Corby Rock - St Cecilia - Leaping Up and Down

The first Corby band to gain a Top Twenty hit was St Cecilia with Leap Up And Down (Wave Your Knickers In The Air) in June 1971. Written by bass player Keith Hancock, inspiration for the song came during a holiday on the East coast with singer Les Smith. Keith: "We rented cottage in Norfolk where we met some French girls and during the time we spent with them the phrase ‘Leap up and down, wave your knickers in the air’ came into my head. Maybe I was being optimistic! But for some reason it stayed in the recesses of my mind”. A week later I phoned Ricky Moss and told him I was going to write a hit record called Leap Up And Down. He started laughing. Two hours later I phoned to tell him I’d done it. Later in the week I played it to the rest of the band and they thought it was OK - so we started featuring it in our stage act. The song went down so well with the fans that we booked time at Derek Tompkins’ Beck studio in Wellingborough to record a demo of it. The recording session went smoothly and we emerged with a product I felt sure some enterprising record company would be certain to take. We had a lovely raucous, ballsy, brass sound on it and what I thought was a great bass line. Our manager sent the demo to several companies but they all seemed reluctant to take it on due to its lyrical content.” John Proctor: “Wherever we played the song, people asked if it was available on disc. Eventually we started selling individually cut acetates for £1.50 a time - a huge amount of money, in 1971, when a 7” single cost only 35p. This fact alone convinced us that, if we could get a record deal, the song would sell. In due course Jonathan King heard the song and recognised the humour in it. King decided he could make it into a hit record and arranged a recording session for us at the Marquee Martin Studios in Wardour Street, London. We re-recorded the song along with an absolutely dire ‘B’ side called How You Gonna Tell Me - which King provided. This ensured that if the record was a hit, he would reap equal royalties! King also informed us that he didn’t like the bass line, insisting that it was too similar to the Beatles’ Ob La Di. We didn't agree but he changed it all the same and as a result, in our opinion, all the guts were taken out of the recording. It changed the sound totally. As soon as the recording was done we had to rush off to the South coast for a booking later that night - which meant that we had nothing to do with the final mixing. Jonathan secured a deal with Polydor Records and three weeks later we were summoned to their offices to hear the finished product. We were distraught. It sounded awful when compared to the original demo but there was nothing any of us could do about it. Fortunately and despite our reservations, the record was a success and spent seventeen weeks in the charts that summer - peaking at number 12. Looking back on the whole affair, I sometimes wish we had recorded a cover version of What Have They Done To My Song, Ma? - Melanie's big hit of that summer - as a response to King’s interference.” The boys received a boost when Peter Jones reviewed it on his 'new singles' page in the Record Mirror. ‘This is blatantly commercial and could easily make it. Pretty straightforward stuff, at a breakneck tempo, and the frequent use of the word ‘knickers’ is no hardship. Could click.’ Guitarist John Proctor: “Unfortunately, it labeled us as a sort of dirty picture postcard band. Polydor released the record in April 1971 - but it was a struggle to get radio airtime. The lyrics appear tame now but, at the time, they caused us a problem”. The opening verse was: I once knew a girl, who was very, very shy, Who never ever seemed to catch anyone’s eye, She hit on a theme that made all the boys stare, She leaped up and down and waved her knickers in the air. Bringing his considerable resources to bear, Jonathan King promoted the record relentlessly. Interviewed in Reveille in July, he explained what had caught his imagination. ‘When I set out on this road I decided that my own formula for success was to be different. My formula is so different that when producers hear my product it stands out, they programme it and the housewives who listen have to notice it. ‘Knickers’ is a perfect example. When I first heard the song it made me sit up so I guessed it would have the same effect on others. It was ghastly, but different. It had a common, catchy bouncy enthusiastic quality, rather like a seaside postcard.’ Initial Sales were sluggish - mainly due to the BBC’s reluctance to broadcast a song about knickers. With DJs such as Tony Blackburn refusing to play the record on Radio One, it came as a surprise to everyone when Jimmy Young eventually decided to give it a spin on his show. Entering the charts at number 49 on June 19th, the song received the following review in the ‘New to the charts’ column of the NME: ‘That little number advising the ladies to jump about waving their undergarments is in the NME chart for the first time at number 28. It’s another production from that man behind a million hits, Jonathan King. According to bass player Keith Hancock, “We did it to shock people. Everywhere we played, we found the audiences in a kind of coma, hypnotised by the so called progressive groups. When we performed, we really shook them up and we found we could sell the acetates around the ballrooms. A copy fell into the hands of Mr. King. And the rest is history, as they say". John: “The BBC refused to let us perform the song on Top Of The Pops - which was a huge blow! A coach load of our fans from Corby travelled down to London and protested outside the BBC studios - but to no avail. Auntie BBC was not to be swayed. Mel Cornish, the producer of TOTP, stated; 'I simply made an editorial choice to leave this number out of the programme bearing in mind the time it went out and the very young audience we attracted. I just didn't think it was appropriate.'" Adrian Rudge, a spokesman for Polydor Records, spoke out against the ban, “The programme is supposed to reflect public taste but if Top Of The Pops are not going to use this song, somebody is acting as the arbiter of public taste, namely Mr. Cornish. He is also denying the group their right to appear.” Though generally scorned by the music establishment, Leap Up And Down remained in the British charts for over three months. Decades later Hancock defended his number: “Knickers may have been saucy twenty years ago but not now. In retrospect, the publicity we gleaned from the ban worked wonders for the sales but five lads from Corby were distraught that they weren't going to be on the telly!” However, out of adversity comes fifteen minutes of fame. John Proctor: “Suddenly St Cecilia was in demand and playing one-nighters all over the country. We acted as support, on the Top Rank circuit, to established acts such as the Alan Price Set and the Sweet. Of course, all this meant saying goodbye to our day jobs and turning pro. We employed two roadies - Jim Smith, a bass player who had worked with numerous local bands and Dougie Wilson, a local DJ and former Butlins, redcoat. Jim and Dougie drove the equipment to the venues and set it all up while the band members followed in Ricky’s car. We made a point of always being at the venue by mid-afternoon for a sound check - before retiring to the local hostelry for a bevvy or two. That autumn a mini-tour of Scotland gave us some great nights in Hamilton, Hawick, Ayr and Dunfermline. I loved every minute of it. The travelling didn’t bother me at all.” An unforgettable night occurred at the Belfry golf course near Sutton Coldfield. John Proctor: “We were headlining supported by a local rock ‘n’ roll band. They opened for the first forty-five minutes and then we did our sixty-minute spot. Imagine our surprise when, out of the blue, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne from the Move joined us on stage for our last set. We were also featured in most of the teen magazines - which sold in huge numbers in the seventies. Articles and photographs appeared in Romeo, Mirabelle, Valentine and Jackie. Fame at last! Looking back, I’m sure there was a little bit of resentment, from some of the older, more established Corby bands, over our sudden ‘leap’ to prominence. Nothing was ever said to me directly but one could sense that certain people were thinking, 'It should have been me!'" John Proctor had developed a keen interest in hypnosis around this time and practiced on his fellow group members whenever he could - at times with near catastrophic results. John: “Jim Smith was my best subject and I could put him in a trance very easily. One night we were playing at Alconbury Airbase and, while the equipment was being set up, I put him under. Shortly afterwards he disappeared in the van and apparently woke up at a set of traffic lights in Peterborough! When Jim regained his senses he returned to the airbase, grabbed me by the throat and threatened to knock the crap out of me. Of course, everybody thought it was hilarious!” Jim Smith: “Dougie and I were full time roadies on £20 a week. Dougie was the sound engineer and in charge of the mixing desk - with about four knobs to twiddle! I was mainly involved in repairing anything that broke - amplifiers, guitar strings, whatever. The band was working four or five nights a week, all over the country - an example of the schedule being: Sheffield, Glasgow, Nottingham, Penzance… all in a matter of days! St Cecilia was a top rate outfit who on their tours, surprised a lot of critics. That song didn't do them any favours. We couldn't believe it when Leap raced up the charts. St Cecilia covered material such as the Stones' Honky Tonk Women and tracks from the progressive rock band Yes. Harmonies on numbers like Beyond And Before were brilliant. They would spend four or five days rehearsing new songs until they got them exactly right.” ‘Maybe pop music is taking itself too seriously’, suggested the Melody Maker in July, ‘if so the tendency is reflected in record sales. St Cecilia's Leap Up And Down being typical. Its droning lyrics and limp melody have little to commend them unless in the context of a reaction against the droll complexity and pretension that constitutes the worst of ‘progressive’ rock. Essentially it’s a fun record.’ A booking at Barberella’s in Birmingham, reviewed in the Melody Maker by Denis Deatheridge, perhaps summed up the media’s feelings towards the band: ‘They didn't exactly get everybody up waving their knickers around in the air but they succeeded in making the title of their current hit seem like something from a Sunday school song book compared with some of their material. The Girls From Roedean was introduced by lead singer Les Smith as “a filth spot”. By the time they'd got through this drawn out routine featuring drummer Graham Smith in drag, no one was likely to dispute the accuracy of this description. It all seemed innocent enough at the start as pianist Ricky Moss, top hat aloft, led the band into Nutrocker. They also put across Delta Lady, No Matter What, Joy To The World, Travelin’ Band with a healthy vitality. Perhaps they should have saved the smut for the next stag do.’ Keith Hancock and Ricky Moss were being encouraged to write more songs whilst on the road and went back to Beck Studios on several occasions to record demos. Keith: “I had a couple of songs - another saucy number called The Village Bicycle. Ricky had a novelty number called He’s A Collector and John had written a skiffle-style song called Don’t Want Women, Don’t Want Wine. The recordings for these numbers took place in one 8-hour session in September 1971. We decided that John’s number would make an ideal choice for the lucrative Christmas market and we recorded the master at Polydor Studios - complete with clinking glasses and a singalong party atmosphere. Ricky’s He’s A Collector was chosen as the ‘B’ side. A release date was tentatively set for mid-November but, unfortunately for us, Polydor had other priorities and our ‘Christmas single’ was delayed until January 21st! ‘Wine’ made the NME ‘breakers’ of the week on release.’ With all due respect, many people were attracted to their recent hit by the ‘forbidden fruit’ aspect of its lyric. Auntie BBC shouldn’t have anything to frown about with this new one. It is however, a tremendously happy affair which looks set for healthy sales.’ Sadly, in spite of the encouraging exposure in the music press, ‘Wine’ evaporated as soon as it hit the air waves. John: “Ricky and I were still writing and decided that the next single needed to be another controversial one. We came up with a ditty which we felt could be an anthem for the fast-growing women’s liberation movement. The song was called C’Mon Ma, Burn Your Bra! and, as John Peel pointed out when he reviewed the disc in the music press, it established us as an ‘underwear’ group rather than an underground group!" St Cecilia made a rare appearance in their home town on Valentine’s Day 1972. Dougie Wilson, acting as booking agent for the Corby Bowl, forewarned fans “this is the only chance Corby will have of seeing their heroes this year" .Dougie was helped on the promotion by Tom Haworth, whose main recollection of the event was of “walking around the town’s Market Square - distributing paper knickers to advertise the performance!” “We travelled the length and breadth of the country throughout early ‘72" said Keith Hancock, "sometimes in ever decreasing circles! On a mini-tour of Wales we spent a lot of time driving around with no idea of where we were going - thanks to the Welsh Nationalists painting out all the English road signs, turning the signposts round or removing them altogether!” Eight members of the Welsh Language Society later found themselves in the dock at Swansea Assizes charged with plotting to steal and destroy English road signs. Following an unsuccessful attempt by the accused to have their case heard in Welsh, two women in the Public Gallery were thrown out of court for chanting ‘Justice for the Welsh language!’ They were later jailed for three months. Keith continued his story; “One booking particularly sticks in my mind - after a long journey north we arrived at a rather scruffy miners’ social club and were told that there were no dressing room facilities available and that we would have to make do with the Gents toilet. Following a quick inspection of this hellhole we decided that we would probably die a slow and torturous death if we were to change in there - so we hatched a plan. After doing a sound check we sloped off to a nearby pub for a few beers, arriving back at the club just as the audience was being let in and, in full view of the assembled crowd, proceeded to wash, shave and change on stage!" More controversy followed at a Hunt Ball in Tiverton, Devon. During a performance of Leap Up And Down, Wave Your Knickers In the Air, one of the women in the hall did just that! The Daily Mirror was on hand to report the incident: 'Sporty types roared with approval, but not all were amused. Local councilor Bill Jones complained: “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! This quite attractive lady of about twenty-four took off her knickers. My wife and I will think twice about going to a Hunt Ball again.” Dougie has clear memories of life on the road with St Cecilia, believing that in common with many artists in the spotlight, the band was ripped off. “St Cecilia only received two per cent of the royalties for the records written by Keith Hancock and Ricky Moss. Leap Up And Down, with its full brass section was a great production. Jonathan King decided to tone it down or - in his words ‘desimplify it’ - but it sounded crap compared to the original acetate. However, because of the contentious lyrics - which were a bit lewd, the BBC refused to give it airplay and, in a roundabout way, gave the band all the publicity it required. The follow-up wasn’t as controversial as Leap Up And Down but everybody thought it was going to be a smash. C’Mon Ma was released on 21st April but, despite our optimism, did nothing to raise a few eyebrows.” To promote the release the band spent a day on a photo shoot in London’s Carnaby Street, accompanied by two well-known ladies (brunette Della Mancini and blonde Brandy de Franck) who were predictably waving their bras in the air! A copy of C’Mon Ma, Burn Your Bra! was sent to Germaine Greer, one of the leading protagonists of Women’s Lib. Keith: “In the late spring of 1972 Ricky and I decided that we should cover Gone Fishin’ - a Bing Crosby classic. We felt that such a gem of a song was due a revival, so with the rest of the lads from St Cecilia, a few local brass players and a tap-dancer, we ventured once more into Beck Studios to record the song. I thought that the idea of using a tap-dancer was a brilliant wheeze at the time but after a while I had to concede that it wasn’t going to work. We did, however, get a deal with Polydor and we released the record under the name Sunny Daze. It did receive some airplay on the radio - but not enough for record buyers to cause a stampede at the shops!" As the year progressed it became apparent that the writing was on the wall for St Cecilia. Bookings were drying up, money was tight and the constant travelling was becoming a chore rather than an exciting adventure. Although in June they did support The Sweet on a 10-day tour of the Top Rank circuit. In 1985 a series of programmes, hosted by Noel Edmonds called The Time Of Your Life, were broadcast on the BBC. The format (along the lines of All Our Yesterdays) - showcased a different year each week. John Proctor recalled: “The show’s producer contacted me and explained that they were going to showcase 1971 and wanted to know if it was possible to reunite the band for a one-off performance. Only Ricky Moss was unavailable. We found ourselves sharing a bill with round-the-world sailor Chay Blyth and former Prime Minister Ted Heath! None of us had any desire to go back on the road and attempt to relive past glories, but one thing that came out of it was that Graham Smith and Keith formed a duo called the Wright Price, and made a record entitled Come On Down." (Taken from Alive In The Dead Of Night, by Clive Smith and David Black. Published in 2009)