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The mid-'60s 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 they lacked Them's originality, particularly as found in Them's singer/songwriter genius Van Morrison. The Wheels were part of the same Belfast scene t...