355 - Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons

It was 1967 and the Stones found themselves stretching more from their established blues sound and relying on original songs from the band and not covers. While some may diss this album for its pop sound, as a guy that usually sides in the Beatles vs Rolling Stones debate, this album won me over. Even as the band played with pop music, they didn't lose their edge ("Let's Spend the Night Together" as Exhibit A).

Between the Buttons is a worthwhile exploration that doesn't sacrifice the band's sound. While there is a piano stolen straight from a Wild West movie on "Cool, Calm, & Collected," Mick's vocals and the rag-tag sound of the song isn't all that different from future songs like "Honky Tonk Women." In the late 60's the Beatles were tired of being dismissed as a pop band for screaming teen girls and evolved their sound. Probably feeling pinned in by blues purists, this is an album that the Stones had to make in order to survive and be relevant.

Songs I knew I liked: "Let's Spend the Night Together," "Ruby Tuesday," and "Complicated"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Yesterday's Papers," "She Smiled Sweetly," "My Obsession," and "Miss Amanda Jones"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Something Happened to Me Yesterday"

354 - Randy Newman - 12 Songs

Randy Newman's niche is character profiles. The subjects of his songs may be annoying, ignorant, or enlightened, but they are rarely two-dimensional and boring. On his sophomore album, Randy created the blueprint for the rest of his 70's albums. There are songs here that both praise and criticize The South. There are tunes on the silliness of racism and the allure of nostalgia. But what makes this album different from the previous album of his on the Rolling Stone list is that there is a rawness and grit to these songs that was musically polished off of the other releases. When Randy and the band get bluesy on this album, you feel like you are in a dirty, hole-in-the-wall joint and not in a studio.

And these aren't songs that rely on Randy's Dixie/New Orleans bluesy sound. Tracks like "Have You Seen My Baby" and "Mama Told Me Not to Come" vary quite a bit from his original and the cover versions you probably heard.

Songs I knew I liked: I am familiar with the Three Dog Night cover of "Mama Told Me Not To Come," but was otherwise ignorant of these tracks.

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Have You Seen My Baby," "Lover's Prayer," "Yellow Man," and "Old Kentucky Home"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield"