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Other music forums => Various Artists, Lyrics, Discographies => Microscopes => Topic started by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on May 24, 2018, 11:31:38 PM
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This time I will review the American version of Between The Buttons, released by the Stones in February 1967. This album follows the line of Aftermath, deepening on a more pop and less bluesy sound. Thus, the record is quite different from the traditional raw sound of the band, and maybe that's why it's usually ignored by some fans; even Mick Jagger considered it to be not so good. But why don't we judge the album by ourselves?
(http://elparaisodelrockclasico.site90.net/rollingstones03.jpg)
Let's Spend The Night Together. An important hit and one of the catchiest songs the band ever recorded. Nice piano intro combined with hilarious group vocals. I especially love the slower middle part, where the backing vocals sound quite trippy. The lyrics may be inoffensive nowadays, but its suggestive message was something controversial at the time the song was released.
Yesterday's Papers. This song is a perfect example of the elaborated pop sound the band was producing around the time. The backing vocals are surprisingly effective. Brian Jones plays a vibraphone and Keith Richards adds a distorted guitar. Very good track.
Ruby Tuesday. A famous song and one of my very favorite Stones' recordings. This is a charming ballad that perfectly reflects the spirit of early 1967. The mellow verse is contrasted by the upbeat chorus, and Brian's baroque recorder is a beautiful touch. The lyrics describe the anti-conformist attitude of the character named as the song title. These nasty guys could be sweet when they wanted to.
Connection. Now this sounds like an unimaginative filler. It's jumpy and poppy, with similar condiments as those used in other songs of the album; but it's quite repetitive, with an unvarying drum pattern, and the rhymes sound forced. It's not awful neither special.
She Smiled Sweetly. The nice surprise of the album. This is the kind of song that noone would have expected the Stones to record. It's an intriguing melodic ballad with a mysterious ambient given by an omnipresent organ plus intrusive bass and drums. I love it.
Cool, Calm And Collected. I think this track was clearly influenced by the Kinks. Words and music recall character assassination songs like "Well Respected Man" and "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion". A good exercise, though noone can beat Ray Davies in his own game.
All Sold Out. Fantastic. This is a very entertaining song flavored with distorted guitars and weird drumming. I like Mick's voice here; and the backing vocals show the band's limitations, but they are funny. I always enjoy this track.
My Obsession. This is more of the same, including distorted guitars, unconventional drumming, and impertinent backing vocals; but the result is not so effective this time, probably because the songwriting is uninspired in first place. However, I've read that Brian Wilson appreciates this song, can you believe that?
Who's Been Sleeping Here?. This song is said to be influenced by Bob Dylan, and I can see why. It's a folk rock tune featuring a gentle acoustic guitar and a rustic harmonica, apart from the usual rock & roll instruments. The lyrics are interesting, with the singer trying to guess who has been visiting his wife while he was away, mentioning a wide range of people. Thumbs up.
Complicated. A lesser effort in the context of the album. The harmony vocals seem to be there to remind us that we are not listening to the Beach Boys. Beyond that, it's not a bad song, but it's just a decent filler anyway.
Miss Amanda Jones. A fast rocker, closer to the traditional sound of the band, with a moving guitar riff that is repeated throughout the song. Good.
Something Happened To Me Yesterday. A kind of comedy song that should be taken with humor. The verses are sung by Mick, but curiously Keith sings the lead vocal in the chorus. Brain plays saxophone, trombone, clarinet, and he also whistles. The track (and the album) ends with some spoken words that serve as a goodbye.
The British version of the album does not include the songs "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", which were released together as a single. However, in UK the album included other two fine songs that were absent in the US version: the acoustic ballad "Back Street Girl" and the acidified rocker "Please Go Home".
Overall, Between The Buttons may not be as strong as Aftermath, but it's still a very good successor. The Stones were still in the shadow of the Beatles at this point; and other bands like the Byrds, the Doors and Jefferson Airplane were reaching higher peaks in early 1967. Nevertheless, lovers of mid-'60s rock music are guaranteed to be satisfied with Between The Buttons, while those who are looking for the Stones' sound from 1968-72 will be disappointed. The band still had to immerse deeply into psychedelia before returning to their blues roots, but that's another story.
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Great review Hombre. I’ve liked this album since I was a teenager. I’ve been travelling the last couple of weeks so will get back with with my detailed thoughts.
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Great review Hombre. I’ve liked this album since I was a teenager. I’ve been travelling the last couple of weeks so will get back with with my detailed thoughts.
Ok Moog, thank you! I'll be waiting for your detailed comments.
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Something Happened To Me Yesterday. A kind of comedy song that should be taken with humor. The verses are sung by Mick, but curiously Keith sings the lead vocal in the chorus. Brain plays saxophone, trombone, clarinet, and he also whistles. The track (and the album) ends with some spoken words that serve as a goodbye.
The British version of the album does not include the songs "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", which were released together as a single. However, in UK the album included other two fine songs that were absent in the US version: the acoustic ballad "Back Street Girl" and the acidified rocker "Please Go Home".
Overall, Between The Buttons may not be as strong as Aftermath, but it's still a very good successor.
The Stones don't do "comedy songs". That's why this one is so bad.
The American album is better than the UK album because it has two great single songs. But this only underlines that the Stones were not able to rivalise with the Beatles at this point in their career.
The thing I really like about this album is the cover photo.
The album itself is a 1,000 light years away from the quality of Aftermath.
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The Stones don't do "comedy songs". That's why this one is so bad.
The American album is better than the UK album because it has two great single songs. But this only underlines that the Stones were not able to rivalise with the Beatles at this point in their career.
The thing I really like about this album is the cover photo.
The album itself is a 1,000 light years away from the quality of Aftermath.
I used to despise "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" as I did with "You Know My Name", but I've learned to enjoy those songs with time. I just don't expect to listen to a great philosophical theme and I join to the fun. I like when bands don't take themselves so seriously.
I think very few bands were able to rivalise with the Beatles in the mid-'60s. In my opinion, only the Byrds and the Beach Boys were Beatles rivals in terms of quality and innovation at that period. The Stones were followers and not leaders at that point, but I think they were doing pretty good music anyway. In fact, Aftermath and Between The Buttons are the albums I would recommend to a Beatles fan who knows little about the Stones; they are not the best albums of the band, but they certainly are the most beatlesque ones.
I also like the album cover; apparently, the dissolving effect was obtained using vaseline when the photograph was taken.
And I agree that Aftermath is a stronger album, but I don't think that Between The Buttons is much weaker. Apart from "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", I think that "Yesterday's Papers", "She Smiled Sweetly", "All Sold Out" and "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" are at the level of the best material of Aftermath. But I guess that's just a matter of personal opinion.
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Whilst I am enjoying the discussion of this poor album :)
I feel I must correct your English spelling of 'rivalise', it is spelt 'rivalize'
'rivalise' is more leaning towards the French spelling.
And yes, I am being pedantic. :)
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize)
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Whilst I am enjoying the discussion of this poor album :)
I feel I must correct your English spelling of 'rivalise', it is spelt 'rivalize'
'rivalise' is more leaning towards the French spelling.
And yes, I am being pedantic. :)
[url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url] ([url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url])
Thanks for the correction! But isn't it a word that is written in different ways in UK and US, like "analyse" and "analyze", for instance? Well, maybe this is not the case.
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Thanks for the correction! But isn't it a word that is written in different ways in UK and US, like "analyse" and "analyze", for instance? Well, maybe this is not the case.
Possibly, yes.
The Americans have their own way of spelling some English words.
For example I just went on a cruise aboard an American ship called the Carnival Splendor. The correct English spelling is Splendour.
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Or to avoid the problem you could just use “rival”. ;)
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I feel I must correct your English spelling of 'rivalise', it is spelt 'rivalize'
'rivalise' is more leaning towards the French spelling.
And yes, I am being pedantic. :)
[url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url] ([url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url])
You're being so pedantic as to be completely wrong.
1. rivalise is the correct English spelling in England.
2. the verb 'rival' would be adequate in normal English. So you could say "I think very few bands could rival the Beatles in the sixties".
So if you're going to be pedantic, you should at least prove you know what you're saying is correct.
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I will use the Spanish spelling: "I think very few bands could rivalizar the Beatles in the sixties." ;D
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You're being so pedantic as to be completely wrong.
1. rivalise is the correct English spelling in England.
2. the verb 'rival' would be adequate in normal English. So you could say "I think very few bands could rival the Beatles in the sixties".
So if you're going to be pedantic, you should at least prove you know what you're saying is correct.
I will consider myself told off. (it was only meant as a light hearted thing)
But I am right. And so is the Oxford English dictionary.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize)
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I will consider myself told off. (it was only meant as a light hearted thing)
But I am right. And so is the Oxford English dictionary.
[url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url] ([url]https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rivalize[/url])
That link says "rivalize (also rivalise)". Doesn't it mean that both spellings are acceptable?
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For example I just went on a cruise aboard an American ship called the Carnival Splendor. The correct English spelling is Splendour.
You were here and you didn’t stop to say hello? Or is that hullo? ;D
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I will use the Spanish spelling: "I think very few bands could rivalizar the Beatles in the sixties." ;D
If you read it Hombre the French spelling is Rivalise
"Early 19th century. From rival + -ize, apparently originally after German rivalisieren, itself after French rivaliser."
Which is what I said in my original post
Oops sorry for messing your thread up Hombre roll:)
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You were here and you didn’t stop to say hello? Or is that hullo? ;D
Its more G'day Kelley ;D
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If you read it Hombre the French spelling is Rivalise
"Early 19th century. From rival + -ize, apparently originally after German rivalisieren, itself after French rivaliser."
No Hombre is right. Your link says Rivalize also rivalise. So both are acceptable.
But your dictionary admits that the German and French words that are at the origin of the word are both spelt with S not Z (rivalisieren and rivaliser).
So it's obvious that the S spelling is more etymologically correct whatever those mixed-up Oxford professors think.
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No Hombre is right. Your link says Rivalize also rivalise. So both are acceptable.
But your dictionary admits that the German and French words that are at the origin of the word are both spelt with S not Z (rivalisieren and rivaliser).
So it's obvious that the S spelling is more etymologically correct whatever those mixed-up Oxford professors think.
Whatever !
I bow to your superior wisdom.
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Whatever !
I bow to your superior wisdom.
Thank you.
In fact, upon further investigation, the London Times newspaper and the renowned weekly publication The Economist both insist that the recommended British spelling in all cases is to use ISE at the end of these kinds of words even where IZE is the preferred spelling in the US.
That's standardisation for you...
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Its more G'day Kelley ;D
Crikey! I should have known that, mate!
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I haven’t listened to this album fully for a long time. So it was quite nostalgic to spin this a few times. I’m concentrating on the UK album, although the US isn’t much different.
It’s certainly a different album in the Stones’ catalogue. This was before they stopped trying to be a Beatle-type versatile pop band and concentrated on the blues rock that made the albums from Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street such great records. The blues are never far away though and a couple of songs sound like they could have worked on Exile with a little tweaking.
It gets compared unfavourably to Aftermath. Which is understandable given the more famous songs on that Album. And the quirkiness of some of these songs won’t be to everyone’s taste. What it has over Aftermath is it doesn’t get bogged down with the rather tedious, pedestrian blues numbers that slowed that album to me.
The Stones are clearly following the Beatles lead in experimenting with different instruments. On this you’ll hear vibraphone, banjo and trombone among others. However the production is a bit muddy and some songs sound in style and production like they could have come from 1962. That this was released between Revolver and Sergeant Pepper truly shows the Stones weren’t in the Beatles’ class at this point.
There’s a lot less care taken with arrangements then we’re used to on Beatle records. With few exceptions the songs consist of two or three musical parts repeated in the same pattern. Usually with an instrumental break over one of the parts. That’s not always a bad thing and suits some songs but it means those parts have to be very good to sustain interest and it contributes a certain repetitiveness of the album. Intros are usually just a segment from the song and outros often just a fade out over the verse or chorus progression. Middle 8s were a bit of a novelty for them it seems.
None of this makes it a bad album. Track for track there’s still a lot to like.
Yesterday’s Papers: The album kicks off with some harpsichord and vibes which gives the song a low key start. Once the full instrumentation comes in the energy picks up. There’s a minor key quality to parts of it which wouldn’t have thrilled Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart (maybe why he didn’t play on it). Not a bad lead-off track though.
My Obsession: This song seems longer than it is. And it sounds like Charlie has been tied up and Keith or someone is playing drums. The very basic beat never changes and the repeated stop time with the drums doing the same basic beat solo drove me nuts. Thumbs down. Sorry Brian.
Backstreet girl: This is quite a lovely acoustic ballad with Mick actually singing rather sweetly by his standards. The lyrics are pretty nasty though. Sung in the first person telling his mistress basically to be happy with the crumbs off his relationship table; she’s too common, her manners are not right etc. Redeemable if it’s meant to be mocking the sort of man who would say all this. Which isn’t an unreasonable interpretation given bands like the Kinks were sending up middle class types regularly.
Connection: This is a pretty infectious track. It has that classic R&B feel and wouldn’t been out of place as a girl group song. I find myself humming this to myself throughout the day.
She Smiled Sweetly: The stand out track on the UK album. This is the best written and arranged song here. An intro that doesn’t just sound like part of the verse or chorus; varied parts in the verse and a nicely logical melody in the chorus. And, a rarity on the album, a good middle 8 that build back nicely to the verse. Even the alliterative title suggests a more care taken with the songwriting components.
Cool, calm, collected: The alliteration continues with this song but to lesser effect. The verse is good fun and has a feel almost like an Exile on Main Street song. But the chorus is mundane. And like too many songs on the album the repeated parts get tedious. It does attempt variety by speeding up at the end for a fade out jam. So it seems this was meant as a live song.
All Sold Out: BtB is often called a psychedelic album. This is the only song that sounds like psychedelia to me. It sounds like it could have fit on Satanic Majesty’s Request. Not a bad track though.
Please Go Home: Very fillerish but has lots of energy. Good drumming by Charlie lifts it.
Who’s Been Sleeping Here: A favourite on the album. A catchy tune. Acoustic driven but with some interesting piano and electric guitar. The instrumental break sounds like it might be a different progression to other parts of the song. Reminds me of something off Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited.
Complicated: This sounds a bit of a throwback. Like an early 60s dance tune. Quite fun though. Good quality filler. Funky drumming from Charlie on this one. Like lots of songs on the album it suffers a bit from repetitiveness.
Ms Amanda Jones: This sounds like a proto Exile tune. Very uptempo blues rock. Very straight forward. I’m being repetitive by saying the the instrumental breaks are a bit repetitive.
Something Happened to me Yesterday: Ray Davies called and he wants his song back. Seriously I thought I was listening to the Kinks at some parts of this song. Especially the rollicking music hall verses complete with brass band. Mick in the chorus sounds like a different singer. It’s extremely catchy and i found myself bopping along with it. The instrumental break sounds sort of Dixielandish. A good closer except it goes on a bit long.
The US version is clearly a stronger album with Ruby Tuesday as the ballad replacing Backstreet Girl and Let’s Spend the Night Together in place of the filler Please Go Home. Let’s Spend the Night makes an excellent album opener. I recall having the US version first which might be why I remember the album so fondly.
After playing this through a few times I’m finding this still an enjoyable listen. Even the lesser songs are energetic. It’s not a great album. The lack of killer songs (at least in the UK version) would stop it being a real classic. But overall I found it enjoyable and an interesting step in the Stones’ development.
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Interesting review, Moog, very detailed.
It seems that we both agree that "She Smiled Sweetly" and "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" are precious gems of the album. On the other hand, you seem to enjoy "Connection" more than I do, while I may be more fond of "Yesterday's Papers" and "All Sold Out".
I agree that the lack of a truly outstanding track in the UK version contributes to the usual dismissing of the album. I admit that my first approach to the record was attributed to the presence of "Ruby Tuesday" in the US version, which is one of my favorite songs by the Stones. But later, several songs of the album have grown on me with time.
Actually Between The Buttons seems to be one of the most ignored works in the Stones catalog. Another bashed album is Their Satanic Majesties Request, but at least there's some controversy about it, with some fans who love it and other fans who hate it. On the other side, Between The Buttons is not usually discussed, for good or for bad.
By the way, in "Something Happened To Me Yesterday", I can see why your ears tell you that Mick in the chorus sounds like a different singer; because that's actually Keith!
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Interesting review, Moog, very detailed.
It seems that we both agree that "She Smiled Sweetly" and "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" are precious gems of the album. On the other hand, you seem to enjoy "Connection" more than I do, while I may be more fond of "Yesterday's Papers" and "All Sold Out".
I agree that the lack of a truly outstanding track in the UK version contributes to the usual dismissing of the album. I admit that my first approach to the record was attributed to the presence of "Ruby Tuesday" in the US version, which is one of my favorite songs by the Stones. But later, several songs of the album have grown on me with time.
Actually Between The Buttons seems to be one of the most ignored works in the Stones catalog. Another bashed album is Their Satanic Majesties Request, but at least there's some controversy about it, with some fans who love it and other fans who hate it. On the other side, Between The Buttons is not usually discussed, for good or for bad.
By the way, in "Something Happened To Me Yesterday", I can see why your ears tell you that Mick in the chorus sounds like a different singer; because that's actually Keith!
You’re right it is very ignored. Which is a pity because I do find a lot to like.
I do quite like Yesterday’s Papers and All Sold Out. Really the only song I couldn’t hack was My Obsession. Even the most fillerish songs like Please Go Home and Miss Amanda Jones I wouldn’t skip. They’re nothing brilliant but are fine to listen too.
I was wondering if it was Keith singing but couldn’t find any reference to him doing it so thought it might have been Mick just putting on a voice. Now you say it it seems obvious it’s Keith ;D
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You’re right it is very ignored. Which is a pity because I do find a lot to like.
I do quite like Yesterday’s Papers and All Sold Out. Really the only song I couldn’t hack was My Obsession. Even the most fillerish songs like Please Go Home and Miss Amanda Jones I wouldn’t skip. They’re nothing brilliant but are fine to listen too.
I was wondering if it was Keith singing but couldn’t find any reference to him doing it so thought it might have been Mick just putting on a voice. Now you say it it seems obvious it’s Keith ;D
Yes, I understood that you like "Yesterday's Papers" and "All Sold Out", but I meant that I consider those songs among the best ones of the album. Perhaps my vision is that the album is quite uneven, with some outstanding and some not so good songs; while your opinion seems to be that the record has certain constancy, with practically all songs being good enough, but none of them being excellent or plain bad, if I've got you right. But we both agree that the album deserves more recognition.
My reference about Keith singing the chorus of that song was not very reliable, since I've read that in Wikipedia; but after knowing that fact I also thought it was obviously Keith's voice. :)
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Yes I think that’s about right. Perhaps because I’m focusing on the UK album. Certainly Ruby Tuesday and Let’s Spend the Night are great songs. Without them the best are more hidden gems.
It’s interesting that the album is also ignored by the Stones. None of the “best of” collections of the sixties I’ve seen featured any of the songs off the UK album. Even the two Hot Rocks double albums of the early seventies couldnt find a place in nearly fifty songs for one tune off the UK version.
Satanic Majesty’s at least usually gets She’s a Rainbow or 2000 Light Years from Home onto collections.
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Moreover, I think they never played live renditions of any song from the UK album. It's like the album has never existed for the Stones.