Stretch - Forget The Past (1978 uk, remarkable funky guitar rock, 2010 japan remaster)

Stretch recorded ‘Forget The Past’ without Elmer. Their former singer was not best pleased. “I don’t think it went very well. They did one album and a few gigs. I must admit that I was angry, so I was delighted when they got chronic reviews. It was very unspiritual of me, but I felt let down. Kirby and I should have stuck it out together. We had always worked well together, so I was kind of angry with him.”

Kirby explains: “It felt like the skids were under us. The whole thing went sour. We’d had initial success but two and a half years later we weren’t getting anywhere. Elmer and I parted company and I tried to change direction with Stretch and make another album. I tried my best but it with hindsight it didn’t work.”

The final version of Stretch included future Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain. Kirby: “What a drummer! He really was dynamite. We made the album and did some gigs but it lost momentum and Stretch folded up in 1979.” Says Elmer: “Stretch was a good band, although it was hard to appreciate at the time because we were going through such emotional difficulties and we were very self-critical.” Clearly Stretch had reached breaking point.