Customer Reviews

The Best of the Box Tops: Soul Deep

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If your looking for some great blue-eyed southern soul from the sixties, you've come to the right place. The Box Tops were a band of 5 kids, led by dynamite lead singer Alex Chilton, who was only 16 years old when he joined the group. The band was relegated to doing only one thing, making great music. All the rest of the duties, including the production and most of the songwriting fell on the shoulders of Dan Penn and legendary Stax producer Chips Moman. But the person who wrote the Box Tops best music, including "The Letter, "Neon Rainbow", and "Soul Deep" were done by the great songwriter Wayne Thompson. It may have been pretty much Penn and Moman's show, but it was the gruff-voiced teenager Alex Chilton who took this band to the top of the charts. It seems like all this great music came out at one time in the late 60's. I remember when I was young kid, I used to wait in anticipation for these songs to skirt their way along the airwaves and into my 2 dollar transistor radio. I wasn't satisfied till I heard those words "gimme a ticket for an aeroplane" to come on. That 1:52 of "The Letter" was over all too fast. But I always had those other Box Tops gems like "Sweet Cream Ladies" and "Cry Like A Baby", among the others to look forward to. As quick as this band came with all this great music, they disappeared just as quick without any fanfare, and pretty much without the recognition they, and especially Alex Chilton deserved. I've followed Chilton's career closely over the years since the Box Tops...his voice never was anywhere close to being this good again. But if you want to step back in time and listen to some great and unforgettable Memphis soul, get this best of from the Tops. It's all you need.

One typical '60s music fan would think that a group like the Box Tops would put out a lot of good songs, many of which were minor hits, but I'm telling you, all of these songs make you feel terrific all over. From the short-lasting #1 song "The Letter", which was the band's trademark song and you can see why is because it is on every '60s music collection, to their 1970 single "You Keep Tightening Up On Me." "Neon Rainbow" is one song that will most likely stick in your head with is catchy lyrics and teh way the instruments are played and especially young Alex Chilton's rough, gravelly and one of the most famous voices of '60s music. I also enjoyed "Fields of Clover" with its psychadelic-sounding G-note on the organ at the beginning and the jumpy beat throughout. "Choo Choo Train" is one marvelous classic that will have you dancing within no time. "I Met Her In Church" is another great one that will have you shouting "Hallelujah!" soon. "Soul Deep", the title track of this album, is delightful and upbeat! Your '60s collection isn't complete without this great Box Tops compilation that provides a small sample of what the era was all about...from a great-sounding group that could have been around longer.

This disc leads off with the Box Tops' signature song "The Letter," cut when lead singer Alex Chilton was only 16 years old!

Typical of many of the bands in the sixties, their chart run was brief--within two years the hits would dry up--but between 1967 and 1969 the Box Tops would turn out some classic blue-eyed soul. "Cry Like a Baby" was the only other top ten, but there were other hits like "Neon Rainbow," "Choo Choo Train," "I Met Her in Church," "Sweet Cream Ladies," and their final hit "Soul Deep."

Chilton would go on to achieve critical success and cult staus with Big Star in the seventies, but that band would never achieve the popular success of the Box Tops.

This disc gathers the hits, failed singles and key album tracks in a wonderful collection of songs that serve as a testimony to one of the most soulful bands of the sixties.

If you are an Alex Chilton cultist or someone who liked the Box Tops hits all those years ago, this will be a real find. I can't stop playing it!

Alex Chilton went on to a totally different sound and style with Big Star, but honestly, he never sang better than he did here. Working with the brilliant Dan Penn and Chips Moman at the American Studio in Memphis, those cats coaxed the most soulful vocals imaginable out of Chilton (a mere 16-year-old at the time!). Also the backing of the American Studio house band is impeccable. I'm sorry to disappoint those who thought that the Box Tops actually played on these records, but cette la vie.

But don't let that put you off this record. This is a sleeper, a classic, some of the best blue-eyed soul that has ever been cut. While not all cuts are as brilliant as The Letter, Cry Like a Baby, Soul Deep and Neon Rainbow, there isn't a bad apple in the bunch. How many groups from the 60s could put out an 18 song collection with no clunkers? In particular, check out Chilton's vocal on his self-penned "I Must Be the Devil." Unbelievable.

Finally, the sound is inpeccable. I had the Ultimate Box Tops, a really early CD release (1986). The sound on this collection blows that away.

The Box tops are best remembered for The letter and (to a lesser extent) Cry like a baby but there is more to their music than those two classics. Their music is deceptively simple soul-pop. Their lead singer, Alex Chilton, was just 16 when they recorded The letter. He left the group, still only 19, and had some domestic success with Big star - a group that didn't chart in Britain.

The letter, their debut single, was an American number one hit and also made the UK top ten. Cry like a baby, their only other American top ten hit, was also their only other UK top twenty hit. They had eight other American hits of which Soul deep was the only one to chart in Britain. Of the others, I particularly like Neon rainbow. These four tracks are the most notable, though it is worth mentioning Sweet cream ladies forward march (in praise of prostitutes - surely they're not serious?) and You keep tightening up on me (not a hit but maybe it would have been had it come earlier in the career).

This is an interesting collection of their best music. If you enjoy sixties soul-pop, you may wish to add this to your collection.

I originally bought this CD to get "The Letter" and "Soul Deep" which are tunes I've loved since I heard them on the radio as a child. My father even had the original 45 version of "The Letter" and I played it many times growing up.

Originally I really didn't appreciate the other songs on this CD, even though dad also had the original 45 of "Neon Rainbow" too. But I'm happy to say that something happened to my ability to appreciate music and now I can really enjoy just sitting through this music from start to finish. I even like "Met Her in Church" which itself sounds a lot like an old tent revival church song. Great stuff! I guess growing up and old isn't so bad, if it means there's more music out there to enjoy.

THE BOX TOPS WERE ONE OF THE BEST GROUPS OF THE 60'S. CHILTON'S VOICE WAS JUST SO UNIQUE. DAN PENN DID SUCH A GREAT JOB PRODUCING THEM. OF THE 18 SONGS ON THIS CD, THERE ARE ONLY 3 THAT I DON'T REALLY CARE FOR. THEY ARE, "I MUST BE THE DEVIL", "PEOPLE GONNA TALK" AND "I SEE ONLY SUNSHINE". THESE THREE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH "TRAINS, BOATS AND PLANES", "I'M YOUR PUPPET" AND 'BREAK MY MIND". THIS HAS ALL THE BOX TOPS HITS AND SOME THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. "YOU KEEP TIGHTENING UP ON ME" IS A GREAT SONG, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HIT. "FIELDS OF CLOVER" IS ALSO A VERY GOOD SONG.

First, Alex Chilton had one of the most singular voices in rock. Gravely and urgent, Chilton's voice is a unique musical instrument and he used it to great effect on the Box Top's hits. The Box Tops were big AM radio stars and their 45's sold well, though their albums didn't fare as well. "The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", "Cry Like a Baby" and the title tune, "Soul Deep", are all here. Chilton is so good on "Soul Deep" that just hearing it on the new technology is worth the price of the CD. There are also some worthwhile tunes on this package that never received air play. Not a weak cut on the CD. This is a must-have for all true sixties record lovers.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.

The Best of the Box Tops: Soul Deep released in October 1996 by Arista is the perfect introduction to the early music of Alex Chilton.

If you are hesitant about procuring the CD because on first glance there are only a few recognizable tunes, your apprehension will quickly be diminished.

The opening track "The Letter" would make representation perfectly logical if it were the only tune on the compilation. It is a timeless track that has never left the play lists of oldies radio and classic rock. Chilton's vocal inflection makes the lyrics rather profound. It is one that has made entry to the time capsule. "Cry Like A Baby" another oldies favorite gives further evidence of Chilton's voice being proficient in both the rock and soul categories. "Soul Deep" never fails to make an impact even after hundreds of listenings. It didn't reach two minutes and thirty seconds but is timeless nevertheless. Chilton's voice delivers the goods on the Dylan cover "I Shall Be Released." It is a terrific choice and inclusion here is mandatory. The final track "You Keep Tightening Up On Me" is the most underrated song found on the collection. It has a quality that makes even the initial listen as if you have heard the song numerous times. The vocals and the instrumentation end the CD as it began, with a bit of soul and a lot of joy.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

the best of the 60's group the box tops. a nice blend of soulful elements. if you like booker t. and the mg's ( green onions ) or early 70's staple singers ( i'll take you there and respect yourself ) then your sure to like this. the box tops were around from '67 - '69. the top 50 reviewer before, pd harris wrote, the only hits they had was the letter and cry like a baby, when in fact they had a couple more as well, 67's neon rainbow and '69's soul deep that did chart here in the states. a great collection by one of the great band's of the 60's. i give it 5 stars, so grab yourself a copy today.