Search - Stretch :: Elastique

Indispensible '70s hidden gem

Brian Hulett | Oinklahoma | 04/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Nice

saksyboy | Canada | 02/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a pretty cool disc on the whole i must say. The guitar that this band plays is great to listen to. My favorite track on the disc is easily why did you do it. That guitar is incredible. Very bluesy sounding guitar at times. You may also recognize that song from the movie Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels soundtrack. This is a good cd to purchase if you just wanna hear some good guitar. Its also nice to have in your collection if you want something original cuz chances are not a lot of your friends are gonna own this."

You'll love it!

Viktor Hidvegi | Hungary | 06/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album contains some really popular-sound, well worked-out songs, like "Miss Jones" and "Why did you do it". The whole thing is a strage mix of several music types and elements. The two songs mentioned are the lead, but do not stop your player after the second track. Keep on listening and you'll find some other interesting stuff in their music. The best way is to listen the whole album through and get a global view on it. "Snakes alive" became my favourite immadiately, after I listened to the middle part of the song, even if like here and in other tracks on this album, the intros and outros are not always impressive.Anyway, it's a colorful album with great musicians playing on it. A part of pop-rock history! Buy it and enjoy the variations in music styles.To get a mostly full picture about the band, their double CD "Story of Elmer Gantry" is the best choice. That contains all their greatest hits."