The D-Men & The Fifth Estate - I Wanna Shout! (2016)

Take the 14 tunes of this platter, add a band named The D-Men, and you've got a driving, shaking demonstration of US mid 1960's british invasion influenced Garage Rock and Roll. The D-Men are best remembered today for their minor hit success with 45's such as I Just Don't Care' or So Little Time'. Their biggest success and recognition though, came in 1967 under their new name The Fifth Estate' when they charted nationwide with their baroque rock adaptation Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead'. But it's the 1964 - 66 recorded tracks on this platter which were first played to the neighbourhood kids and then to wild fans which often brought the house down. Included are Boom Boom," "Hi Heel Sneakers," and their unreleased demo recording of The Stones "Empty Heart". This punctuates its garage rock beat, with a fuzz­ing deep guitar riff and sing­ing with the sinister resentment that certifies the track as Nuggets ready. But the band had much more to provide than just cover material. With a gift for writing hooks and catchy melodies a string of excellent originals exposes the hidden side of The D-Men perfectly. "Like I Love You" recaptures the Anglopop charms of the British Invasion, even self-consciously sprinkling Fab Four-isms. "Don't You Know," is a song laced with the organ and guitar interplay ideally suited to take on The Animals, The Searchers, and The Dave Clark Five. More Beatlesque notions are provided in "Love Could Show Me", "I Just Don't Care" and "Don't You Know," tracks that typify the group's early Merseybeat style. A long lost punk rock gem such as "When I'm Gone" explodes with all the subtlety of The Kingsmen's "Long Green" mugging The Kinks' "Till The End Of The Day," as Paul Revere and The Raiders' "Just Like Me" gets ready to pounce. The outstanding So Little Time', earned meager attention beyond the regional market. In truth, it deserves a place among the great, if overlooked, slices of hard-edged East Coast folk rock. All these tracks make up a significant part of the group's legacy. A legacy that will only be complete with such recordings as "It's Cruel," the psychedelic "Night On Fire," and the explosive live recording of "I Wanna Shout". This collection has the flamable stuff of the mid 60s beat generation - it's something the kids could shake it up to. If you didn't do then, do it now!