The Dishes

1-2 (No. 89)
by Craig Regala

Really good garage rock in the Sympathy For The Record Industry tradition. Kinda pushy-bratty at times, but never shrill or whiny in its delivery. The vocals are pitched and varied to help the music move along and the recording’s great. Chicago seems to’ve bred a culture that supports bands aesthetically. The tunes stick decent, only a couple throwaways; no reason they couldn’t land a tune in the company of the Fistful Of Rock series. I pick “Feel It” as the tune to play for your little brother to help wean him from the pop punk nip. This’ll help convince’m there’s plenty of “milk” out there. I dig this rec ’cause it doesn’t really adhere to a specific genre. Even as the parameters are “garagesque,” I get the feeling it’s mainly a density/weight similarity that chucks’m in that bin rather than another. They’re as much Nerves (fellow Chicagoans) as Red Aunts or Toilet Boys. 14 songs, a touch over 30 minutes, and not much wasted time. As the rec is kind of short, I suggest a couple covers when Mr. Big Record Label Guy decides to reissue it. If I may be so bold to suggest three: Tom Waits’ “Clap Hands,” UFO’s “Cherry Baby,” and (of course) Status Quo’s “Just Take Me.” No reason to pick tunes within the genre ballpark to wax (live covers of faves are OK). Note to band: Write me if you need copies of these tunes.
(PO Box 220472 Chicago, IL 60622)