Best Of The Box Tops: Soul Deep CD

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 its drum-tapped intro to its 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 its 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."

Includes liner notes by Mitchell Cohen.

Producers: Dan Penn, Tommy Cogbill, Chips Moman.

Compilation producer: Bob Irwin.

Personnel: Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar); Gary Talley (guitar, banjo, sitar); Rick Allen (harmonica, trumpet); Bill Cunningham (keyboards); Tom Boggs (drums).

Liner Note Author: Mitchell Cohen.

Recording information: American Recording Studios, Inc., Memphis, TN.

Photographer: Joel Brodsky.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Tom Boggs; Gary Talley; Rick Allen ; Alex Chilton.

The Box Tops: Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar, bass); Gary Talley (guitar, banjo, sitar, bass); Rick Allen (harmonica, trumpet, bass); Bill Cunningham (organ, bass); Tom Boggs (drums).

Additional personnel: Reggie Young (guitar); Bobby Wood (piano); Bobby Emmons (organ); Tommy Cogbill (bass); Gene Chrisman (drums).

Rolling Stone (12/26/96, p.189) - "...the young Chilton worked his grainy voice and conversational phrasing like an American Steve Winwood....crammed with well-turned pop-soul gems, and the sonic details, like the electric sitar in `Cry Like A Baby,' are exquisite."