Best of the Box Top - Soul Deep (Remastered)

Memphis’ Box Tops tore in and out of pop consciousness between 1967 and 1971. This superb collection documents the young blue-eyed soul group’s ride, from hit-song wonders (“Cry Like a Baby,” “The Letter,” and “Soul Deep”) to glorious near-misses (especially the chugging “Choo Choo Train” and beautiful takes on Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Lee Dorsey’s “People Gonna Talk”). It’s easy to marvel at the teenaged Alex Chilton, whose cigarette-husky voice sounded like it belonged to a years-older black soul shouter. Devotees of Big Star will adore the early Chilton-penned numbers here too, such as the brassy-cool “Together” and the soul-psych popper “I See Only Sunshine.”