Before settling for enduring cult fame with Big Star, Alex Chilton enjoyed ephemeral pop stardom as a singer with Memphis group The Box Tops. Their first hit, "The Letter", was a tantalizingly short and perfect pop song-from it's drum-tapped intro to it's sound effects-drenched fadeout. In an effort to sustain momentum after this 1967 chart topper, the rest of the band was kept out of the studio while the American Sound studio mafia backed the gravel-voiced teenage Chilton under the supervision of producer Dan Penn. The group had a total of ten Top 100 hits, all included here. The finest of these, "Cry Like a Baby", is an impeccable slice of blue-eyed soul penned by Penn and Spooner Oldham. The pair was less successful with it's other compositions, leaving it to Wayne Carson Thompson to conjure up "The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", and the stirring "Soul Deep". Alongside the hits, SOUL DEEP includes seven B-sides-all but one of which also appeared on the group's quartet of original albums-and an album-only cover of the Clifford Curry hit "She Shot a Hole in My Soul".
K**D
My baby just wrote me a letter
The Box Tops are one of the most intiguing groups of the late sixties, and The Letter one of the imperishable, if brief, pop classics of that decade. It clocks in at five seconds shy of two minutes, so to say it doesn't outstay its welcome is an understatement. It certainly leaves you wanting more, and for many of us back then it literally left us wanting to hear more of this classy band, led by the now iconic figure of the sadly late Alex Chilton, who went on to found the superb Big Star - a band beset by not only a lousy name (and terrible record sleeves!) but a whole bunch of bad luck.The Letter kicks things off, and each time I play it I feel like I'm visiting an old and trusted friend. But there was more to them than their big hit. One thing they had going for them was Chilton's soulful voice, and a batch of songwriters willing to entrust their songs to them, not least two of the best in the business, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham - who have composed some of the greatest pop-soul songs of the last fifty years, Penn having a superb voice of his own (check out their live album, the wittily titled Moments From This Theatre). Five of their songs appear on this excellent compilation, including Neon Rainbow, the memorable Cry Like A Baby, and the amusing, gospelly I Met Her In Church.Another great track is Soul Deep, written, as was The Letter, by Wayne Carson Thompson, a talented country singer-songwriter responsible for, among other songs, Always On My Mind and Bruce Channel's frantic sixties hit Keep On.Alex Chilton's own Together is a distinctive song, with a spiky, insistent lead guitar over a brass backing. I Must Be The Devil is another of his, a blues that highlights his gruffly soulful vocals.I'm not going to make unrealistic claims for the Box Tops, but I do recommend this timely collection to anyone who enjoys well-crafted, musically inventive pop, or anybody who remembers their one or two big hits and wants to hear more. You won't be disappointed.Lonely days are goneI'm a-comin' home,My baby just wrote me a letter
S**L
The Best Of The Box Tops
I owe the purchase of this to a Talktalk advert on television which used "Neon Rainbow" as the soundtrack. I also heard the same track while waiting to speak to a Talktalk customer advisor. I was so taken with the song that I actually wrote down the lyrics so I could search for the song title. Unusually I was actually quite disappointed when an advisor answered quickly. So I searched the internet and found "Neon Rainbow" and I must admit to never have heard of "The Box Tops" but I had heard "The Letter". So I ordered the CD "The Best Of The Box Tops: Soul Deep" from Amazon and it arrived with it's usual speed.How did I miss out on this group? To me the songs sound fresh and modern and have a real feel good quality that belie their vintage. The CD was played endlessly in my car for a few days before I felt the need to swap it. In fact I've put it on while writing this not very technical review but hey, I love this music. In fact it has rekindled my passion for the sounds of yesteryear and I've gone on to buy CDs from several artists including The Monkees and Billy Joel to name two. Strangely enough my teenage son listens to them as well!
A**E
a mixed bad
One cd I had been meaning to get for ages, and I finally took the plunge. "Soul deep", "cry like a baby" and "the letter" are all good songs well performed, but the rest of the songs are nothing special.
K**H
Five Stars
Same as rascals cd ,class!
N**6
The Best of the Box Tops
Its a great cd
W**Y
Five Stars
Brilliant album
M**S
Four Stars
Very please with my order
Y**N
Buy it
But buy it cheap for "The Letter" and "Neon Rainbow", the rest will never be on your iPod.
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