Rust
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969) - Brian Hillmann -- vocals, drums, percussion - Walt Monaghan -- vocals, bass - Creepy John Thomas (aka Johnny Driver) -- vocals, guitar
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- Mick Abraham's Band (Walt Monaghan) - Johnny Driver (Creepy John Thomas) - The Edgar Broughton Band (Creepy John Thomas) - The Files (Creepy John Thomas) - Freedom (Walt Monaghan) - If (Walt Monaghan) - Johnny and the Divers (Creepy John Thomas) - Ted Nugent Band (Walt Monaghan) - Shapes and Sizes (Brian Hillman) - Creepy John Thomas (Creepy John Thomas) - The Washington D.C.s (Brian Hillman)
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Genre: psych Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Come with Me Company: Hor Zu Catalog: SHZEL 59 Year: 1969 Country/State: UK / Australia Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: German pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5140 Price: $150.00
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The short-lived trio Rust (not to be confused with a similar named Texas-based outfit) reflected the joys and heartache of multi-national cooperation. Previously a member of The Washington DCs, drummer Brian Hillmann and bassist Walt Monaghan were English Former The Flies singer/guitarist Jonny Thomas was Australian. He'd also briefly been a member of The Edgar Broughton Band. Thomas seemingly moved to West Germany in the late 1960s in order to be with his girlfriend. Ah, true love. How the trio came together is a mystery to me, but after playing English military bases in West Germany they ended up recorded their sole 1969 LP for the German Hor Zu German label.
Featuring
all original material (all three members contributed to writing chores), 1969's "Come
with Me" was interesting in a spot-the-influence kind of
way. The LP liner notes (printed in English and German) didn't include
performance credits though Thomas seemingly handled most vocals. I
liked his voice which was uniformly strong, occasionally recalling a young
Peter Frampton ("Please Return"), or the late Jack Bruce ("Delusion").
As le
"Come with
Me" track listing: 1.) Come with Me (introduction) (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 0:35 rating: **** stars Though it was just a song snippet, opening up with the sound of a street car and city crowds, "Come with Me (Introduction)" displayed a surprisingly pop-ish tune that was flushed out when the full song reappeared on side two. 2.) You Thought You Had It Made (Jonny Thomas) - 3:38 rating: **** stars Always liked the phased guitar tone Thomas got on the rocker "You Thought You Had It Made". Before slapping some odd effects on Thomas vocals his performance reminded me of Jack Bruce. At the same time Walt Monaghan turning in some awesome bass work that I suspect would have made Bruce proud. 3.) Please Return (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 2:28 rating: **** stars Once you got through the opening chiming clock sound effects "Please Return" got a lot better with Thomas fuzz lead guitar and Hillman's frenetic drumming. Interesting "social commentary" lyrics while the song sported one of the album's most attractive pop-psych efforts melodies. Once again Thomas' vocals reminded me of Frampton. 4.) Should I (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 3:29 rating: ** stars "Should I" started out as a bluesy rocker, bouncing back and forth between the slower, almost waltz-styled refrain and the main melody. Other than Thomas' brief fuzz guitar solo this was one you could skip. 5.) Think Big (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 3:47 rating: **** stars As with the other songs, "Think Big" opened up with a clip of a radio news report on the upcoming Apollo VIII space flight. Sounding as if it had been inspired by space flight (echoes of Bowie), the combination of a great melody, classic mid-'60s production sound and cool lyrics made for a great tune. It also sounded like all three members were handling the vocals. This time Thomas showed off his prowess on acoustic and electric guitar. 6.) Rust (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 3:26 rating: *** stars Opening with the sounds of military marching, "Rust" offered up some obvious anti-war lyrics. Coupled with another decent melody, this must have been interesting hearing them play this on a military base ...
(side
2) Thomas' slashing guitar gave the opening of "Delusion" an almost-surf garage sound. Quite cool. This was another one where the vocals sounded a bit like Jack Bruce. 2.) Doesn't Add Up To Me (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 3:44 rating: *** stars An attractive, slightly dark ballad, "Doesn't Add Up To Me" had a great melody that was somewhat marred by the weird treated effects slapped on the vocals. The performance also gave Hillman to spotlight his contributions to the band. Always wondered what the opening Morse Code translated as ... 3.) Find a Hideaway (Jonny Thomas) - 3:24 rating: **** stars Opening with lapping waves and a distant train whistle ... The country-rock tinged ballad "Find a Hideaway" was one of the LPs most commercial offerings. Pretty melody and loved the lead vocals on this one. 4.) Come with Me (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 4:17 rating: **** stars The title track was a surprisingly pop-ish ballad. One of the oddest things was Thomas' vocals reminded me of a young Peter Frampton. The trio also exhibited a knack for tight harmony vocals. Great way to open the album and would have made a nice single. 5.) The Endless Struggle (Brian Hillman - Walt Monaghan) - 2:26 rating: **** stars "The Endless Struggle" should have appeased anyone doubting these guys could handle an out-and-out rocker. Nice way to close the album.
Monaghan's career continued as a member of Freedom, the Mick Abraham Band, the jazz-rock combo If and finally as a member of Ted Nugent's late-1970s band.
Thomas released a pair of albums credited to Creepy John Thomas and at least one album under the name Johnny Driver. He has a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/elpoppo1
No idea what happened to drummer Hillman.
© Scott R. Blackerby October 2023
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guitarist Thomas was a economical player who displayed a nice penchant for fuzz guitar (check out
his solo on
"Should I"). Musically the set wasn't particularly original offering up a
period piece mixture of English R&B (the Cream-ish
"Delusion"), light psych ("Please
Return") and hard rock moves ("You Thought You Had It Made").
That wasn't meant as a criticism since whatever it lacked in terms of
originality was more than
compensated for via enthusiastic performances and an uncanny knack for
crafting catchy melodies. While it wasn't a "concept" album,
tunes like "Rust" reflected social and political leanings.
It was also interesting to note the songs were accompanied by a series of
radio program snippets ("Think Big")
and sound effects ("Please
Return"). Songs like the opening title track and the
rocker "You Thought You Had It Made" should' have appealed to both the
underground crowd and top-40 radio. The ballad "Find a
Hideaway" deserved to have been a major radio hit. The band were also interesting
when they took off in a more experimental direction including "Think
Big"
(offering up a weird mixture of effects and a Western epic feel) and
"Doesn't Add Up
To Me". Elsewhere the psych touches embellishing "Please
Return" and "Rust" would have sounded fine on a Small Faces LP. One has to wonder
what would have happened had they recorded for an American or UK label since
the German Hor-Zu label didn't have a clue on how to market the trio. Always loved the back cover photo of the trio posing on
German police motorcycles. Not perfect, but this was one of those
overlook albums that deserved to be rediscovered.