This is the first official re-release on vinyl under licensed courtesy of Cherry Red Records Ltd, UK, remastered from an original master copy.
Rust were Australian born John Thomas on guitar and vocals and two Englishmen, Brian Hillman on drums and Walt Monaghan on bass and vocals, immersed in the beginnings of the kraut scene in Germany. Originally recorded in autumn 1968 and released in early 1969 on the German HörZu label, their album ‘Come With Me‘ is something of a lost mini-classic. In Australia John Thomas played with many bands before earning a little bit of fame with The Flies, who recorded some 7" and supported a.o. The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison. In 1967 John Thomas moved to Düsseldorf, where his girlfriend lived and got a record deal with EMI who knew the The Flies recordings. One of the era‘s great lost albums ‘Come With Me‘ was a delight from start to finish. Setting the scene with a Beatles style snippet of the introductory title track ‘Come With Me‘ sparked into life with the bluesy psych rocker ‘You Thought You Had It Made‘ complete with some Clapton-style fuzz guitar licks, throbbing organ distorted vocal and sound effects. ‘Please Return‘ was a glorious amalgam of The Small Faces, The Attack and Procol Harum, while the laconic band theme tune ‘Rust‘ and album title track ‘Come With Me‘ recall the post-Winwood version of The Spencer Davis Group. ‘Elsewhere Find A Hideaway‘ was a gorgeous West Coast-sounding psychedelic ballad, ‘Delusion‘ and ‘The Endless Struggle‘ evoked Cream, while ‘It Doesn‘t Add Up To Me‘ was a commercial pop/rock song taken into choppier waters by another electronically distorted lead vocal and an extended instrumental coda. Chockfull of killer melodies, great guitar work, superb lead and harmony vocals, and with all tracks linked together by various sound effects, ‘Come With Me‘ was a gripping late ‘60s psychedelic pop album, with enough melodic invention and flare to take it away beyond similar period pieces. (David Wells‘ linernotes to ‘Trippin‘ Like A Dog And Rockin‘ Like A Bitch‘). Unfortunately it didn‘t appear outside of Germany where it was issued in January 1969 by HörZu label who clumsily flagged the album‘s musical style and potential market by adding the word underground to the front cover.
Despite the creepy, gothic, and somewhat terrible cover art, ‘Come With Me‘ is a pretty technicolour slab of psychedelic rock. This is one of Long Hair‘s favorites. The album comes with comprehensive band story and some photos. Don‘t miss this lost classic!
