ROLLING STONES/BETWEEN THE BUTTONS LL 3499 (-67) US MONO

US mono version of the band's fifth UK original studio album, though in America counted as number seven due to the US habit of having less tracks on each LP and also including UK 45 only cuts, allowing them to release more albums from the same bulk of recordings. This has ten of the tracks as UK, but omitting "Back Street Girl" and "Please Go Home" and replacing them with "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday". That alone makes it a collectable and as important as the British original to any Stones fan. But there are also significant deviations in audio for the common tracks. The US mono is loud, warm and wide open while the UK comes through as slightly further compressed. As I understand it's about the same takes and mixes, but treated differently in the late process - making the UK version somewhat more "packaged" and leveled while the US sounds natural and less balanced at parts. All the above put together makes this a separate album rather than a second hand variation and thus impossible as ground for a fair comparison. Which to chose? I don't know, couldn't be without any of them. This version also issued in Canada and a couple of South American countries. Very first US mono on a ridged maroon label, this flat red came somewhat later. (YZÄ*) (ÖXCÅ*) (RÅ*) (CPYC*)