Nel 1966 il gruppo londinese aveva stupito pressoché tutti, con il primo album di sole canzoni originali, dopo le molte precedenti cover di pezzi rock e blues. Solamente un anno dopo, la cosiddetta "svolta psichedelica" operata da artisti come Beatles e Dylan lascia una scia troppo profonda da non essere seguita. E qui si pone l'"anno magico", o se si vuole quello della sperimentazione, visto il lavoro di "Their Satanic Majesties Request", successivo comunque a quello che meno sa di Rolling fra tutta la discografia. Infatti, se "Their Satanic" simboleggiava una psichedelia a tratti persino ridondante, "Between The Buttons", pur non così smaccatamente lisergico, dà comunque il via a questa svolta. L'influenza sia dei Beach Boys di "Pet Sounds", sia di Bob Dylan, che nello stesso anno firma "Blonde On Blonde", sia dei sopraccitati Beatles di "Revolver" è evidente, e l'album, ultimo della discografia a contenere tracce diverse in USA e Gran Bretagna, è popolato nel complesso da canzoni belle, ma non eccezionali. Non a caso furono incluse "Let's Spend The Night Together" e "Ruby Tuesday", inizialmente su 45 giri, a scapito di "Back Street Girl" e "Please Go Home".
L'apertura è affidata come di consueto al classico singolo - gemma che predomina sull'intero album; il celebre riff di pianoforte di Ian Stewart ci trasporta in un boogie di trainante efficacia, molto simile a "Sympathy For The Devil" per la composizione strumentale e per la trainante energia. Le restanti composizioni si snodano su canoni ben poco rollingstoniani, con il piano e l'organo che sovrastano le chitarre, e la parte vocale quanto mai in primo piano. I Nostri intraprendono così un viaggio attraverso la sperimentazione di generi decisamente inconsueti: soprattutto il boogie - woogie ed il jazz ("Let's Spend The Night Together", "Something Happened To Me Yesterday", la grandissima "Connection", e "Cool, Calm And Collected", con imperdibile assolo vocale di Jagger), ma anche le lente ballate accompagnate dall'organo ("Ruby Tuesday", "She Smiled Sweetly"), senza che possa mancare Brian Jones con l'imprescindibile sitar, presente in un pò tutto il disco. Le poche impennate rock si riscontrano in "All Sold Out" e "Miss Amanda Jones", ma restano le uniche: nell'intero album si riflette appieno quella vena jazzistica propria appunto del biondo alter - ego di Jagger, come d'altra parte di Watts e di Wyman (con il fondamentale supporto di Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins e Jack Nitzsche), non a caso i veri protagonisti dell'opera.
Insomma, un disco per intenditori, diciamo, forse l'unico a discostarsi un pò dai temi tradizionali. Di lì a poco sarebbe arrivato il periodo '68 - '72, e questa è storia.
Elenco tracce e testi
02 My Obsession (03:11)
(Jagger/Richards)
My obsession
Your possessions
Every piece that i can get
My obsessions are
Your possessions
My mouth is soaking wet
I think i blew it now, confession
Can't dodge it, it's simple logic
Youd be better off with me and you'll know it
When you lost it, lonely
My obsession are
Your possesion
Are you smiling on my way
My obsession are
Your possession
One that you should give away
Give it to me now i've no objection
I don't mind if it's unkind
And it's not my property
But i want it just to be mine, exclusively
Oooh baby, ooh baby
Oooh baby, oooh baby
Oooh baby, oooh baby
Oooh baby, oooh baby
Aaahhhh
You need teaching you're a girl
There are things in this world
That need teaching with discretion, my profession
My obsessions are
Your possessions
Are you used to the idea
My obsessions are
Your possessions
Do you feel at home right here
You should relax it's my impression
Didn't see you were so young
I could almost be your son
Please turn in my direction, no objection
04 Connection (02:03)
(Jagger/Richards)
Connection, I just can't make no connection.
But all I want to do is to get back to you.
Everything is going in the wrong direction.
The doctor wants to give me more injections.
Giving me shots for a thousand rare infections
And I don't know if he'll let me go
Connection, I just can't make no connection.
But all I want to do is to get back to you.
Connection, I just can't make it, connection
But all I want to do is to get back to you.
My bags they get a very close inspection.
I wonder why it is that they suspect them.
They're dying to add me to their collections
And I don't know if they'll let me go
Connection, I just can't make no connection.
But all I want to do is to get back to you.
Connection, I just can't make no connection.
But all I want to do is to get back to you.
06 Cool, Calm & Collected (04:04)
Well she's very wealthy it's true
So in that she is one up on you
She's dressed all in red, white and blue
And she always knows more than you do
She's so affected
Cool, calm, collected
She knows who to smile to today
She has just been brought up in that way
She knows all the right games to play
And she always just knows what to say
She's well respected
Cool, calm, collected
She's so affected
Cool, calm, collected
In public the strain's heard to bear
She exudes such a confident air
But behind she is not without care
But she sweeps it right under her hair
She's well respected
Cool, calm, collected
She seems to glow brilliantly white
And her hair seems to shine in the night
With her feet unbelievably light
And her teeth ready, sharpened to bite
She's so respected
Cool, calm, collected
07 All Sold Out (02:10)
(Jagger/Richards)
Why put this sadness inside of me
Why be so matter-of-fact
Why put this one bit of hope in me
You sold me out and that's that
I hope that you're having fun with me
There's not much left to attack
I hope that you're nearly done with me
You sold me out and that's that
All sold out i'd never seen
A mind so tangled, a girl so strangled
All sold out well i felt so green
It was just like that
I was put down flat
I was sold out just like that
Oh baby
All sold out i'd never seen
A mind so tangled, a girl so strangled
All sold out well i felt so green
It was just like that
I was put down flat
I was sold out just like that
I missed the point of you doing it
Your mind has just jumped the track
I took a bit different view of it
You sold me out and that's that
Hey hey, that's that
10 Complicated (03:05)
(Jagger/Richards)
(Ah, har har har har)
She looks so simple in her way
Does the same thing everyday
But she's dedicated
To having her own way
She's very complicated
(Ah, har, har, har, har)
Yeah
Women seem to fill her mind
And many men in so short time
But she's underrated
She treats me oh so kind
She's very complicated
(Ha, har har har, har)
Yeah
We talk together and discuss
What is really best for us
She's sophisticated
My head's fit to bust
Cause she's so complicated
Ah,. ha har har, har
She knows just how to please her man
Softer than a baby lamb
But she's educated
Doesn't give a damn
She's very complicated
(Har, har har har, har)
Na, na na na num
She looks so simple in her way
Does the same thing everyday
But she's dedicated
To having her own way
She's very complicated
(Har, har har har, har....)
Carico i commenti... con calma
