Between the Buttons (1967)

Between the Buttons is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and 23 January in the United States. Reflecting the band's brief foray into psychedelia and baroque pop balladry during the era, the album is among their most eclectic works; multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones frequently abandoned his guitar during the sessions in favour of instruments such as vibraphone, electric dulcimer, banjo, kazoo, theremin and brass. Additional keyboard contributions came from frequent contributors Ian Stewart (piano, organ), Jack Nitzsche (piano, harpsichord) and Nicky Hopkins (piano). Between the Buttons would be the band's last album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, who had, to this point, acted as the band's manager and produced all of their albums.

As with prior albums, the American and British versions contained slightly different track listings. The American version of Between the Buttons, which replaces "Back Street Girl" and "Please Go Home" with "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", is on the 2003 and 2012 versions of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Between the Buttons reached number 3 on the British album charts and number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs chart.

Recording and background

On the previous album, Aftermath, Brian Jones introduced a large number of different instruments to the recording sessions, a trend he continued on this album. Jones only contributed electric guitar on one track apiece on the American release and the British version. Bill Wyman plays bass on all except three tracks (which instead feature guitarist Keith Richards on bass), and drummer Charlie Watts and lead singer Mick Jagger appear on all tracks. Piano duties were split by two session players: former Rolling Stones member Ian Stewart and frequent contributor Jack Nitzsche, although Nicky Hopkins also does keyboards.

Early sessions for the album occurred between 3 August 1966 and the 11th at Los Angeles' RCA Studios during the Rolling Stones' 1966 American Tour. David Hassinger was the engineer for the album. Several songs were worked on; the backing tracks of six songs that would appear on the album were recorded, as were those of "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Who's Driving Your Plane?", the B-side of "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?", released as a single in late September. During this time, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys was invited down to RCA Studios during the recording of "My Obsession," which remained one of his favourite Rolling Stones songs for the rest of his life.

The band returned to London, and sessions continued at IBC Studios from August 31 to September 3. "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" was completed and released on 23 September before the Stones embarked on their seventh British tour, which lasted into early October and was their last UK tour until 1971.

The second block of recording sessions for Between the Buttons began on 8 November at the newly opened Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London, alternating between Olympic and Pye Studios until 26 November. During this time, the bulk of the album was completed, including vocal and other overdubs on the previously recorded backing tracks and mixing. "Ruby Tuesday" was also completed.

Around the same time, producer and manager Andrew Loog Oldham was also preparing the US-only live album Got Live If You Want It!, a contractual requirement from London Records that contained live performances from their recent British tour as well as studio tracks overdubbed with audience noise. After that album's release on 10 December, a final overdubbing session for Buttons was held at Olympic Studios on 13 December 1966 before Oldham took the tapes back to RCA Studios in Hollywood for final mixing and editing.

The album was recorded using four-track machines, with tracks of the initial sessions mixed down in order to free the tracks for use as overdubs. Mick Jagger felt this process lost the clarity of the songs, commenting during an interview that "we bounced it back to do overdubs so many times we lost the sound of it. [The songs] sounded so great, but later on, I was really disappointed with it." He commented further: "I don't know, it just isn't any good. 'Back Street Girl' is about the only one I like." In an interview with New Musical Express, he even called the rest of the album "more or less rubbish".

Between the Buttons would be the last album wholly produced by Oldham, with whom the Stones fell out in mid-1967 during the recording sessions for Their Satanic Majesties Request.