Between The Buttons album cover, Primrose Hill, London

Here I am on Primrose Hill in North London where the cover for the Rolling Stones 1967 album Between The Buttons was taken. I’m not sure exactly where but it was done just here in regent's Park just north of central London.

The blurred edges are supposed to represent the band’s shift from rhythm and blues into a psychedelia. Perhaps they wanted a slightly arty feel as when they wrote the album many seminally arty albums had been released such as albums like Revolver by The Beatles, Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan and Freak Out! by Frank Zappa.

The main hits on the album are Let’s Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday. Later that year the Stones dabbled with more psychedelia but this was probably more to do with piles of drugs than the love of music.

The photo shoot took place at 5:30 in the morning following an all night recording session at Olympic Studios. The photographer used a home-made camera filter (made from black card, glass and Vaseline) to make the lads look like they’re dissolving into their surroundings. Brian Jones looks like he’s had too many drugs, Mick Jagger looks like he’s pained by trapped wind and Bill Wyman looks browned off at having to leave some nubile rock chicks in a warm bed.

The photos were probably taken down where the trees are...