Between the Buttons (US Version)
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 withBeggars 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.--Steve Knopper