Pros: Good collection of songs, defines Memphis rhythm and blues influences
Cons: Not music for the ages
The Bottom Line: This band wasn't around long, and Chilton did his best work later with Big Star. Still, this music is a pleasant distraction in an historical sense.
sparkospunky's Full Review: The Best of the Box Tops: Soul Deep by The Box Top...
The Box Tops were only together for about three years, and maybe not for that long--it's rumoured that after the astounding success of their hit single The Letter, only Alex Chilton appeared on the remaining work of the band, backed by a group of studio musicians. And maybe that's how it should have been, because the trademark of The Box Tops was the rough, gravelly voice of Alex Chilton, who was deeply influenced by the Memphis soul sound.
The Best Of The Box Tops--Soul Deep is an excellent, representative collection of the best work of The Box Tops. All of the music on this album features that peculiar blend of good '60's pop with a healthy dollop of that distinctive Memphis rhythm and blues that combined to make the music of The Box Tops unique, even though the group's existence was rather fleeting.
The Letter, with its' urgent theme interpreted by Chilton's raspy delivery, made No. 1 in the charts, and stayed there for a few weeks, if I recall correctly. Neon Rainbow, Cry Like A Baby, and Soul Deep were all commercially successful songs that extended the "pop meets soul" premise set up by The Letter, but none of those songs reached the top of the charts like the latter. (How about that pun?). This collection is also notable because it contains some of the first songwriting efforts of Alex Chilton--Together, I Must Be The Devil, (The) Happy Song, and I See Only Sunshine all point to the influence of the Memphis sound on Chilton's music, while deftly presaging some of the good pop music he would go on to create with Big Star.
This collection contains the obligatory Bob Dylan cover--I Shall Be Released has a distinctive Southern gospel flavor that is not present in Dylan's version. Also featured is Turn On A Dream, written by Mark James, who also penned Elvis' smash hit, Suspicious Minds.
There are eighteen tracks on this album, and the insert accompanying the album has an informative history of the band and describes how their sound was influenced by the styles and people of their time.
Probably not a lot of people remember The Box Tops--as I said earlier, they weren't around for long at all, and Alex Chilton really made his biggest splash with Big Star. The music on this album isn't classic by any stretch of the imagination, but the musical historian will find it interesting because of the blends in styles that it represents. Check it out if you think you might like a pleasant distraction.
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