Stretch -

Stretch was an English hard-rock band that released the 1975–77 Anchor albums Elastique, You Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment, and Lifeblood, followed by the 1978 Hot Wax release Forget the Past.

Prior to their album run, they cut a 1973 single as Legs on Warner Bros. and posed as Fleetwood Mac in a touring ruse commanded by Clifford Davis, then-manager of both bands.

Singer Elmer Gantry fronted sixties psychsters Velvet Opera and gigged with jazz-rockers Armada. Guitarist Gregory Kirby joined Curved Air for their 1973 album Air Cut. Bassist Steve Emery played on the two 1974 Ross albums and Danny Kirwan‘s second solo album.

Members: Kirby (guitar, vocals), Elmer Gantry (vocals, guitar, 1974-78, 2007-present), Jim Russell (drums, 1974–76), Paul Martinez (bass, 1974–75), Dave Evans (bass, 1975–76), Steve Emery (bass, 1976–79), Jeff Rich (drums, 1976–78, 2007–09), John Cook (keyboards), Nigel Watson (vocals, guitar), Nicko McBrain (drums, 1978–79)

Background

Stretch evolved from Legs, a band formed by singer David Terry, guitarist Graham “Kirby” Gregory, and bassist Steve Emery.

Terry first emerged in The Five Proud Walkers, an R&B/beat group that morphed into psych-rockers Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, where Terry donned a cape and adapted the Gantry stagename, taken from the titular character of the 1926 Sinclair Lewis novel Elmer Gantry. They released the album Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera in 1968 on Direction. When Gantry left, the band carried on as Velvet Opera with Paul Brett.

Gantry surfaced in Armada, a jazz-rock band with Gregory and Emery, who took the place of original bassist Rik Kenton, an early member of Roxy Music. Armada recorded more than an album’s worth of material but only managed one 1973 single under the name Rimington (after saxophonist Sammy Rimington).

Meanwhile, Gregory (often known simply as Kirby) was one of three musicians — along with keyboardist–violinist Eddie Jobson and drummer Jim Martinez — drafted into a revised lineup of Curved Air, which made the 1973 album Air Cut. He also played on Rock On, the long-awaited debut album by veteran actor–singer David Essex.

Later that year, Kirby reteamed with Gantry and Emery in Legs, which issued the 1973 Warner single “So Many Faces” (b/w “You Bet You Have”).

Legs and Curved Air were managed by Clifford Davis, whose main client was Fleetwood Mac. In early 1974, Mac were unable to honor a pre-booked US tour due to internal frictions which prompted the exit of Bob Weston, one of two guitarist–singers in the lineup responsible for the 1973 albums Penguin and Mystery to Me.

Davis asked Kirby, Gantry, and Hackensack bassist Paul Martinez to deputize three-fifths of Fleetwood Mac (in lieu of Bob Welch, Christine McVie, and John McVie) for a pre-booked US tour. (Meanwhile, Emery joined funk-rockers Ross, which issued two 1974 albums on RSO.)

Kirby, Gantry, and Martinez — who were told that this tour would have Mick Fleetwood’s blessing and participation — agreed to play along. However, Fleetwood pulled out at the last minute. Alas, they took to the road as “Fleetwood Mac” with Australian drummer Craig Collinge (Manfred Mann Chapter Three, Shoot, Third World War), but the tour soon collapsed amid audience walkouts.

Reeling in scandal, Gantry and Kirby broke from Davis and formed Stretch with Martinez and Russell, who Curved Air replaced with a young Stewart Copeland.

Stretch signed with Anchor, a newly established UK label that also counted rustic-rockers Moonrider and the chart-bound Ace among its nascent roster.

Elastique

Stretch released their debut album, Elastique, in late 1975 on Anchor Records.

The album presents a split-writing effort between guitarist Kirby and frontman Elmer Gantry, who leads with midrange vocals and acoustic guitar. Kirby handles the bulk of lead and rhythm guitar duties, often adding slide and tambourine. Paul Martinez and Steve Emery alternate on bass. Drummer Jim Russell supplies a percussive framework with cowbell and tambourine. Additional parts include keyboards by John Cook and auxiliary guitars by Roshi.

Gantry wrote “Buzz Fly,” “Miss Dizzy,” “Write Me a Note,” and “Tomorrow’s Another Day.” He co-wrote “Miss Jones,” “Snakes Alive,” “Down Home,” and “Slip Away” with Kirby, who solely composed “Why Did You Do It?” Martinez wrote “Navy Blues.”

Several tracks juxtapose taut rhythmic setups with sharply inflected vocals and angular instrumental breaks. “Miss Jones” charges forward with a brisk Leslied riff over hammering drums, followed by a pinched fuzz solo and calls for on-tour companionship. “Why Did You Do It?” sets a clipped, syncopated guitar line against a baritone vocal lead and shaker-guided backbeat, broken by a terse horn accent.

“Snakes Alive” twists through interlocking funk phrases and chromatic breaks. “Miss Dizzy” pivots on an acoustic blues riff that suspends across fourths with tumbling tom fills. “Tomorrow’s Another Day” alternates strident chord cycles with cascading runs and vocal outbursts across sudden rhythm drops. “Slip Away” closes with a downcast pulse of acoustic strumming, Mellotron layers, and fuzz guitar in slow motion.

A1. “Miss Jones” (3:33) — urgent rocker with brisk Leslied riff (in Am) across pile-driving drums; pinched fuzz solo. Gantry belts with mezzo assurance as he calls out for female comforts on the road.
A2. “Why Did You Do It?” (3:28) — mid-tempo funk rocker (in Bm) with clipped guitar and pointed baritone vocals across a shaker-paced 4/4 beat; brief horn break.
A3. “Miss Dizzy” (4:00) — acoustic blues rocker with imposed fourths (in E) and rumbling double-toms.
A4. “Snakes Alive” (3:33) — funk rocker with clamped hi-hat intro and interlocked guitar/bass figure; extended break with oozing licks across multiple key centers.
A5. “Write Me a Note” (4:36)

B1. “Tomorrow’s Another Day” (4:20) — fast, flowing power-chord rocker with sharp chordal shifts (from D), strident vocals and stop/go refrains. Kirby veers between proto-punk down-strokes and rapidfire scales.
B2. “Down Home” (3:04)
B3. “Navy Blues” (3:08) — medium-slow burner with searing licks, fuzzy asides, and steaming/sighing vocals across a funky rhythmic pattern.
B4. “Buzz Fly” (1:42) — buzzing jaws harp joined by slide guitar and Gantry’s husky vocals (Beefheart like); clapped chordal refrain.
B5. “Slip Away” (3:53) — slow bluesy dirge (in F) with acoustic strum, warm fuzzy leads and impassioned vocals, which summon the Mellotron-elevated chorus.

Sessions occurred in mid-to-late 1975, published by Fleetwood Music Ltd. Elastique features cover design by Clive Tunnicliffe.

Anchor issued “Why Did You Do It?” (b/w “Write Me a Note”) as a UK single on October 17, 1975 (ANC 1021).

You Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment

Stretch released their second album, You Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment, in 1976 on Anchor.

The album balances original material with two blues standards. Gantry contributes “If the Cap Fits” and “Put Your Hands Up,” while Kirby supplies “The Way Life Is” and “Love’s Got a Hold On Me.” The pair co-wrote four mid-album cuts, including “That’s the Way the Wind Blows” and “Hold Up the Light.” They open with Bukka White’s Delta lament “Fixin’ to Die” and close with Eddie “Guitar Slim” Jones’ slow burner “Feelin’ Sad.”

Elmer Gantry handles lead vocals, electric guitar, harmonica, and co-production duties. Kirby contributes lead and slide guitar, acoustic passages, backing vocals, and shares production. Steve Emery plays bass and sings backing parts. Jeff Rich rounds out the group on drums.

The album hinges on tightly phrased blues rock with frequent shifts between rhythmic stasis and accelerated attack. “If the Cap Fits” spirals around a looping riff with vocal surges and shuffling beats, marked by a brisk harmonica solo and counterpoint leads. “That’s the Way the Wind Blows” gallops through brisk chord patterns with Gantry’s spirited delivery over clipped pentatonic runs. “Hold On” unfolds as a minor-key blues with bent guitar phrases and a long solo sequence under Gantry’s arching verses. “Put Your Hands Up” opens with a sliding motif and alternates sparse chord stabs with urgent rhythmic shifts.

A1. “Fixin’ to Die” (3:35)
A2. “If the Cap Fits” (3:29) — circular riff (in C) heralds this uptempo blues rocker with shuffled beats and rhythm/lead counterpoint amid Gantry’s soaring vocals; harmonica solo.
A3. “The Way Life Is” (4:08)
A4. “That’s the Way the Wind Blows” (3:52) — uptempo strummed electric rocker (in D) with bluesy licks and cocky vocals.
A5. “Hold Up the Light” (3:25)

B1. “Can’t Get Enough” (3:44)
B2. “Hold On” (3:26) — mid-tempo blues rocker with swampy licks (in G) and soaring/plunging vocals across a subtle rhythmic figure; extended lyrical guitar break.
B3. “Put Your Hands Up” (4:07) — electric slide intro, joined by Gantry’s hearty delivery; veers between sparse chordal sustain and revved strum amid rhythmic variations and sinewy licks.
B4. “Love’s Got a Hold On Me” (4:01)
B5. “Feelin’ Sad” (5:28)

Sessions occurred in early 1976 at Kingsway Recorders in London with Gantry and Kirby as producers.

You Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment features an illustration by Jonathan Hooper with photography by Alan Messer.

Anchor issued “That’s the Way the Wind Blows” (b/w “Hold On”) on April 15, 1976 (ANC 1027), followed by “Love’s Got a Hold On Me” (b/w “If the Cap Fits”) on December 10, 1976 (ANC 1034).

Lifeblood

Stretch released their third album, Lifeblood, in 1977 on Anchor.

Lifeblood features six originals and covers of Derringer (“Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie-Coo”), Fleetwood Mac (“Showbiz Blues”), Freddie King (“Living On the Highway”), and The Rolling Stones (“Let’s Spend the Night Together”). Kirby wrote five songs, including “End Up Crying,” “Jonah and the Whale,” and “Knives in Their Backs.” Gantry submits “Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment,” titled after the prior album.

Kirby plays lead guitar, shares percussion, and takes select vocals. Gantry sings lead, plays second guitar, and contributes percussion. Steve Emery holds down bass throughout. Jeff Rich returns on drums and percussion. Production was jointly handled by Kirby and Gantry.

The originals lean on subtly shifting harmonic frameworks and narrative lyrics over chordally layered backdrops. “End Up Crying” initiates with a clipped wah-wah pattern and ascends chromatically through rising sequences that reset between polyrhythmic vocal sections. “Knives in Their Backs” builds on an acoustic phrase that develops into an electric-boosted verse structure with wide vocal phrasing and sustained breaks.

“Jonah and the Whale” opens with a shadowy bass intro and unfolds with whispery wah-wah interjections and static verse lines that give way to a surging, staccato-filled chorus. The covers are sequenced throughout, contrasting the originals with stylized interpretations of American blues-rock standards and a near six-minute take on the Stones’ 1967 single.

A1. “End Up Crying” (4:01) — clipped wah-wah intro (in Cm) triggers a winding chordal ascent against shifting key centers; the latter recurs between polyrhythmic verse/chorus cycles.
A2. “Knives in Their Backs” (3:54) — acoustic blues pattern (in A) heralds this medium-uptempo rocker with full-throated vocals and sustained electric licks.
A3. “Rock ’n’ Roll Hoochie-Coo” (3:08)
A4. “Right or Wrong” (4:04)
A5. “Showbiz Blues” (5:32)

B1. “Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment” (3:08)
B2. “Jonah and the Whale” (4:49) — dark bass intro heralds minimal blues-rock ballad (in Dm) with faint watery wah-wah licks and measured vocal lines; full chorus with staccato guitar.
B3. “Living On the Highway” (3:07)
B4. “Take You Down” (3:59)
B5. “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (5:55)

Sessions occurred in 1977 with producers Elmer Gantry and Kirby and engineers Louie Austin and Victor Gramm.

Gantry left Stretch after Lifeblood. He reappeared with vocal spots on 1980–82 albums by the Alan Parsons Project (“May Be a Price to Pay,” “Psychobabble”), Cozy Powell (“Sooner Or Later”), and Jon Lord (“Where Are You?”).

Forget the Past

Stretch released their fourth album, Forget the Past, in 1978 on Hot Wax.

This lineup introduces bassist Steve Emery and keyboardist John Cook as new writing voices alongside returning guitarist Jack Kirby. Emery composed three tracks — “Re-Arranging,” “Ain’t Got No Reason,” and “You’re Too Late.” Kirby wrote three others — “Take Me Away,” “School Days,” and “Fooling Me” — and co-wrote the remaining two with Cook: “Cruel to Be Kind” and the title track.

Steve Emery sings lead on his three contributions and plays bass across the album. Kirby handles lead guitar and vocals on his own tracks. Nigel Watson adds second guitar and lead vocals on select cuts. John Cook contributes keyboards and vocals and co-writes two tracks. Drums are split between Fran Byrne and Nicko McBrain. Chris Fletcher adds auxiliary percussion and Chris Merce plays saxophone.

A1. “Re-Arranging” (4:02)
A2. “Cruel to Be Kind” (4:46)
A3. “Forget the Past” (5:43)
A4. “Ain’t Got No Reason” (4:48)

B1. “Take Me Away” (3:34)
B2. “You’re Too Late” (4:16)
B3. “School Days” (8:17)
B4. “Fooling Me” (5:42)

Sessions occurred in 1978 with Kirby producing and engineering by Louie Austin (primary) and Bob Brogliar (secondary). Forget the Past features sleeve design by Graves/Aslett.

Hot Wax issued “Forget the Past” (b/w “Fooling Me”) as a UK single on August 18, 1978 (WAX 2).

Discography: