Four full albums from the Box Tops, plus bonus tracks too! First up is The Letter/
Neon Rainbow – a powerhouse set from The Box Tops – a 60s group who showed the world that the
Memphis scene had as much to offer the world
of rock as it did the worlds
of blues and soul – thanks to the all-great pedigree
of this album! Not only does the group feature a very young Alex Chilton on lead vocals, the set was also recorded at the new American Recording Studios headed up by Chips Moman – with tracks on the record from the classic soul songwriting team
of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, not to mention a few by the young Bobby Womack too! The bit hit "The Letter" leads off the set, but the album's way more than just that it – filled with great tunes that include "I Pray For Rain", "I'm Your Puppet", "Happy Times", "Neon Rainbow", "Break My Mind", "She Knows How", and "Everything I Am". Cry Like A Baby is a fantastic album from The Box Tops – the kind
of all-great, no-filler record that really set them apart from some
of their 60s contemporaries! At this point, Alex Chilton's still not a songwriter, but he
sounds tremendous in the lead on vocals – working with superb
Memphis production, amidst a host
of great tunes from the team
of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, plus a few other key songwriters too! Penn produced the record, and really gives it a fantastic sound – the kind
of special touches and genre-bending elements
of his own later records – on titles that include "Deep In Kentucky", "Cry Like A Baby", "Trouble With Sam", "The Door You Closed To Me", "Lost", "Fields
Of Clover", and "Every Time". Non Stop is beautiful work from The Box Tops – a set that has the group moving way past their early hits, and finding this really sort
of special place in the world
of up-and-coming artists in the 60s! The Box Tops were maybe one
of the first
Memphis rock groups to really put together all the great elements that were bubbling in that city's scene during the 60s – the unique hybrid
of soul, country, R&B, and other influences that were filtering into groups via the cross-cultural vibe
of the city. That quality really comes through here – partly in the group's performance and the lead vocals
of Alex Chilton, partly in the great production by Dann Penn, who also wrote a number
of tracks with Spooner Oldham, and partly in the way that fuller arrangements are used to underscore some more soulful touches in the music. Titles include "Sandman", "Choo Choo Train", "I'm Movin On", "People Gonna Talk", "She Shot A Hole In My Soul", "I Met Her In Church", "I Can Dig It", and "If I Had Let You In". Dimensions is maybe one
of the most soulful albums by The Box Tops – and that's saying a heck
of a lot, as there's plenty
of other soul elements moving through the other records! Alex Chilton's really finding his own here, and contributes a number
of his own songs to the record, as a harbinger
of his great legacy to come – and the production is slightly shifted, with Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman taking over from Dan Penn, and maybe bringing in even more elements from the wide crossover between rock and soul on the
Memphis scene. Titles include "I See Only Sunshine", "Together", "The Happy Song", "Rock Me Baby", "Sweet Cream Ladies", "I Must Be The Devil", "Midnight Angel", and "Soul Deep". Bonus cuts include "Since I Been Gone", "Lay Your Smile On Me", "King's Highway", "Take Me To Your Heart", "Georgia Farm Boy", "Come On Honey", and "You Keep Tightening Up On Me".