Different versions of MMJ songs?

[rincon]

This topic is inspired by Roxy Music. My first exposure to them was the live album Viva Roxy Music. The two standout songs were Both Ends Burning, and Out of the Blue. Ironically both of these songs have clear MMJ ancestry in them. I played them for an older friend in about 1980. He thought they sounded funny, because they were different than the studio versions. I have never been able to  fully adjust to the studio versions because the tempo is a little slower and it just sounds different. 
X-mas Curtain is one of my faves. I was first familiar with the Okonosis version. Then I heard the version from Live at 9:30 club. I liked it but it was different. Then I heard the studio version. Don't get me wrong, I really like that also, but it is so different. It has one of the weirdest mixes I have ever heard. I think that was part of the charm.
   Do any of you  have first impressions of their songs that make other versions just never sound right? I don't mean bad or wrong, but when you listen to it your first impression keeps entering your mind like something is off?