i absolutely loved counting blue cars when i heard it on the radio years ago. it was my favorite song ever for a while. so i finally got the cd. and i was disappointed. i have an open mind for music, and i listen to a cd at least 20 times until i have the total feel of it and can make a judgement. the only other song i liked (besides counting blue cars) was charlie brown's parents (which i now think is the best song on the album). but i eventually started to love miss emma peel, too. but those were the only 3 songs i liked. i tried my hardest to like the rest of the album, but i could only sorta like the song give. so i gave up on the cd.

a few years later, just a few days ago, i decided to give the cd another try. and i liked haze, only for so long, and feeder's great. so i love most of the cd, and the rest of the cd ain't so bad. i'm no longer disappointed. it took years, though. this is the longest cd it's ever taken me to appreciate. it also took me over a year to like matchbox twenty's "mad season" and bush's "the science of things", which are both great.

pretty babies - 3/5 ok song.
haze - 4/5 just a good song.
counting blue cars - 5/5 i don't think i have to say anything.
explode - 2/5 eh. doesn't hit me. kinda boring.
charlie brown's parents - 5/5 wow. this is one of the best songs i've ever heard. so many different parts, awesome changes, and every part wonderful.
give - 5/5 awesome mellow song.
miss emma peel - 5/5 shoulda been on the radio.
moisture - 2/5 reminds me of virgos merlot. a bad virgos merlot song.
the feeder - 5/5 now you're down with the feeder!
all she can see - 2/5 this song woulda been better, if it were better.
only for so long - 4/5 cool.

i would have loved to give this cd a 5/5 cuz of all of the great songs, and i think dishwalla is one of the best sounding bands when the songs are good. but with the few songs that i don't like much, i think it's only fair to give it a 4/5. i would have given it a 4.5/5 if it was an option.

Here's a classic example of the '90s "alternative" genre, complete with soaring vocals, driving guitars, and tight songwriting. All tracks on this CD are very good. My only complaint is that Dishwalla seem too tentative, too reluctant to go ahead and jam on some of these awesome riffs they wrote. There is often an inopportune tempo change or a reduction in intensity at the wrong point in the song ("Haze," "Charlie Brown's Parents") but perhaps the band overcame their inhibitions on their second CD, which I will definitely buy. Anyway, think Pearl Jam vocals over Catherine Wheel riffs--can't be bad.

I knew this was a band of significant talent and originality after hearing "Blue Cars" once on the radio, immediately after which, I bought the album. I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the tracks, especially "Pretty Babies", "Miss Emma Peel" and "Charlie Brown's Parents". I found myself completely captivated by the power, complexity and unique quality of JR Richards' voice. It isn't very often that I'm impressed by alternative male rock voices, but this one is definitely a standout. The overall production is very satisfying to the ears and upper torso that bobs to the rock beats in the car speakers or home stereo system. I highly recommend this album.

I bought this CD years ago for their "hit", Counting Blue Cars. While a wonderful song, this is far from their best. The rest of the album absolutely rocks, with the tunes growing on you the more you listen to 'em. Complex and elaborate, yet extremely accessible. A MUST-HAVE CD FOR ANYONE'S COLLECTION. You will not be disappointed!

Dishwalla came out in the early '90's when the music world was over saturated with bands that all had the same sound. The alternative, but mainstream pop rock that rock fans loved. Dishwalla fell right into that genre and just like all the rest, were a one-hit wonder band. They were from California, just north of Los Angeles and singer J.R. Richards (also plays various keyboarded instruments) could possibly be why the band achieved some of the success. He has an appealing voice along with a very attractive face.

Girls loved him. Pet Your Friends contains a total of twelve tracks with three of them released as singles. The most popular track was the song "Counting Blue Cars" with it's catchy melodies and simple sing-a-long lyrics like "Tell me all your thoughts on God, cause I'd really like to meet her". Other tracks like "Miss Emma Peel" and "Charlie Brown's Parents" we all are familiar with, because of their reference to childhood characters. They both have the heavy melodic guitars with singer Richards sweet vocals. Each musician puts in their share of average to sometimes good performing skills but a lot of the tracks are monotonous leaving it not extraordinary.