The conflict between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones knew bigger-than-life exploitation in media, being the source of so many rough-written analyses and fake biographies. Although almost every rock’n’roll buff knows that "Their Satanic Majesties Request" mimics "Sgt. Pepper’s" aesthetics and "Beggars Banquet" owns a lot of his sound and conception to "The White Album", the deepest collision between The Beatles and The Stones was visible in 1967, with the duel between the Beatles’ masterwork "Revolver" and the late psychedelic pop entry "Between The Buttons".
If we give both albums a spin, we can observe that The Rolling Stones tried to emulate The Beatles' sound, giving it a hint of vaudevillian atmosphere inspired by the Kinks and enlightening it with an original rhythmic vibration. "Between the Buttons" represents the Stones' way of thinking more adequately, in a more elegant manner, and above all, in a charming carnivalesque way. From the very first chords of "Yesterday’s Papers", the group sounds profoundly enigmatic. The Stones' lyrics are there; their negativism still exists, but the musical line has mystery, an element that sheds new light on the original sound. It’s the same old rock’n’roll... but with an unveiled beauty that soon takes a toll on the listener’s ear.
Furthermore, what’s inciting about the album’s structure is its refusal to commit just to a single fashionable style: it chooses from the British pop the melodic peaks and combines them with energic arrangements. With a retrospective approach, the party spirit of the previous albums is still present and the blues touches surround the elevated musical skeleton. The result is a truly majestic fusion, a hybrid so elegant that it’s almost impossible to get stone drunk in such a classy atmosphere.
"Yesterday’s Papers" proposes an enigmatic rhythm touched by a rebellious accent. The music has a full-fledged sound, knowing the direction despite the abstract musical climate. The rhythm is harsh and the lyrics are scandalous, but the result inspires refinement.
"My Obsession" benefits from a rough structure and an infectious refrain. It foretells punk’s future and also shows another way to make a fusion between questionable lyrics and an immaculate melodic line. "Back Street Girl" elaborates the balladry themes found previously on songs like "Tell Me" and "As Tears Go By", but with a chic indifference that gives it a further dose of appeal.
"Connection" affirms itself as the perfect rock’n’roll song, with a nervous flow and a highly melodic refrain, while "She Smiled Sweetly" is a ravishing pop ballad that amplifies the tenderness of "Back Street Girl" at the highest level of musical suggestion. Beautiful, gentle, and cloudy, "She Smiled Sweetly" established an evolution in the songwriting skills of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, proving their ability to write a powerful moment full of high originality which soulfully emphasizes the 60s dreamy character.
"Cool, Calm, and Collected" brings psychedelic rock ideas, tuning them with a baroque rock harmonic orientation.
"All Sold Out" magnifies the rock roughness that turned the "Rolling Stones" into "the bad guys", being strangely sensitized by the complex refrain, which encompasses flute sounds, energic chords, and a tense vocal interpretation. "Please Go Home" unveils a refined side of the group’s rock’n’roll years. Its dancing spirit will soon be balanced by the calm of another baroque-inspired gem, "Who’s Been Sleeping Here" which returns the album to the atmosphere of the first songs.
Symmetrically, "Complicated" sounds like the emotive twin of "My Obsession". "Miss Amanda Jones" presents a classy blues rock arrangement and "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" forms a vaudeville-inspired parade, which finishes the album in a cheeky old-fashioned tone.
Finally, the record surprises the Rolling Stones in their strangest period. Although some may say that the next album, "Their Satanic Majesties Request" has a defining courage and irony, it’s more predictable than "Between The Buttons" which is a work of a band found in its most diverse era when the changes happened every few moments. Inspired both by The Kinks and The Beatles, The Rolling Stones prove that they can be original while using a generic recipe. That constitutes a reason why the record continues to receive multiple accolades and has a strong legacy. Masterfully, it shows some brilliant musicians who studied the musical décor and offered something trendy but more original, emotional, and, above all, entertaining than almost everything in their previous catalog.
