The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons

Released in 1967, Between the Buttons is the fifth UK and seventh US studio album by The Rolling Stones, following the great “Aftermath” album. it was a time of need for change when the Stones created this album: they were getting rid of R&B influences and other bands were releasing competitive albums that could minimize their success. They had to come up with something to keep their fans and gather more.

The Beetles come up with the “Revolver”, The Beach Boys had their “Pet Sounds” and Bob Dylan was singing “Blonde and Blonde”. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had to catch their fans from leaving them for other bands and also come up with something to overtake the “Aftermath”. They inspired from a British pop band “The Kinks” and so “Between the Buttons” was born. Although after some time Jagger denounced the album, critics over time still considered it a valuable album for the Stones career and also a “curio”.

Reaching the top #3 in UK, “Between the Buttons” had some different versions for UK and US, just like “Aftermath”. The album was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and issued on Decca Records, nowadays along with the “Let’s Spend the Night Toghether” and “Ruby Tuesday”. The fans and critics took the songs on the album quite well. In the US, things were better than in the UK, “Ruby Tuesday” going to #1 and pushing the whole album as #2 – a gold position.

Regarding the instruments used to create this album, Brian Jones used exotic instruments along the guitar: harmonica, trumpet, the banjo-ukulele. Another fact about the “Between the Buttons” is that it was the last produced by Andrew Loog Oldham because of some supposed arguments he had with the band members.

Although after its release it wasn’t all that astonishing, “Between the Buttons” is looked now as very valuable to the music industry and the band’s style. In 2003, it was ranked #355 in the Rolling Stones magazine in a top 500 greatest albums of all times.