in the world" with the seminal albums Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed, so because of its role as an important link between the first two stages of the band's evolution, Between the Buttons deserves to be remembered and enjoyed.
Yet Between the Buttons is not really a bad album as such; it's just not a very memorable one. It contains a number of enjoyable songs, and in places it is musically quite stylish, lyrical and poignant, though the adjective of choice for all the tracks here on offer is 'lightweight'; no song from Between the Buttons will ever pop up on a list of the Rolling Stones' best. That said, there is a strangely modern feel to this album, and if I was hearing two or three of its songs for the first time, I'd never guess that they were four decades old.
The track list is a mix of high-tempo pop songs, some very English whimsy, and a couple of maudlin, downbeat tunes. A few studio 'effects' are in evidence and the guitars clearly benefited from a fuzzbox or two, though the reverb was overdone. All Sold Out, Connection, and Complicated are probably the pick of the upbeat songs, the latter especially, while My Obsession and Please Go Home, though interesting, are messy and sloppily produced. The two slow tunes, She Smiled Sweetly and Back Street Girl, are both endearing, with the second being actually quite beautiful. Something Happened to Me Yesterday is a five-minute whimsical effort that completes the set, and is unusual in that Keith Richards sings the chorus. The song is fun.
It's difficult to know who will buy this album now; Stones fans will already own it, and its reputation is not so great as to attract many curious listeners from the present. However, Between the Buttons, though critically damned over the years, is an eccentric and interesting collection that still deserves our attention. This album was probably the last gasp from the Rolling Stones as pure pop stars before they slowly morphed into "the greatest rock and roll band in the world" with the seminal albums Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed, so because of its role as an important link between the first two stages of the band's evolution, Between the Buttons deserves to be remembered and enjoyed.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Who's Been Sleeping Here?
Between The Buttons is a curious anomaly in The Stones' canon but, sitting between Aftermath & Their Satanic Majesties' Request, it actually makes perfect sense. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rooksby
Not good!
I'm someone who generally likes to post positive reviews. However having just relistened to this album I'm struggling to say anything positive about it and I'm surprised that most... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Alastair Brown
Early psychedelic masterpiece
The fact that this was released the same year as 'Sgt Peppers' probably explains partially why it has been rather overlooked . Read more
Published 2 months ago by John
A GEM
This album was panned by the critics in 1967 because it was so different from Aftermath (1966) and opinions tend to be for or against rather than neutral. Read more
Published 5 months ago by james
to be SACD or not to be SACD
While this is obviously a classic Stones album (of it's time), it's the Amazon categories that are at fault here. It's not an SACD, even though it's listed as such. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Gav
Good to see the UK version...
It's good to see the UK version available, but for a pedant, it's a little annoying to see the band's name and album title displayed prominently on the front cover when the... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by Bernard J. Ryan
When Brian ruled.
This is an album when Brian Jones heavily influenced the Rolling Stones output. More lyrical, less rock. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2009 by nelson
Rolling Stones going Merseybeat
If you like Hollies, Kinks and so on then this is the Stones album to get. More melodic than their otherwise more rock'n'roll based albums. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2007 by Unsmart
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
