Lambert & Nuttycombe At Home CD

Dennis Lambert and Craig Nuttycombe had been on the fringes of LA's music scene for some time, including stints with bands such as the East Side Kids and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, when they decided to proceed as a duo. This beautifully intimate 1970 release was recorded live at the home they shared in Sausalito, California, and co-produced by David Anderle (The Doors, Love), Chad Stuart (Chad and Jeremy) and Glyn Johns (the Beatles, the Rolling Stones). A mellow collection of self-penned ballads that showcases their superb vocal harmonies and subtle guitar interplay, it has attracted a major cult following over the years. Though they gigged widely in California, Lambert's heroin addiction made it hard for them to break nationally and they parted after recording one further album in 1973

Personnel: Denis Lambert, Craig Nuttycombe (vocals, guitar).
Recording information: Sausalito, CA.
Photographer: Ethan Russell.
Unknown Contributor Role: Howard B. Wolf.
The story of David Lambert and Craig Nuttycombe's not-quite-success actually says more about both the business and lack of guarantees one can face than most Behind the Music specials about famous groups -- acts that never fully connect beyond a small fan base despite efforts otherwise from a far greater percentage of performers in general, even in the everyone's-a-star days of Myspace and YouTube. At Home's cult appeal doubtless partially results from that history. Released by A&M, it was the closest Lambert & Nuttycombe got to balancing out their spare, reflective sound with wider support (getting co-produced by Glyn Johns near the height of his fame is enough of a sign on its own). Literally recorded at the duo's shared house, the 12-song collection is almost a spiritual cousin to U.K. contemporary Nick Drake's work, the sonic connection of vocal-and-acoustic-guitars-only further heightened by the short songs and bare half-hour length of the album. By taking an understated approach to an already low-key performing style, there's an aching sense of intimacy throughout, and on songs like "Time" and a cover of "Mr. Bojangles," the singers sound like they could be singing as much to themselves as to an audience. This said, there's a brighter glow to At Home in comparison to, say, Pink Moon -- not a bouncily cheery sort, to be sure, but a warmth in the singing and a content, breezy jauntiness on songs like "My Own Beat" and "Ode to Drugan" that almost suggests something like the Beach Boys' "Busy Doin' Nothin." That the duo and this album in particular have received attention and re-releases over the years isn't surprising at all in retrospect, and Fallout's 2007 reissue -- adding no bonus tracks, just letting it stand as it is, beyond a brief biographical note -- is a welcome way to bring the story of a star-crossed duo back once more. ~ Ned Raggett