"I'm Always In Love" live question

[deceasedlavy]

This is probably a n00bish question, but: at the Riverside a couple weeks ago, Wilco played this song and I could actually hear the old high-pitched synth part like from the record. I could've sworn the other times I've seen this tune live, they didn't do that, and I was always just a LITTLE bummed.

 

Then I started digging into older live recordings. From what I've heard (admittedly only a handful of versions so far) they rarely if ever play it that way. Maybe they brought it back this tour? I couldn't believe that in '99 Jay was playing it an octave lower and on an organ (if I'm hearing things correctly). Most of the versions I've heard there's little or no synth at all.

 

I'm just curious 'cause it (among other things) really made my night that night. I always kind of assumed that at some point shortly after the album came out, Jeff decided he didn't like that element and vetoed it. But I could be just making that up.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I have heard it many different ways. I like the synth more than the noisy guitar fill.

[Sparky speaks]

[lamradio]

The noisy guitar riff and keyboard part make that song. You can't have one without the other.

 

Also to me, the noisy guitar riff is a staple of Wilco's sound. I'm Always In Love is one of the first Wilco tunes I ever heard, and the guitar riff hooked me.

[choo-choo-charlie]

To clarify: by noisy guitar fill, I mean, the part that Nels plays now in place of the synth. The dirty rhythm guitar is great. It's the lead part in the updated arrangement that I don't like as much.

[Sparky speaks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeJPKAduknw

[choo-choo-charlie]

This is still my favorite version:

 

[Robby]

I enjoy a lot of versions of this song, but one of my favorites was done on July 25, 1999 - Old Town School Of Folk Music Festival.

Just Jeff on guitar and Jay on the piano, but Jay's piano fills on this version are beautiful.

You can find the song on the Owl & Bear site - download and give it a listen, you'll probably find that you'll want to download the rest of the concert after hearing this different approach to the song.

[Guest Jules]

This is still my favorite version:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcNFAWHx5XU

This.

 

Although there are few things better than Jeff's solo version of this song.

[deceasedlavy]

This is still my favorite version:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcNFAWHx5XU

 

^^This is another one where he doesn't hit that high note; same melody except for that one note. Just not the same! I realize I'm being ridiculously fussy, but for me, it's the balls-out weirdness of that dominant synth that makes the song. Honestly, I can pretty much trace my Wilco fandom solely to that as ground zero--at first I thought it was the cheesiest thing I'd ever heard and that it sounded ridiculous, but it became the only thing I retained from my first introduction to the band, and a weird yearning to hear it was what finally made me revisit them years later and fall head over heels.

 

Seemed like at the Riverside, Nels was alternating with Jorgensen, actually. Or was that all Nels just alternating octaves/pedals? Such a raucous performance of it. I swear at UIC in '09 nobody was playing that lead melody at all, but I could be wrong.

[H.Stone]

I can't answer any of your questions, but IAIL is one of my favorite Wilco songs. I, too, thought they killed it in Milwaukee. I was so happy to hear it multiple times last week, but the Riverside performance was my favorite.