The Wheels

Mid-1960s rock in Ireland yielded almost no acts that reached audiences abroad, Them standing virtually alone in that regard. Even dedicated enthusiasts rarely encounter many other Irish groups from the era, largely because most never progressed beyond a single or two on wax. Among the scant exceptions, alongside the Them-derived Belfast Gypsies, stand the Wheels. Hailing likewise from Belfast, the quintet enjoyed the mixed blessing of a pronounced sonic overlap with their more celebrated contemporaries: the likeness allowed their opening trio of 45s to be recommended without hesitation to admirers of early Them recordings, yet it also prevented the Wheels from forging a distinct identity of their own. Competent though they were, the group never surpassed Them at their own game and could not match the inventiveness supplied by that band’s vocalist and chief songwriter, Van Morrison.

The Wheels emerged from the identical Belfast milieu that spawned Them; indeed, Morrison occasionally guested on saxophone with the Wheels. Beginning in 1964 the band repeatedly journeyed to northern England in search of larger crowds, and the following year Columbia in Britain placed them under contract. Their gritty R&B-rock approach closely echoed the jagged guitars and brooding organ of Them’s debut sides, while Brian Rossi’s lead vocals recalled Morrison’s most forceful deliveries, albeit without equivalent nuance or power. Any hope of evading comparisons was further diminished when the group’s inaugural Columbia release paired a version of Them’s “Gloria” with “Don’t You Know,” a Tommy Scott number that Them had also cut.

The second single, issued in February 1966, offered the Wheels’ own compositions on “Bad Little Woman” and “Road Block,” though both tracks remained only marginally less derivative than the debut; the former rode a minor-key variant of the “Gloria” groove, while the latter mirrored the atmosphere and structure of Them’s “Mystic Eyes.” Despite these resemblances, the performances ranked as solid, high-energy efforts. An alternate, superior take of “Bad Little Woman” appeared in the United States on Aurora Records under the altered name Wheel-A-Ways, a change made to sidestep confusion with Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. That U.S. rendition, distinguished by eerie descending guitar slides and a frenetic climax in which the tempo accelerates wildly as Rossi’s voice escalates to screams, constitutes one of the standout hidden gems of mid-1960s British R&B. The Shadows of Knight later recorded “Bad Little Woman” for modest American chart success, having previously scored with “Gloria.”

After the second single Rossi departed; keyboardist Eric Wrixon, formerly of Them, took his place. The Wheels’ final 45 paired a reading of Paul Revere’s “Kicks” with “Call My Name,” another song Them had recorded. Rossi returned briefly before the band dissolved in 1967. Guitarist Herbie Armstrong and bassist Rod Demick subsequently issued a duo album during the 1970s, and Armstrong contributed guitar to several Van Morrison records in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Renewed international attention arrived when reissues of overlooked British R&B anthologies featured the Wheels’ material; all seven sides from their singles, including the Wheel-A-Ways variant of “Bad Little Woman,” plus five previously unreleased outtakes, are collected on the Belfast compilation Belfast Beat Maritime Blues.