Old Hat

Personnel: David Skinner (vocals, piano, organ, percussion); Carol Grimes (vocals, percussion); John Porter (guitar, bass guitar); Phillip Crooks (guitar); Sam Mitchell (slide guitar, dobro); Terry Stannard (drums).
Recording information: Island Studios.
Photographer: Daddy Guy.
Prior to its reissue on CD by an imprint of the estimable U.K. progressive rock label Voiceprint, Uncle Dog's 1972 album, Old Hat, commanded a fair amount among collectors of '70s rock, due to the presence of Free's lead guitarist, Paul Kossoff, alongside Malcolm Duncan and Roger Ball, who would shortly become the Average White Band's horn section. The problem is that although lead singer Carol Grimes has a fine bluesy voice -- she actually sounds a lot like a British version of the Joy of Cooking's Terry Garthwaite, no bad thing -- keyboardist Dave Skinner isn't much of a songwriter, and all of the tunes are basically amiable jams on tired old blues progressions. One song is even called "Boogie With Me," for goodness sakes! (To be fair, Skinner does lay into some good organ lines on that song, its saving grace.) This album isn't actually bad, but the album title is distressingly accurate. For die-hard fans of the boogie only, and maybe Smiths completists who want to know what producer John Porter (rhythm guitar and bass) was doing a decade or so before "Hand in Glove." ~ Stewart Mason