The Box Tops

Revered by indie rockers for his highly personal brand of power pop in Big Star and the eccentricity of his solo albums, Alex Chilton achieved his greatest commercial success as the 16-year-old lead singer of the Box Tops. The Memphis quintet was cobbled together by veteran Memphis producer Dan Penn to record a single, "The Letter," a huge hit that blended a sophisticated string arrangement with a jaunty, calliope-like keyboard riff and the sound of an airplane taking off. But it was the gravelly, remarkably mature wail of the teenage Chilton that separated "The Letter" from other Summer of Love radio fodder. The subsequent debut album is steeped in Memphis soul, with touches of country and blues, an approach that would remain intact on subsequent releases.

The Penn-written title track of Cry Like a Baby produced another major hit, and Chilton began contributing to the songwriting (the negligible "Nonstop") while cementing his status as a transfixing blue-eyed soul stylist on "I Met Her in Church." With Penn giving way to Chips Moman as resident studio guru, Dimensions took a more eccentric turn, with a lascivious novelty ("Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March"), a leering Chilton blues ballad ("I Must Be the Devil"), and an ill-advised guitar jam (a nine-minute "Rock Me Baby"). Tear Off found a reunited Box Tops ripping it up persuasively on a batch of vintage blues, soul, and rockabilly tunes that inspired their sound three decades earlier. Of the hits compilations, Best of the Box Tops provides the most expansive introduction to Chilton's formative years. (GREG KOT)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide