Retro Reviews: The Rolling Stones: Between The Buttons

  I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums.

The Rolling Stones – Between The Buttons (1967)

****

Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham

Musicians: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Nicky Hopkins, Ian Stewart, Jack Nitzsche, Art Greenslade – arranger

Songs: Let’s Spend The Night Together, Yesterday’s Papers, Ruby Tuesday, Connection, She Smiled Sweetly, Cool, Calm & Collected, All Sold Out, My Obsession, Who’s Been Sleeping Here?, Complicated, Miss Amanda Jones, Something Happened To Me Yesterday

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    Probably one of the rock scene’s favorite bands, The Stones, has a new album out. Last years Aftermath was a great release, and the team has brought back Andrew Loog Oldham as producer. Oldham’s role as producer is similar to The Who’s Kit Lambert, a manager and cheerleader who guides the band but may not have the most objective ears, this is why the engineers from Olympic and IBC Studios are always so important. Their roles are very different from George Martin. There’s often a lot of comparisons with the Stones and The Beatles, but they are very different bands, and both bands play a dance around the chart positions, yet it’s a friendly joust. There’s a lot more emphasis on Piano based material on the album, and less around the dual guitar interplay between Richards and Jones, yet that interplay still creeps through. Often the vocals by Jagger and Richards have a ragged quality. 

    With this album, the band sounds relaxed and authentic, the real problem with some past recordings is the fact that The Stones seem to self-consciously imitate their peers, namely the before mentioned Beatles, and they are at their bast when they forge their own sound. The US opener is the perennial single, “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, A driving piano romp and persistent groove with the backing, and it’s no surprise with it’s success. The companion single, The ballad “Ruby Tuesday” has some intricate Piano work from Hopkins and a recorder by Jones, and Wyman may even be playing a bowed double bass in places. I could see “Night” and “Ruby Tuesday” being staples on the radio soon enough. They are effective at pulling the listener in and offering that statement of purpose albums need.

    “Yesterday’s Paper’s” is a close to a perfect pop number with an interesting percussion introduction, Harpsichord, and vibes, and a comment about the press. With “Connection”, a track that harkens back to their sound from a few years earlier, I believe Keith plays the piano, the guitar has a playful feel. An organ set’s up “She Smiled Sweetly” with something close to a soul ballad for them, a gospel type piano augments the second half. Another piano opens this music hall blues of “Calm, Cool and Collected”, there’s also a treated guitar that has an Indian raga like quality, a kazoo, and harmonica for good measure, some good bass work from Wyman on it, a clever tempo shift near the end before it descends into chaotic reverb, the track with the most amalgamation of anything in here, another sardonic piece about an opportunistic woman, The band hasn’t lost its snarl. 

    “All Sold Out” features their more classic dual guitar sound, and it’s nice to see the Richard’s / Jones interplay hasn’t completely gone yet. Ian Steward, known as a blues player, many have played the pop piano, hard to say on this. Stewart definitely seems to play on “My Obsession”, another track that seems to reference their past sound while adding an extra edge. The mid-tempo country ballad “Who’s Been Sleeping Here?” takes a nod to Dylan with its sound with a somewhat freewheeling feel. It’s possible that Hopkins plays the piano on it. Some playful organ augments the pop sensibility of “Complicated”, another dose of the common Stones flare. The Country rocker “Miss Amanda Jones” has some great interplay between the players and Mick sounds his most whimsical. The closer, “Something Happened To Me Yesterday” is back to true music hall blues and takes a final nod to the Dylan sound of late, Mick and Keith trade the vocals and a Dixie land swing band creeps in through the track. The song seems to be about an encounter with a certain chemical enhancement, they certainly seem to know how to offer up a clever wink. A good start to the year, we shall see soon what is offered up.