------------------------------------------------------- 1999 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Progrography http://www.connollyco.com/discography/yes/astraltraveller.html Review: Astral Traveller By Dave Connolly Astral Traveller Released on 1999. Someone had held onto early live recordings and studio outtakes of the band’s first lineup, which were released in various guises as Beyond and Before, Something’s Coming and, here abridged to a single merciful disc, Astral Traveller.  There’s no point in picking up more than one of these, and even then only after you’ve bought all of the band’s formal releases. The trouble is the quality of the mix, which distorts the band’s then-blooming talents into a sometimes cacophonous mush. Anderson’s voice sounds pitifully spent on “Dear Father,” Bruford’s usually deft drumwork is smudged on “Something’s Coming” -- on the whole it’ll have you running back to the originals. Banks, Chris Squire and Tony Kaye emerge largely unscathed by the mix, and it’s fair to say that the guitars of Banks and Squire are the real attraction here for hardcore fans. The other nugget is a nonalbum track, “For Everyone,” which carries the seed of “Starship Trooper” in its belly.  Some songs here sound passably good, including “Every Little Thing” and “Beyond and Before” (the latter is listed as a bonus track, which implies a cassette or elpee version without it).  There is a market for live recordings from the original quintet, but they need to sound better than this. The liner notes are mildly helpful at setting the stage, though referring to their second album as “Time and a World” speaks volumes.  For the serious Yes collector, Astral Traveller isn’t a total disappointment, but don’t go too far out of your way to find it. TRACK LISTING 1. SOMETHING'S COMING (Leonard Bernstein/Steven Sondheim) 7:38 2. EVERYDAYS (Stephen Stills) 5:13 3. SWEETNESS (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire/Clive Bailey) 4:14 4. DEAR FATHER (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire) 5:33 5. EVERY LITTLE THING (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 5:32 6. LOOKING AROUND (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire) 3:40 7. SWEET DREAMS (Jon Anderson/David Foster) 3:26 8. THEN (Jon Anderson) 4:20 9. NO OPPORTUNITY NECESSARY, NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED (Richie Havens) 4:17 10. FOR EVERYONE (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire) 4:35 11. *BEYOND AND BEFORE (Chris Squire/Clive Bailey) 5:27 12. ASTRAL TRAVELLER (Jon Anderson) 6:01 CREDITS JON ANDERSON -- vocals BILL BRUFORD -- drums PETER BANKS -- guitar TONY KAYE -- keyboards CHRIS SQUIRE -- bass, vocals Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com