Alex Chilton's first band to have any significant national presence was not Alex Chilton's band. It was called the Box Tops, and it belonged to a major label, professional songwriters, probably some organized crime, and the requisite network of promotion that all came together back then to create commercial success. That was not even Chilton's natural voice, but "The Letter" was the #1 selling song of 1967, a VERY heady year in the history of rock. Along with the other great songs performed by the Box Tops, you had a short-lived but very memorable and successful venture that Alex could never come close to topping. I can't wait to see this, but I do regret the lack of documentaries on other bands of the time - most notably the Cowsills, with their Beach Boys' style harmonies and their Beach Boys' style tyrant of a father. Luckily, that doc has now come out and I look forward to seeing that one and this one.
reply
share