The first part of two live releases documenting the We Can’t Dance tour, 1992’s The Shorts focuses on the more accessible, pop-oriented material from the band’s previous four LPs. Nick Davis’ booming production gives muscle and sheen to every instrument, so on a purely sonic level, most of these tunes (like a full-throttle “Mama” and a tense “Tonight Tonight Tonight”) equal their studio counterparts. But that strength is also a weakness, as these live versions do little to set themselves apart. (Why spin the straight-ahead live take of ballad “No Son of Mine” if you can check out the album version?) These are the shortest, most tightly arranged songs in the band’s repertoire, and by extension, there’s little wiggle room for added stage finesse — all of which was saved, naturally, for the second installment, The Longs.