El Lay music scenesters, Denis Lambert and Craig Nuttycombe had previously covered both ends of the spectrum as members of the East Side Kids (who were managed by Denis? uncle) and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, and the surf band, The New Dimensions, whose members included legendary California musician/producer, Michael Lloyd and future Three Dog Night keyboardist, Jimmy Greenspoon. In December, 1969, the duo collaborated in a rented house in Sausalito (hence the album?s title!), retiring to a mobile truck parked outside to record their debut album in just under a week under the aegis of co-producers, David Anderle (The Doors, Love) and Glyn Johns, who had previously worked with The Beatles and The Who. The pair?s endearing vocal harmonies were arranged by Chad Stuart (from Chad & Jeremy). The album is an early precursor, perhaps even the initial salvo into the soon to become immensely popular West Coast singer/songwriter music scene, as typified by Dan Fogelberg, Jackson Browne, et. al. And although other duos, such as England Dan & John Ford Coley and Seals & Crofts (featuring England Dan?s brother, Jimmy, who still perform today as Seals & Seals!) would enjoy the commercial success, Lambert & Nuttycombe?s intimate, living room concert feel (generated with just the pair?s vocal chords and acoustic guitars) may remain with the listener long after the slick, more elaborately produced efforts of the former artists have faded into AM radio history.

The delicate vocals and whispers of hushed acoustic guitar backing occasionally conjure the very British bedsitter images of a Donovan, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, and Al Stewart, but then their harmonies roll around on tracks like Nuttycombe?s ?My Own Beat? and ?Something On My Mind? and pushed all my guilty pleasure buttons and had me fondly reflecting on my old Peter, Paul & Mary, Simon & Garfunkle (whose ?Bridge Over Troubled Water? was released a few months before ?At Home? appeared on A&M), and Kingston Trio albums. Of course, the most obvious commercial signpost for the duo?s work may be Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, particularly the sideline efforts of Crosby & Nash. So it?s a shame that the general public outside of the west coast (where it sold nearly 30,000 copies) appear to have been unaware of the album on its initial release, as the gorgeous fireside ruminations, like ?Putting Myself Together Again? and the co-written ?Ode To Drugan? (about one of Craig?s guitar mentors) are as powerful and memorable as any of those early CSNY permutations, as well as Young?s initial solo acoustic efforts. Their heart wrenching interpretation of Jerry Jeff Walker?s ?Mr. Bojangles? may just be the finest version ever recorded, with all due respect to Mr. Walker and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose hit version was actually released after theirs!

Extensive west coast tours (including the Crater Festival in Hawaii, and regular gigs at Pasadena?s Ice House) were followed by an opening slot on Canned Heat?s European tour, highlighted by a German gig featuring Jimi Hendrix and Sly & The Family Stone at the peak of their success. Unfortunately, Lambert?s burgeoning heroin addiction started to take its toll on his performances and an interview with Rolling Stone was shelved due to his erratic responses. A&M were none too pleased and soon dropped the duo, but their manager successfully brokered a deal with 20th Century Records in 1972 for a follow-up album, ultimately produced by Keith Olsen and featuring the cream of L.A. session players and guests, such as Waddy Wachtel, Hoppy Hodges and a young Lindsay Buckingham. The album failed to sell and the duo drifted apart, due in large part to Lambert?s erratic behavior and Nuttycombe?s solace with the bottle. Nuttycombe would go on to release several solo albums and still performs songs from the old days. You can contact him via his website. Although Lambert would kick his habit later in the 70?s, personal demons plagued him for much of the following two decades and he sadly committed suicide in 1997.

So kudos to Fallout for reviving perhaps the finest folk album you?re never heard, and if you?re a fan of singer/songwriters like Browne, Fogelberg, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor or Jim Croce, folk albums from any of the aforementioned artists or even the intimate, reflective works of Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine, don?t let the opportunity to own this cherished album pass you by again. [For more info on the duo, check out Jeremy Frey?s excellent Lambert & Nuttycombe website, which was the source for much of the foregoing biographical material. 10/10 -- Jeff Penczak (3 October, 2007)