“Between the Buttons”: The Stones At Their Most English

The Rolling Stones’ fifth album to be released in the UK, 1967’s Between the Buttons, chronicles a significant juncture in the trajectory of what would become the greatest rock & roll band of all time. Sandwiched between the group’s very first compilation album and the most experimental record the band would ever attempt, Between the Buttons finds the Rolling Stones at their most decidedly English.

As was the case with all Rolling Stones releases up to this point, Between the Buttons comprised different sets of tracks for its releases in the UK and in America. The latter release saw the tracks “Please Go Home” and “Back Street Girl” swapped out for the double A-side single pairing of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday.”

Between the Buttons came less than a year following Aftermath, the first album to exclusively feature songs penned by the songwriting duo of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards – at that time billed as “Jagger-Richard.” This creative surge would establish further parallels between the Stones and The Beatles who had released Revolver the previous year.

Between the Buttons would continue the Rolling Stones’ exploration of original composition, as well as founding member Brian Jones’ fascination with unique and unusual instrumentations. Originally known as a guitarist and occasional harmonica player for the group, Jones would be responsible for a number of interesting sonic moments throughout this album and many others. Such moments include Jones’ distinctive piano and alto recorder work on “Ruby Tuesday,” vibraphone for “Yesterday’s Papers,” and even a turn on the saxophone for the closing number, “Something Happened to Me Yesterday.” Jones would assume his traditional role on the six-string just once, playing rhythm guitar on the late-album cut, “Miss Amanda Jones.”

As for Jagger-Richard(s), the future icons would make subtle nods to traditional English music throughout the album. This was not dissimilar to how Paul McCartney paid homage to the music of his upbringing, in a way that continues to the present day. Conversely, the Stones would pull increasingly from American musical influences, with American blues music ultimately becoming a lynchpin for the musical DNA of the band.

There is a discernible campiness to the material on Between the Buttons – a playfulness seldom emphasized in works to follow. “Cool, Calm, and Collected” is one example, boasting a music hall-leaning piano intro which gives way to bouncy verse sections. Lyrically, Jagger delivers a cheeky character sketch reminiscent of the work of fellow British rockers the Kinks.

This vaudevillian whimsicality is compounded by way of a kazoo solo from Jones. At just over three minutes into its runtime, the bouncy swing of “Cool, Calm, and Collected” devolves into a driving double-time beat, foreshadowing the rock & roll abandon that would come to define the band.

Such character sketch-work is also prevalent in numbers like “Who’s Been Sleeping Here?”, which refers to butlers, bakers, soldiers, sailors, Goldilocks, and other assorted characters. The tune also finds the band navigating some uncharacteristic harmonic waters with a chord progression of flat and sustained chords, with an array of sevenths thrown in for good measure along with the term “mummy” to drive home its sheer Englishness. The music hall and vaudevillian elements heard throughout the record are most prevalent during the closing number, “Something Happened to Me Yesterday” – a song so traditionally English-sounding it could have been penned by Syd Barrett.

Keith Richards’ signature tune, “Connection,” is perhaps the closest the Rolling Stones would come to approximating the sound with which they’ve come to be defined. While the verse sections generally dance around conventional progressions utilizing C, G, and Am, the chorus sections make interesting use of the major third and perfect fourth. Lyrically, the number unfolds as a lament by Richards regarding the increasing interest of authorities in his extracurricular activities.

The Rolling Stones would release the highly experimental Their Satanic Majesties Request later in the year before focusing their efforts on Beggars Banquet in 1968. The release would be the first of what’s considered to be a peak creative period, culminating with their magnum opus, the 1972 double album, Exile on Main Street.

It’s the Stones’ open-tuned riffs, bluesy affectations, and no-nonsense bombast that listeners love. Nonetheless, the more widely varied choices on albums like Between the Buttons are a fascinating glance at the lesser variables informing the creativity of the world’s greatest rock & roll group.

Besides the novel appeal of such projects, these early offerings also expand the understanding of the band and what they’ve been capable of stylistically. Though blues, R&B, and rock & roll have been cemented as their calling cards, Between the Buttons is among the records substantiating the notion that there was more to the British bad boys than meets the eye.

-Cameron Gunnoe

-Fair use image of Between the Buttons