Endless Wire should have been called "Endless Touring Makes You Tired" for that is what these songs sound like.
Lightfoot began going through the motions here, and although there are some good tunes here such as "Daylight Katy" and "Hangdog Hotel Room," others appear to be weary without being arranges as such. He even re-records "The Circle Is Small" without any better results than the original. The downward slide had begun.