Stretch - Elastique + You Can't Beat Your Brain For Entertainment (Reissue) (1975-76/1995-2006)

Once upon a time there was a group called Fleetwood Mac, see, and they were breaking up in the early '70s but had booked a bunch of tour dates and their manager had no band to fill those concert bookings. Presto bunco, he slapped together a band of little-known musicians, including a singer who looked like Bob Welch, who had been the Mac's vocalist at the time. Needless to say, this rush-rush approach resulted in some bad music and publicity, and a lawsuit by the real Macsters, who then went on to regroup with Christine McVie for the "Heroes Are Hard to Find" album.
Amongst all this mess emerged a band called Stretch, which consisted of part of the bogus Mac. Imagine the world's surprise when their debut LP, "Elastique," turned out to be a very listenable, fun collection of solid rock'n'roll, ranging from straight-ahead boogie to slithering blues to a southern rock sound, with a couple of ballads.

"Why Did You Do It?" was a British hit, although unfortunately ignored in the U.S.; it sounds something like the classic Climax Blues Band tune "Couldn't Get it Right," and is just as entertaining. "Buzz Fly" could've been one of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' fun tracks, "Tomorrow's Another Day" has an echo of Foghat to it, while other lighthearted footstompers like "Down Home" and "Miss Dizzy" have a unique Stretch flavor that goes beyond such comparisons. The closing track, "Slip Away," is one of the prettiest rock ballads I've ever heard.

Stretch never could match up to the promise of this collection, and eventually this promising start became just an obscure footnote in the long and storied history of Fleetwood Mac. I've not been without a copy of this set for over 20 years, and it comes with my highest recommendation.

Stretch were a 1970s British rock band that grew from the collaboration between Elmer Gantry (real name Dave Terry) and Kirby (real name Graham) Gregory. Gantry had been the frontman of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera. Kirby had been a member of Curved Air.