The Box Tops* – The Best Of The Box Tops - Soul Deep

A great intro to The Box Tops featuring Alex Chilton who went on to form Big Star.

This sounds pretty good on LP despite the number of tracks.

The Box Tops were a product of their time, and living outside of Philadelphia, it was easy for me to relate to nearly everything these songs were involved in, even the train car pictured on the front of the album.

Fourteen of the eighteen numbers found here stand the test of time, and represent the best of pop culture from the 60’s in all of its glory, and silliness. The Box Tops make serious attempts to incorporated all that was going on around them, from catchy guitar hooks, to car horns, to the strange psychedelic instruments of the day, which were heard on more serious albums by groups like The Stones or The Beatles. Hey, this music is just pure fun ... it’s not to be taken seriously ... there is nothing to divine from either the lyrics or the instrumentation ... there is nothing to be debated or regarded. This is the music that blasted out of countless car speakers, and lime green plastic AM transistor radios, smuggled into school, for lunchtime pleasure.

This is the young [the very young] Alex Chilton finding his footing, finding his way and discovering the musical statements he will eventually unleash on the world, bringing him legendary cult status ... yes, this is the beginning. If you were around in the mid 60’s, this was the music of your time, part of the soundtrack and fabric of your life ... for those of you who weren’t there during those years, this album will hold a bit less interest, but should be considered as the ground work for not only pop culture, but for the bend in the road that took Alex in his direction, paving the way for other groups like Wilco to follow, with more inspiring music ... never the less, it is all based on what Alex did right here.

So step back in time, dig a blast from the past, when we all did, but didn’t need to take ourselves so seriously.

*** The Fun Facts: The Box Tops' early beginnings were as a five man band from Memphis Tennessee called Ronnie And The DeVilles. The group consisted of Alex Chilton (lead vocal, guitar) Bill Cunningham (bass, keyboards, background vocal) John Evans (guitar, keyboards, background vocals) Danny Smythe (drums) and Gary Talley (lead guitar, background vocal). After playing at clubs in the Memphis area, they were signed to record for Bell Records at Chips Moman's American Recording Studio in Memphis, with producer Dan Penn. They soon discovered that another band had already recorded under the name The DeVilles and before their first release, changed their name to The Box Tops.

At the time, during the 50's mid 60's, the top of boxes, especially cereal boxes, would be collected and sent in to the company for premiums that were offered. Also, many soldiers in Viet Nam would use the tops of these boxes for post cards, writing messages on the blank sides ... I know, I used them more than once.

Review by Jenell Kesler