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List Price: $10.98 | | Label: Abkco
Salesrank: 673350
Released: May 22, 1990 |
| Our Price: $74.98 |
| Used Price: $105.16 |
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| Media: Audio Cassette |
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Between the Buttons Track Listing:
1. Let's Spend the Night Together
2. Yesterday's Papers
3. Ruby Tuesday
4. Connection
5. She Smiled Sweetly
6. Cool, Calm & 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
Editorial Review:
The Stones began their transitional period, from reinvigorating R&B standards (on their early albums) to reinventing rock & roll (on the brilliant four-album streak beginning with Beggars Banquet), on this underrated 1967 collection. Even the songs that didn't become smash hits, such as the speed demon "Miss Amanda Jones" and the honky-tonking "She Smiled Sweetly," are more than curiosities despite experimental touches with organ, sitar, and kazoo. Mick Jagger proves, on the psychedelic "Yesterday's Papers" and "Ruby Tuesday," that he can sing a sexy ballad even if he's incapable of crooning. Of course, the opening piano-driven rocker "Let's Spend the Night Together" sounds as fresh and sexual as it ever did. --Steve Knopper
Between the Buttons Reviews:
Early Stones record on CD. 
2009-10-24 - The record contained a couple of their early hits, but overall, it also contained so throw away filler material, that was kind of dull to listen to.
The Stones go British. Really, really British. (I mean, they were British already, but you know...) 
2008-10-11 - Here's a group known for playing more American forms of music - rock, blues, country, soul - going completely British on us. It's an eccentric, goofy, piano-dominated album that sounds like some weird theater music. But it's fun! Ah, yes, it is the most fun album in the Stones catalogue! I like this one a lot, I do.
There is a bit of rock, but just a bit. On the (slightly) more rockin' side is "Connection," which has a fuzzy guitar, "Let's Spend the Night Together," which is just amazing (I shouldn't need to talk much about it, because you probably already know it, but I love the harmonies on it), the grumbly blues-rocker "My Obsession," the heavy, fuzzed-out "All Sold Out," which even then has this awesome flute part that is not rock at all, and "Miss Amanda Jones," a blast with some searing guitars. And even then, none of those are the classic butt-kickin' warhorses like "Jumpin' Jack Flash" or "Satisfaction." "Amanda Jones," for instance, has tinkling cabaret piano in the choruses.
Most the album is screwed-up music hall. "Cool Calm and Collected" is a jolly good time, a jaunty piano tune with solos by everything from harmonica to kazoo. "Yesterday's Papers," augmented by a harpsichord, is bouncy fun, and "Complicated" sounds like a totally groovy spy movie theme with Keith doing a hilariously stupid pirate laugh. And how can you not like something as fun as "Something Happened to Me Yesterday?" It's like Monty Python! How can you not like Monty Python? Keith sings on it, too! And it's about tripping on acid, man! And it's got stupid show tune horns! I mean, it's hilarious! These songs are even more un-Stonesy than Aftermath, but they work, because they're the Rolling Stones and they're absolutely brilliant. Go figure.
"Ruby Tuesday" also deserves a lot of recognition, being one of the Stones' greatest ballads (though I still think "Wild Horses" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" are stronger). Brian Jones is at his finest playing that beautiful recorder that supplants the melody and makes the song something truly memorable. I mean, the song had a fantastic melody and top-notch vocal in the first place, but the recorder really pushes it through the top. I love the choruses, too, when the song abruptly speeds up thanks to Charlie's awesome, unexpected drum entrance. Ah, what a song, that "Ruby Tuesday!"
Obviously, not every song is as awesome as "Ruby Tuesday" or "Let's Spend the Night Together." I probably would've wanted a couple more of those to push the rating on this one even higher. But hey, every song is enjoyable to some degree, even the infamous Dylan rip "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" and the uneventful but melodic "She Smiled Sweetly," a barely audible ballad. It's another side of the Rolling Stones, a side you're probably not used to, but give it a chance. It's great!
One of Their Best 
2008-08-18 - I recently bought this on CD after having owned it on vinyl years ago. I remember as a kid just wishing I could look like these guys on this album. This gets 5 stars if just for the album cover and attitude. The songs still hold up especially for originality and unique instrumental applications. The almost quirky vocals on tunes like "Something Happened To Me" and "She Smiled Sweetly" really show the Jagger humor and his strange take on phrasing. Then there is the almost wall-like crunch of sound that was a Stones signature on songs like "Yesterdays Papers" and "Miss Amanda Jones". I really don't see a bad cut here and in a strange way the stuff holds up. If you listen to this and do a comparative check with some of the recent "cutting edge rock bands", you can't help but realize that much of what we see and hear today is simply posturing in the image of the early Stones.
The Stones Go a Little Psychedelic
2006-06-13 - You can tell right away by looking at photographer Gered Mankowitz's kind of blurry psychedelic photograph that this isn't going to be your ordinary Rolling Stones record. Well, I suppose there are no ordinary Stones' records, but this one is a bit different. The Beatles were doing "Revolver" around this time. Bob Dylan was doing "Blonde on Blonde," Donovan was going all Flower Power. Some of that stuff was rubbing off on Mick and the boys and it wasn't all bad, no sir, because "Between the Buttons" is sort of the result. This is just a bang up fun record to listen to "Ruby Tuesday," was a huge hit and is a wowza of a song. "Yesterday's Papers" is sort of a kiss off song, you know, a guy telling a girl she's yesterday's news. I remember reading somewhere that Mick was sort of telling a girl he was through with her by doing this song. I like every song on this record, both the US and the UK versions. The Stones really pour their heart out here. "Between the Buttons" is a must own record for any Stones fan, for any Rock and Roll aficionado as well.
Excellent!
2004-06-23 - The last of the "butchered" Stones titles is an odd collection of songs which Jagger once labeled, "...a complete wash but for one or two tracks...". The UK pressing did not contain either of the hit singles related to the recording sessions of this album, yet the two alternative selections were impressive. The US pressing omitted 2 great songs from the earlier UK issue (Please Go Home & Back Street Girl), replacing them with the double-hit, Let's Spend the Night Together/Ruby Tuesday. Upon release this title was not well received but has since been recognized as a Jones-era classic. Miss Amanda Jones provided a theme to the 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, and She Smiled Sweetly offered a touching moment from The Royal Tenenbaums. Still hard to listen to from start to finish, it is nonetheless valuable for at least a few reasons. Keith gets his first shot at lead vox, sharing the spotlight with Jagger on Something Happened To Me Yesterday. Back cover art by Mr. Charlie Watts.
