The Wheels

The mid-1960s Irish rock scene produced no bands that achieved international acclaim, with the major exception of Them. In fact very few Irish bands from the time are internationally known whatsoever, even to avid collectors, in part because few got to record more than one or two singles. Aside from Them spinoff band the Belfast Gypsies, the biggest exception to this would be the Wheels. Like Them, they were from Belfast, and they had the good and bad fortune to bear a considerable sonic resemblance to Them. Good, because their first three singles sound so much like early Them sides that they can be confidently recommended to Them fans. Bad, because the similarity was so close that the Wheels could not be said to have developed their own persona. Although they were a good band, they were not so good that they could out-Them Them, and lacked Them's originality, particularly as found in Them's singer-songwriter genius Van Morrison. The Wheels were part of the same Belfast scene that gave birth to Them, and in fact, Van Morrison sometimes sat in with the Wheels on sax. In 1964 they began making trips to the north of England to build up a following there, and in 1965 were signed to Columbia in the UK. The Wheels had a raw R&B-rock attack quite similar to that heard on Them's first records, down to the jagged guitar and sinister organ. Brian Rossi's vocals were also akin to Van Morrison's most aggressive ones, though Rossi was not as subtle or strong. It could not have helped dodge Them comparisons, however, to make their first single a cover of Them's "Gloria," backed by "Don't You Know," a Tommy Scott composition that Them also recorded. The Wheels' second single, "Bad Little Woman"/"Road Block" (released in February 1966), featured original material from the quintet,...