Tracks: 1. Yesterday's Papers / 2. My Obsession / 3. Back Street Girl / 4. Connection / 5. She Smiled Sweetly / 6. Cool, Calm, Collected / 7. All Sold Out / 8. Please Go Home / 9. Who's Been Sleeping Here? / 10. Complicated / 11. Miss Amanda Jones / 12. Something Happened To Me Yesterday / 13. Ruby Tuesday* / 14. Let's Spend the Night Together*.

Comments:

The album opens nicely with "Yesterday's Papers", which may be remembered for the vibraphone that gives the track a great lightness. It’s a song somewhat related to "Stupid Girl" from "Aftermath". "My Obsession" is a slightly sketchy jazzy track; not a big number. "Backstreet Girl" is a personal favorite. It is a very atmospheric, melancholy and melodic song with nice acoustic guitar. The group had increasingly begun to write songs with an almost folkish tone, with "As Tears Go By" and "Lady Jane" being some of the best known. The somewhat cynical lyrics may offend some listeners; Jagger's sometimes insensitive way of expressing himself can be seen on several other Stones songs - earlier and later. With "Connection" we are back in the slightly thinner department. A fairly short number; not decidedly weak but not much more than that either. "She Smiled Sweetly" is the next ballad and the song is a beautiful melodic highlight on "BtB". A nice, almost dramatic structure, with a very rich organ. It is a bit special for a Stones recording that there is no guitar to be heard on the song. "Cool, Calm, Collected" is a fun track that mixes different genres. There is a bit of vaudeville/music hall, jazz and psychedelia in a good mix that actually works very well.

"All Sold Out" is very classic Rolling Stones, and a track that could have been taken from "Out of our Heads"; very nice guitar playing from Keith Richards. The Bo Diddley inspired "Please, Go Home" is, on the other hand, mostly forgettable. The somewhat thin-boned song is not saved by adding some psychedelia to the vocals. On "Who's Been Sleeping Here" you get a nice foretaste of "Beggar's Banquet". Both musically and lyrically, the song could fit into this album, which many consider to be the group's most successful. "Complicated" is musically in the family of "Stupid Girl", and classic Stone's style. Lyrically, Jagger is also in familiar territory when he describes his female acquaintances. "Miss Amanda Jones" is a traditional rocker in the Chuck Berry style. "Something Happened to me Yesterday" was supposed to describe an LSD experience. It's a musically multifaceted number that easily brings to mind contemporaries The Kinks, and that group's ability to integrate classic music hall into their music. A fine end to an overall solid Stones album.

The American version of the album also contained the very beautiful "Ruby Tuesday", which is probably one of the finest things the group has ever recorded. Also the single "Let's Spend the Night Together" was on the American version. Funny to think that the lyrics to this track could cause controversy. In exchange for these two tracks, the Americans had to surrender "Back Street Girl" and "Please, Go Home", which instead appeared on "Flowers" later that year.