Between The Buttons

The Stones began their transitional period, from reinvigorating R&B standards (on their early albums) to reinventing rock & roll (on the brilliant four-album streak beginning with Beggars Banquet), on this underrated 1967 collection. Even the songs that didn't become smash hits, such as the speed demon"Miss Amanda Jones" and the honky-tonking"She Smiled Sweetly," are more than curiosities despite experimental touches with organ, sitar, and kazoo. Mick Jagger proves, on the psychedelic"Yesterday's Papers" and"Ruby Tuesday," that he can sing a sexy ballad even if he's incapable of crooning. Of course, the opening piano-driven rocker"Let's Spend the Night Together" sounds as fresh and sexual as it ever did.