The Four Vandals - The Wrong Side Of Town

The Four Vandals were created in 1999.
Ian Levine had been working with Steve Brookstein for two years after seeing him come second on an ITV talent contest, hosted by Jonathan Ross.

After trying a few solo records, plus a duet with Steve's then girlfriend Kate Jackson, who also recorded under the name Venicia Wilson, Ian decided to form a new Northern Soul band around Steve. This band was called All Points Bulletin, and Kate Jackson was also in the band. Ian was making a documentary about Northern Soul, called "The Strange World Of Northern Soul", and the idea was to create a new young fresh Northern Soul band to show that the scene didn't have to be just about thirty year old records. So All Points Bulletin made three songs, "I'm On My Way", "Lucky Number", and "You've Been Away", and filmed two of these songs in a rehearsal room in North Acton, with, curiously enough, Ian Levine's cousin, Daniel Glatman, in the band, before Daniel went on to create Blue.

Ian's partner in the documentary, Neil Rushton, got cold feet about All Points Bulletin, so in 1999, when the film reached its final edit, the footage was left on the cutting room floor at first

Ian was still determined to prove to the moaners on the Northern Soul scene, those who claimed that no-one could make a new record these days that any people would listen to it and think it was a real old Northern Soul record, that it could ACTUALLY be done. Plus he was determined to find the right project for Steve Brookstein and his amazing voice

The idea came to him of The Four Vandals, seeming to come out of New Jersey. It had the ring of truth about it, because one of the former Temptations, Damon Harris, had originally sang in a group called The Vandals, and their records were released by a company in New Jersey, so Ian figured that a group with the name of The Four Vandals would have the ring of truth about it. But the record not only had to sound authentic, but it had to look authentic too, plus sound like it was in mono, and have a late 1960s feel about it.

So in 1999 they recorded "The Wrong Side Of Town" and pressed it up in America, and let a record dealer in Carolina send just three copies over to England.
The record was made to look thirty years old, even down to being soaked in a bucket of water, and having talcum powder rubbed into the grooves.

It sort of backfired, because some greedy individuals started charging up to a thousand pounds each for them, after Ian had given them away free, and so much care went into making the record seem thirty years old, that no-one dare say a word, so the amusing little scam kept digging itself a deeper and deeper hole.
But conversely, the record went on to become THE biggest record on the whole Northern Soul Scene for the last twenty years, even being pictured next to the Frank Wilson fifteen thousand pound rarity, on the front cover of Kev Robverts' book, "Northern Soul's Top 500".
Once Steve Brookstein won the X-Factor, (for those of you in America, the X-Factor is Simon Cowell's TV show in England, and is exactly like your American Idol. After winning the show, Steve had a number one single and a number one album, on which Ian Levine was one of the producers, but Steve then got dropped by Simon Cowell for no apparent earthly reason other than Steve wanted to do new songs, not just covers), the whole secret of The Four Vandals came out in the press, and the Northern Soul Scene almost hounded out Levine, like the villagers forming a lynch mob in the Frankenstein films.

But Levine remained unrepentant.
"The Wrong Side Of Town" is one of the highlights of my career", claimed Levine, publicly.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Northern-Soul
• Motown
• Sixties-Soul
• Rare
• Soul
• X-Factor
• Steve-Brookstein

[sassolungo]

ce qui? I'm not familiar with you or your work. I do remember though seeing quite a few years ago what looked like an old home made video of the Four Vandals definitely looked prior to 2005. Maybe I'm mistaken? Maybe I'll give you another giggle? :P

[IanLevine]

@sassolungo - This is the only footage of The Four Vandals. I made the record with Steve Brookstein in 1999, and then we claimed it was thirty years old to prove a point that the Northern Soul scene is bigoted and biased.

[sassolungo]

This is obviously a remake. There is an old video somewhere online where they are singing in a garage or something!

[IanLevine]

@sassolungo - Hee hee hee - a remake ?? That's so so so funny.

[jennlfc]

5 years before x-factor, but ian i heard you discovered this song from the 60's???

[IanLevine]

Did you ????

[djlady02]

brilliant song, Ian levine is a genius............he knows a hit when he hears one.

[125or200px]

@IanLevine

A master stroke Ian,im sure millions of people wish they had that idea.

The sound is so very "original 60s",spot on.

Imagin this cranked up on a Dansette,with the lever across to play on repeat.lol

(Weve all done it,its nothing to be ashamed of)

[MAXepher]

Sounds like Four Tops.

[powerman2g]

This song is amazing. Had me fooled. When I saw the video, I thought it was a remake with singers who were doing their "classic" material. The story behind this is hilarious. This song sounds like a classic from the 60's,very soulful. great job. I was certainly amused.

[williams5155]

Great song....Brookstein is Fantastic.....Alan from London

[sassolungo]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. My memory is not what it was.  Anyway great song!

[1979Libster]

I love this song.....Brilliant!!!!