Reviewed by MJBrady on 22 Aug 2008
The first Passport album, from way back in 1971, showcasing the already well rounded skills of sax/keyboard innovator Klaus Doldinger. Even on this debut, Klaus was displaying his unmistakable sax sound, his voice on the instrument is as personal sounding as anyone I have had the pleasure to here. This album doesn't feature the more prominent names that would become part of the Passport legacy, and as a result, the music seems to be more bebop based, not nearly as spacey, progressive rock minded and funky as the band would become on later line-ups.
Yet for 1971, this sounds very clean and well produced, a signature of every Passport recording, I always felt that the German GmbH studios were setting exceptional standards for sound even way back then, far better than many other studio during this same era. And in listening again now in 2008, this still has a very full sound quality. I think Passport fans are mostly putting this lp into the middle of their own lists of favorites, as the music is kind of jam oriented, wheras later records would find the band stretching into the spacier realms of progressive rock and jazz rock. As it is, it's definitely a must have for those interested in hearing the earliest European influnces in jazzrock music, Passport no doubt belongs in the company of the more recognized bands and artists that help defne the genre without question.
