REVIEW: CHARLES ‘PACKY’ AXTON – LATE LATE PARTY 1965 – 67

Charles ‘Packy’ Axton.
Late Late Party: 1965-67
Light in the Attic Records

A new one from Light in the Attic is a collection of recordings from 1965-’67 either written by and including or just plain including hard and heavy sax player Charles ‘Packy’ Axton.

This guy had all the hallmarks of musical royalty – played with Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn (of Booker T and the MGs ) and his mum and uncle co-founded Stax Records. So why has only a the privileged few heard of him?

Well, this is the first compilation ever devoted to the sax legend so that might have had something to do with it. Also, Packy was a live wire and a heavy drinker with a penchant for cheap whiskey – this hard-drinking, burning it down to the filter lifestyle contributed to his untimely death, aged only 32. He faded early while others on the circuit became household names, indeed the fantastically informative and enjoyable essay within the liner notes by Memphis writer Andria Lisle is entitled The Forgotten Man.

Forgotten or not the guy looked good, the pictures are all slick styled hair, button down shirts and squints into the blinding Memphis sun, and he left behind a busket’s worth of thonking solid grooves. The comp charts the progress of Packy and his raw sounding sax though various  soul/R&B outfits including the the Mar-Keys, the Martinis and the Packers – featuring singles cut for labels such as USA, Bar, Hollywood and Pure Soul (labels are illustrated in the  booklet for those who love vinyl).

This is  truly outstanding compilation and has a consistency that makes it a non skipper (a rare beast indeed).

Spread over 17 tracks what you get is a mixture of vocal and instrumental joints, some of the vocal tracks with a soul flavour while some are down and dirty R&B (“No Ending” Stacy Lane being a personal favourite akin to Rufus Thomas).

Despite being perhaps more on the fringes than his peers Packy tasted chart success, almost reaching the top of the R&B and pop charts in 1961 with the classic “Last Night” with the Mar Kays (a group he formed with Dunn and Cropper)  and again in 1965  with “Hole In The Wall” by the Packers. Of these cuts only “Hole in The Wall” appears on the compilation and is by no means the highlight  of this fine collection. Check and enjoy it all, and you most surely will, but perhaps give ‘Holiday Cheer’ and ‘Hung Over’ by the Martinis a rattle first and then “House Full Of Rooms” and “Out Of Control” by LH & The Memphis Sounds.

Whatever you go for this is music that makes you just plain glad and if you plump for the LP version you get a download code for a previously unreleased track by The Martinis.

An unknown to many but forgotten by few this compilation should not only bring Packy the kudos he deserves but also many, many new fans.

Words: Barry Smyth

Filed under: Reviews by J.G.