LOOKING THRU

Well, Passport is not really prog, but it's still a excellent fusion/jazz-rock band with some progressive elements on some songs (like the title track on this album). I like the playing from the band, especially Curt Cress's (later Triumvirat) fantastic drumming and Klaus Doldinger's great saxophone playing. The songs, with "Eternal Spiral" beign a personal favorite are all very good and accessible, and this one should do the trick for fans of this genre. The overall result is a tight, fast and impressive Jazz-Rock album by this great german band. I'll with pleasure recommend this one!

Check it out. 4 stars.

I'll go along with BJ on this too. PASSPORT is not completely prog, but then again neither was RETURN TO FOREVER, WEATHER REPORT or MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA for that matter. From here, PASSPORT went on to be known as fusion's best kept secret. Not very well known among the casual fusion listener in the 70's, but to die-hards, they were very well admired. It was this release, their 4th album, that got their audience expanded. The 1st 3 albums weren't even released in the States and to this day they're still not available here. Bringing in stellar keyboardist Kristian Schultze (a combo of Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman and Chick Corea) completed the "classic lineup" and gave them a more expansive sound. Curt's use of electronic drums on this album even pre-dates Carl Palmer's "synthesized drums" on Brain Salad Surgery. Klaus's aural sounding soprano sax on the title track was way ahead of Kenny G (and a lot less boring, too!). And Wolfgang's deep heavy basslines gave them a good bottom in their sound. If you really want to check out PASSPORT, this is the album to do it. Enough said, 4.5 stars.

3.5 stars at most!!

Passport's fourth album is yet another good album well in the line of their previous and following ones. Good jazz rock - fusion but nothing exceptional or even essential, but very enjoyable if you are a fan of such styles (I am one ).

The title track is clearly the highlight of side 1 which I find rather tedious especially if you own more Passport albums! The second side is slightly more adventurous with small hints at harder edged jazz/free jazz embellishments but nothing to scare you away sin ce it stays short and subdued. Tarantula and Ready For Take-Off are clearly my choice one this album while I found Eloquence rather misnamed as it is rather bland.

Lookin' Thru is not their best or their worst from that first era , just another good album but compared to their second more latino era , this album is much worth a spin!

I know other people who say Looking Thru is an excellent album, also but I cannot agree, and I adore Passport!

As someone already stated, side two is the better side... much better. However, even tho I rarely spin this album anymore, the title track is Passport's best title track. That may seem an odd thing to say, but I always assume there's a reason they name an album after a particular song, but usually, that song isn't the best one on the album. This is the rare exception. In fact, I could go on and on about this song, but I won't. Suffice to say, it makes up for the lastluster songs on side one (except for the sublime, but brief Zwischenspiel ). Indeed, Rockport is the only song I'd say sucks on any of their albums until Infinity Machine with the nauseating Ju-Ju Man.

If it wasn't for the title song, I'd even give this album 2 stars. Fortunately, I don't have to. ;-)

Ah Passport. Underrated and sadly overshadowed by bands like Mahavishnu, RtF and Weather Report. This has always been one of my favorite jazz fusion albums. Not having heard any of their other albums means I have a fresh take on this album and I won't be comparing it to other albums they have done. Anyways, "Looking Thru" is a very good fusion album slightly similar to Mahavishnu or Return to Forever but a bit more melodic and accessible than them while still remaining complex. "Rockport", "Tarantula", "Ready for Take Off" and the title track are prime examples. They are very well structured and played though. My favorite songs however, are when they branch out to a bit more of a progressive feel in the rhythm and keyboard playing. "Eternal Spiral, "Eloquence", "Things to Come" and the title track all have fantastic keyboard, drum/percussion and sax playing with a slight prog feel. As with many fusion groups, the piano (electric here) is the main keyboard instrument and it sounds wonderful though there is also organ and moog abundant here as well. Great sax playing as well from Doldinger. His styie is very unique with a fantastic sense of style. I have many fusion albums and still have never found a band very similar to Passport so if you want a fairly unique progressive jazz-fusion album with great playing and VERY memorable melodies, give "Looking Thru" a buy. You probably won't regret it. 4.5 stars!

"Looking Thru" is a good though not essential fusion album from the 70s featuring the songs of Klaus Doldinger who plays sax and keys. He is joined by keyboardist Kristian Schultze, guitarist Wolfgang Schmid, and drummer Curt Cress. I'm no jazz expert but the sound here seems to be more playful and light, and sometimes spacier, than some of the heavier fusion stalwarts. "Eternal Spiral" features some insanely good drum fills and solid basslines along with what I believe is the moog and e-piano. Very good and hard hitting opener. Good warm 70s dynamic. The title track is second and seems to be the most determined and accomplished, very elegant and nimble. The sax and keys have a conversation that flows well with softer moments and occasional crescendo. "Zwischenspiel" is a delightful but short piano piece with classical guitar, very nice. "Rockport" picks up again with a hard driving bass and a playful funky sound. "Tarantula" is another funky raving swirl of sax, keys and bass. Sax is the dominating lead instrument in most places, definitely not an electric guitar lovers album. Drumming by Cress is excellent throughout. "Eloquence" has a very eclectic vibe and is a favorite of mine with much space as the players take turns with punchy bursts. Jamming bass, sax, keys and drums throughout. "Things to Come" is a very spacey freakout ending the album on a manic note.

Looking Thru is not going to top many lists as the best fusion album but it is easily recommended to fans of the genre, and in fact is an easy to like and accessible choice for people who may not be jazz nuts. It has a consistently upbeat, approachable sound. Very enjoyable album and a safe bet for most proggers. 3 ½ stars.

"Looking Thru" is a jazz-rock routine. There's absolutely nothing groundbreaking, or original with this album, but it won't offend fans of jazz-rock and fusion.

The only track that stands out, in my opinion, is opening track "Eternal Spiral": not only for metallic synth noodlings (or that's electronic percussion perhaps), but for the overall structure and dynamics. It's enjoyable, and it's certainly closest to prog rock. However, the entire albums is not really prog rock, more a mellow fusion. The tracks are forgettable, I won't say boring (unless you dislike jazz-rock/fusion), but they're all somehow "melted" into an unique, long track which is passing by yourself, not drawing your attention, but not being bad neither. There are some absolutely awful brass moments at the end of the "A" side (try to imagine a bad brass section in pop) but on the other hand, there are nice and spacey strings often utilised through the album's length.

This one is certainly non-essential, but it's a pleasant routine if you are fusion fan. Nothing more to add.

When I first eard of Passport existence was when a friend of mine put Looking Thru on his CD player and said... Have a listen to this, you will be surprise. For a surprise it was a pretty strong surprise ;)

From the first note to the last, I could't beleve what I was just earing. Being a big fan of the Jazz Rock/Fusion style, I must say that this album is essential to anyone who love the genre. What I particulary like about Passport and this album, is that it doesn't sound like Return To Forever and all those american band, it has definetly a european feel to it, and that is why I think people who like Jazz Rock/Fusion, and are looking for something a little bit different, should try this album, who knows you might be surprise like I was. Ready for take off is my favorite track off the album, cool clavinet and strong melody it can't get better than this. If this was a Jazz Rock/Fusion only site it would get 5 stars but, in the large palette that is prog music, it's a 4 or 4.5 stars album.

Much like their previous album "Hand Made" this is a good, light Jazz record but not much more then that. I much prefer their debut "Doldinger".

"Eternal Spiral" has a spacey intro as the sound builds, it turns jazzy a minute in. The drums are relentless in this uptempo number. Keys then moog late. "Looking Thru" is the longest track at 8 minutes in length. A sax intro, but we don't get a melody until just before a minute. We get more of a beat before 4 minutes as drums become prominant with keys also joining in. This is better. "Zwischenspiel" is a short piano / acoustic guitar track.

"Rockport" has a good beat to it with sax and drums leading the way. "Tarantula" opens with dissonant sax until it changes to a melody after a minute. This is a catchy tune. "Ready For Take Off" features some smooth sax melodies that sound really good. This song and the previous one are my favourites. "Eloquence" opens with moog as drums and bass follow, then sax. Keys come in sounding great especially before 4 minutes. This my other top three song. "Things To Come" has a spacey intro before drums come pounding in. A full sound follows. The sax is dissonant late.

Good record but nothing more then that.

The 4th Passport album is a "lite" fusion music dominated by keyboards. It is not much progressive or essential in any way but jazz-rock fans should not mind having this title in their collection. Agressive keyboards work in "Eternal Spiral", nice jazz tune "Eloquence" and some excellent synth and electric piano parts of the title track are worthy checking out. On the other hand there are many dull and inoffensive "Muzak" moments along with a catchy but too simple R'n'B dance rhythm in "Rockport".

"Looking Thru" was released by Suzy label in Yugoslavia as a commercial and popular item licenced from Atlantic Records. Therefore, "Rockport" was a staple dancefloor track across many discotheques in the former Yugoslavia in late 1970s, while "Eternal Spiral" was frequently radio-aired as a background music/jingle.

Doldinger's sax is somehow subdued on this album while keyboards are dominant. That alone should not be a problem, but arrangements are too pedestrian without enough harder edge or courage in playing.

PERSONAL RATING: 3/5

P.A. RATING: 3/5

Fourth Passport album and again Doldinger assembled an entirely new line-up around him. But this time he gathered some musicians around him that would stick around for not less then 3 albums. During this period, the dominance of the sax is matched by various keyboards, marking a definite change in sound that was certainly welcome.

The basis of the songwriting is still the same, namely easy going mid-paced dub and funk rhythms with bouncy bass loops, and saxophone and synths providing the occasional catchy melody. Due to the prominent synths, the sound got bigger and brighter, a bit spacier even, much like instrumental Gong from around the same period and the later Ozric Tentacles.

While the above hints at an improved listening experience, the actual songs are generally too tame and predictable to make much impact. The previous Passport albums always made for good background music, but most songs of this album are too fluffy for comfort. Especially Rockport, Tarantula and Ready for Take Off are frustratingly poppy and mark an unwelcome change from nice background fusion to disturbing elevator jazz. Well at least for my taste.

With Looking Thru', Passport forged an interesting new sound for themselves but the songwriting simply doesn't measure up for me. 2.5 stars, the next one would tie everything nicely together.

Of the tracks on Looking Thru, the most intriguing one is probably the opening Eternal Spiral, which sees bandleader Klaus Doldinger incorporate synthesisers into the group's music to a greater extent than seen previously. Whilst much of the rest of the material on here is competently performed middle-of-the-road fusion, the synthesisers come back here and there, adding a texture to the group's music not to be found in the likes of, say, Weather Report - who appear to be their primary fusion inspiration this time around. This results in an interesting album which should provide an entertaining listen to fusion fans, but at the same time it doesn't quite manage to be memorable enough to be widely recommended.

The fourth album from Germany's premier Fusion ensemble saw Klaus Doldinger and company finally hitting their stride: the band had settled into a stable line-up, and the music was fast approaching its cosmic jazz-funk zenith. That opening burst of synths and mellotron at the top of "Eternal Spiral" signaled a further shift in style toward the rockier end of the Jazz Rock spectrum, emphasized by a dramatic volley of drumming by the peerless Curt Cress, always a great way to kick-start an album.

What follows is often too straightforward for traditional Fusion. The title track showcases Doldinger's deft touch with a tenor sax throughout eight enjoyable minutes of carefree grooving. And the melodic 4/4 beat driving ersatz pop tunes like "Rockport" and "Tarantula" make both resemble theme songs to some long-forgotten '70s TV sit-com, although each has a toe-tapping catchiness that can't be denied.

The music stretches out more during the album's latter half, but not enough to seriously challenge the listener's enjoyment. "Eloquence" opens with a bit of primitive (hand-triggered) electronic percussion. And Doldinger's freeform playing on the closing "Things to Come" promises exactly that: a brief preview of the band's more adventurous "Cross-Collateral", released the following year.

It's not what anyone would call a groundbreaking effort, and was never intended as such. But "Looking Thru" remains one of the more pleasant collections of instrumental music listed on this site: the perfect headphone escape from the plummeting temperatures of mid-January (as I write this, in the American Northeast). The album has so far earned an almost unanimous good-but-not-essential rating, and I'm not prepared to buck that trend. But my own three stars are at least offered with a little more enthusiasm than some.

The relentless journey of the band named Passport continues at the fall of 1973.Doldinger would carry the band to Dieter Dierks's Studio in October to record ''Looking thru'', this time Frank Roberts was replaced by keyboardist Kristian Schultze, who was already an experienced performer, having played with his own band Kristian Schultze Set and the Ethno-Jazz combo Niagara, while he was a close friend of Curt Cress, playing later alongside the German veteran drummer in Curt Cress Clan and Snowball.

''Looking thru'' shows Passport returning to the sound of their inventive pair of first releases, without throwing away the new direction they had taken with ''Hand made''.In fact this one sounds the most Kraut Fusion album of the combo, regarding the displayed stylings, featuring spacious keyboards, light jazzy improvisations, funky rhythms, Fusion exercises and a nice dose of Kraut Rock freakness.Some superb jazzy grooves with nice work on clavinet and sax to go along with tremendous Fusion keyboard and piano fests, love the combination of jazzy electric piano with the sinister Mellotron strings in the background.The opening side relies much on the work of Doldinger and Schultze on keyboards and the tireless rhythm section with occasional sax bursts, it's one of the very fine examples of flexible German Fusion with charming keyboard soloing and balanced tempos.Second side sees Doldinger pickin' up his sax for some accomplished executions on funky lines, melodious themes and scratching jazzy workouts, always backed up by the omnipresent keyboards.It sounds a bit more ethereal and lightweight than the opening one, but still contains some pretty cool stuff with experimental synth lines and virtuosic piano solos.My main complaint comes from the album's length, this one is pretty short, barely exceeding the 30-min. mark.

Well-played German Fusion with a variety of rhythms and atmospheres.Better than ''Hand made'' and a major purchase for all fans of airy Kraut/Jazz Rock.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.