Description
Released in the UK in January 1967 by Decca Records and February by London Records in the US ndashnbspBetween The Buttonsnbspwas the Stonesrsquo fifth British and seventh US studio album. Released as the followup to Aftermath, this album marked a high point in the bandrsquos career, continuing their ventures into psychedelia and baroque pop balladry, it is among the bandrsquos most musically eclectic works. Brian Jones sidelined his guitar on much of the album, instead playing a wide variety of other instruments including organ, marimba, vibraphone, and kazoo.Piano contributions came from two session players former Rolling Stones member Ian Stewart and frequent contributor and studio legend Jack Nitzsche. It was the last album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, the bandrsquos manager and producer of all of their albums to this point.The album has one of the most striking sleeves of the period, featuring a classic Gered Mankowitz image on the cover. The photo shoot took place at 530 in the morning following an allnight recording session at Olympic Studios. Using a homemade camera filter constructed of black card, glass and Vaseline, Mankowitz created the effect of the Stones dissolving into their surroundings ndash according to Mankowitzhellipldquoto capture the ethereal, druggy feel of the time that feeling at the end of the night when dawn was breaking and theyrsquod been up all night making music, stoned.rdquoThe songs continued Aftermathrsquos lyrics of acute social observation and savage insight, their earlier raw, rootsy power enhanced by other influences of the period ndash notably The Beatles, The Kinks, and again Dylan. It is one of their strongest, most varied LPs, with many great songs that remain unknown to all but Stones devotees.The inventive arrangements and innovative instrumentation on brooding nearclassics likenbspAll Sold Out,nbspMy ObsessionnbspandnbspYesterdayrsquos Papersnbspbrought a new dimension to the music.nbspShe Smiled Sweetlynbspshows their hidden romantic side at its best,nbspConnectionnbspis one of the recordrsquos few pieces of more conventional driving rock and album closernbspSomething Happened To Me Yesterdaynbspincludes Keithrsquos first solo vocal.The US version includes contemporaneous hits ndash the two songs that gave the group a doublesided number one in early 1967 the shameless and controversialnbspLetrsquos Spend The Night Togethernbspand the beautiful, melancholynbspRuby Tuesday.
