The most esteemed Passport line-up (Doldinger, Cress, Schmid, Schultze) would be around for one more album (Iguacu) following Infinity Machine but although this album bridges the stylistic transitions between 1975's classic Cross-Collateral and Iguacu it also serves as a bookend for the classic Passport sound.
Infinity Machine sounds more like the Passport albums that preceded it than Iguacu while bridging the bands transition in style. The song Morning Sun in particular contains both the classic-Passport and later Passport attributes in a single song. It is delightful and alone it is worth the price of admission. It is a big step above the opening track Ju-Ju which is a pleasent enough but undistinguished piece of 70's jazz-rock.
Blue Aura, the 3rd track uses a vocal in unison with the sax - a first to this point with Passport and it is a thoughtful and slow piece highlighting the tonality and virtuosity of Doldinger. It is a departure from what we have heard before from this band - I don't know that Curt Cress plays a single note and Schmid's bass has a totally subordinated role. If you are a fan of the sax played perfectly for it's sound, this song will be one of your reference examples.
Infinity Machine is a track that might have come off of Hand-Made as it resembles the song Abracadabra. It is a real rocker.
Ostinato is another solid composition which would have been a great fit for the album Cross-Collateral.
All Passport albums had a slow - atmospheric piece on them and they were among the best songs. Here, Contemplation serves that roll and it is a gem -- a reminder that Doldinger brought things out of the saxaphone that no one else did.
Passport is an essential band in my opinion who created an unmistakable sound that epitomized the essense of Jazz-Rock or Rock-Jazz fusion. I think Infinity Machine fits well with the Passport works that preceded it - though for newcomers I would suggest starting with Cross-Collateral.
