[1] Stretch is a rock band from the United Kingdom that grew from the collaboration between Elmer Gantry (real name Dave Terry) and Kirby (real name Graham Gregory) and was most popular in 1970s. Gantry was previously the frontman of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera. Kirby was previously a member of Curved Air.
Stretch was a British outfit who recorded for the Anchor label. Their first LP was in fact "Elastique", produced by Martin Rushent, and now re-issued by Repertoire, enabling whole new generations to rediscover the power of a band once hailed as one of the hottest new names of 1975.
The start of the band had been quite controversial. In 1974 Fleetwood Mac manager Clifford Davis saw that group falling apart in the middle of an American tour with the departure of Bob Welch. Davis considered himself legal owner of name Fleetwood Mac. He named one of the other bands under his management Fleetwood Mac and sent them out to play the remaining shows of the tour. The result was unhappy fans, who paid to see another band and a lawsuit with the original Fleetwood Mac members that would stretch out for years. The fake Fleetwood Mac was renamed to Stretch and remained under the management of Clifford Davis. Needless to say that the reformed Fleetwood Mac, now with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as new bandmembers did not.
Stretch featured the fine vocal talents of one Elmer Gantry (who named himself in honour of the character in the Burt Lancaster movie Elmer Gantry). Elmer had previously led an outfit called Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, which released three singles in the late Sixties on the Direction label. They were "Flames", (1967), "Mary Jane", (1968), and "Volcano", (1969), all now collector's items. He also recorded a song called "Psychobabble", featured on an Alan Parsons Project Album "Eye In The Sky". They all helped establish Elmer's reputation as a fine, expressive singer and imaginative composer. Stretch was a much more bluesy kind of band and featured a hot young guitarist, and songwriter simply known as "Kirby". Elmer was the lead vocalist and also played some guitar. They made a strong team, ably backed by Steve Emery (bass guitar), and Jim Russell (drums), who also played with rock'n'roll revival band The Wild Angels. Stretch was augmented on the album by horn players Mike Bailey and Ron Carthy, saxophonists Mick Eve and Chris Mercer, and keyboard player John Cook.
The band had made a promising start and enjoyed the thrill of a hit single, when "Why Did You Do It" (written by Kirby and featured on this CD) got to Number 16 in the U.K. in November 1975. It spent nine weeks in the charts and seemed to signal the start of a hugely successful career.
The band followed up "Elastique" with "You Can't Beat Your Brain For Entertainment" (1976), and "Life Blood" (1977), all on Anchor, by which time drummer Jeff Rich had joined the band. The blond-haired young sticksman was later to find job security with Status Quo. The final Stretch record, "Forget The Past" was released on the Hot Wax label in 1978. Alas, none of these last two quite matched up to the power of their debut album and they couldn't manage to find the panacea of another hit single.
By the time they released "Forget The Past" the band had virtually disintegrated. One music expert described the last album, rather cruelly as 'pure trash'. Only Kirby and Steve Emery remained, using session men like Nicko McBrain (drums), from the Pat Travers Band and Trust, who went on to fame with heavy metal gods Iron Maiden. The writing was on the wall for the kind of rock band Stretch typified. Soon they would be replaced by much heavier metal bands like Iron Maiden, or the combined forces of punk and New Wave. Soon, it would no longer be enough simply to get on the stage, yell 'Rock on!’ and play the blues all night. Bands needed an image, lots of special effects, dry ice and rings through their noses (not always in that order of course!). At their peak critics rated Stretch as 'the greatest British blues and boogie band of the era', and many spoke in whispered reverence of the crazed night in 1976, 'when they nearly blew Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow off stage'. With the miracle of the CD re-issue we can now once again enjoy the excitement of the band 'at full stretch', on their first album as they stomp through Elmer Gantry compositions like "Miss Jones", "Miss Daisy", "Snakes Alive", "Write Me A Note", "Tomorrow's Another Day", and "Buzz Fly". Most of the rest of the material was written or co-written by Kirby, including "Why Did You Do It?", "Down Home", and "Slip Away". "Navy Blues" was contributed by another bass guitarist, Paul Martinez (later with Paice Ashton & Lord).
The band eventually split up in 1979, when manager Davis decided to withdraw his financial input.
Stretch reformed in 2007 to coincide with a "Greatest Hits" collection, and toured in support of the Jeff Healey Band.
[2] Stretch were a melodic hardcore band with strong female vocals from Manchester, England. Similar to Life... But How To Live It?, H.D.Q. or Sofa Head.
They released a rare 1-sided 7" called Freedom Is In Peril
Contributed a track to the Headscrew 125: A Manchester Punk/ Hardcore compilation (with Kitchener, Pig Pile & the Amberjacks)
Plus released two demos Steppin' Out and Yourself on cassette in the 1990s
We On
Stretch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The masses have been hypnotized.
Lines have been drawn, sides have been taken.
Will we ever understand the mistakes that we're making?
Open up and free your mind.
You never know what you might find.
You and me we're made of blood.
Color is the only difference.
We're all the same when we bleed.
Race, religion, sex, and creed we're all the same.
I want to open your veins to see if your blood is real.
Push back history.
Forget the lies they taught.
Make a plan for tomorrow.
End this suffering and sorrow.
Accept the risk, endure the storm,
Take a chance while it's yours to watch the kids walk hand in hand
Despite the color of their skin.
Right now!
More than ever!
We've got to stand together!
Push back insecurity!
Make a stand for equality now!
We've got to make a stand right now!
In Stretch's song "We On," the message is clear - fear has taken over and the masses have been hypnotized by the evil doctrines fed to them. Lines have been drawn, sides have been taken, and people have made mistakes in their choices. The lyrics urge listeners to open up and free their minds because you never know what you may find. The idea is to understand that every human being, irrespective of race, religion, sex, or creed, is made of blood and hence is the same. The color is the only difference that separates them, but when people bleed, they are all the same.
The song also indicates that it is time to push back history, forget the lies, and make a plan for tomorrow, which will end the suffering and sorrow. It asks people to accept the risk and endure the storm, take a chance, and watch the kids walk hand in hand, despite the color of their skin. The artist is urging for unity, belief in equality, and a stand against insecurity. The song inspires people, now more than ever, to stand together and make a stand for equality.
The lyrics of the song "We On" by Stretch hold a powerful message, which highlights the importance of unity, equality, and acceptance. It might seem like a challenging task to fulfill, but the necessity for positive change often requires courage, determination, and perseverance, which the song motivates people to have.
Line by Line Meaning
Fear has taken over, transformed your eyes forced fed evil doctrine.
Fear has completely taken over you, as evident from your transformed eyes and your belief in evil doctrines.
The masses have been hypnotized.
People have been hypnotized, losing touch with reality and their true identities.
Lines have been drawn, sides have been taken.
People have taken sides, creating boundaries and dividing themselves from others.
Will we ever understand the mistakes that we're making?
Is it possible for us to realize the errors we’re committing?
Open up and free your mind.
Liberalize your thoughts, let go of the prejudices and dogmas that bound you, and expand your mind.
You never know what you might find.
It's impossible to know what opportunities and revelations will present themselves if you explore new perspectives with an opened mind.
You and me we're made of blood.
Humans are all made of blood, representing our similarities as creatures.
Color is the only difference.
The color of our skin is merely a distinguishing feature, while we still share a common humanity.
Race, religion, sex, and creed, we're all the same when we bleed.
Regardless of your race, religion, sex, or creed, we have the same physical suffering and mortality when we bleed.
Race, religion, sex, and creed we're all the same.
Despite our differences in terms of race, religion, sex, and creed, we are fundamentally equal on a fundamental level.
I want to open your veins to see if your blood is real.
I want to examine your blood to prove that despite our differences, our blood is essentially the same.
Push back history.
Defeat the systems of the past that perpetuated injustices and discriminations.
Forget the lies they taught.
Disregard the manipulative concepts and harmful teachings that they ingrain in us.
Make a plan for tomorrow.
Plan for a better future that is inclusive and equal for everyone.
End this suffering and sorrow.
Put an end to the agony and suffering that exist in society due to discrimination.
Accept the risk, endure the storm, take a chance while it's yours to watch the kids walk hand in hand despite the color of their skin.
Be brave despite the possible dangers, persist through the peak of the turmoil, and take advantage of the opportunity to witness children overcoming racial boundaries to walk alongside each other.
Right now!
The time is now!
More than ever!
More than ever before!
We've got to stand together!
We must unite and work collectively.
Push back insecurity!
Overcome anxiety and strengthen our self-confidence against discrimination.
Make a stand for equality now!
Take a stance and fight for equal rights and opportunities for all.
We've got to make a stand right now!
We need to take action and make our voices heard for justice and equality immediately.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lori Forsyth
One thing I appreciate is your moments of quiet. Lots of other yoga leaders talk about calm, but they talk so much that it's hard to find it.
The Queen S
I totally agree with you!
Erin The Mermaid
Wow exactly!
LaNita Williams
I know exactly what you mean. This is why she's won me over.
Yoga With Bird
Awe!!! Youre all so sweet ❤️❤️
Jacob Fuget
Yes. Such clear, simple instructions with pleasant periods without talking. So relaxing and easy. Definitely my preferred yoga channel. Thank you, Bird!
Keley M.
Does anyone else feel an emotional release during this practice? This brought on such a feeling of gratitude and love for my body, it made me cry 😅 Thank you for the peaceful and uplifting video, it was just what I needed today
Sapphire S.
Same.
C Gonzalez
Yes! It’s that lower back/hip release man.. get me every time!
Thank you for the perfect morning and mid day stretch!
Cecilia Mihelich
Yesssss I never felt anything like that while stretching but today I did. By chance saw this comment! What a beautiful feeling to release what I didn’t even know I needed to 🦋😌