I think it has to do with the time between when the track was recorded and when it was first performed live. And especially the River outtakes. Had Take 'em..., Where The Bands Are, I Wanna Be With You etc been performed in 80-81, I think they'd be more "rock" than "roll" (to use Bosstralian's description). Not necessarily, I mean what happened to Cadillac Ranch between 1980 and '81 (Tempe/Nassau vs. Live 75-85)? Songs seem to have been played slower since the ESB reunion. Not that slower is always a bad thing (has anyone listened to the bootleg version of ...Bands compared to the released track? And the Gothenburg 2012 version of the same song is slower, but still excellent/mint).
I Wanna Be With You...I see your point, but opening the 2nd Stockholm show with it in '99 was fantastic. I suppose it may have dragged a bit tempowise, but...
Why does none of the live versions of Take 'Em sound better to me than the Tracks version?
This is not a rhetorical question. Any ideas what's bothering me with the live versions?