I won’t cheer those sad refrains anymore
Another humble Wire solo piece in vein of I Killed the Zeitgeist, i.e. a simple rock ballad guided by an acoustic guitar and with a worn-out, bittersweet tone primarily thanks to Wire’s voice. If you’ve heard any of his other b-sides in the past, you know where this is heading from the moment Wire’s voice appears from the speakers. This was described by Wire as a tribute to Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces and takes its name from a 2006 documentary about Lane, though not knowing anything about the documentary or Small Faces myself I can’t really draw parallels between the lyrics and the topic – on their own, outside any context, it at first looks like a quietly defiant can’t-stop-us fight song in vein of much of Manics’ early boastings, though the final couplet about believing in the power of higher taxes is an interesting turn of Wire’s usual political flair.
Beyond its topic and its lyrics there’s otherwise little here that would distinguish it from any other Wire b-side, and the songwriting or melodies aren’t strong enough to set it apart either. It’s the kind of quaint bonus track you’d ideally bury as the flipside of a 7″ single if you wanted to release one to begin with: a curious treat for the most obsessed fans but nothing anyone would ever miss. Wire’s proven himself as a great songwriter in his own right by this stage, but “The Passing Show” is his equivalent of the kind of acoustic campfire song that James could knock out in his sleep to fill a b-side slot.
[edited 11/12/22]
Hi I made the Passing Show documentary about Ronnie Lane and am intrigued if Nicky Wire has seen it? Ian Dury also wrote one called the Passing Show partly about Ronnie and his first wife Betty, Billy Nicholls also did one with music partly written by Ronnie there are others out there
great that Nicky wrote this tribute to Ronnie, I’m guessing that he’s seen my film about him also called the Passing Show
Footnote — possibly a little Sandy Denny head nod in the lyric you quoted there? ( http://www.sandydennyofficial.com/music/sandy-denny/no-more-sad-refrains-the-anthology/ )