Customer Reviews

Oceanliner

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's the 1980's and Passport have something to say.
The opening "Departure" gets the ball rolling with a super dance number while "Allegory" tones things down a bit.Most notable are
the exciting tital song,the major-key and dancable "Rub-A-Dub"
and "Seaside" but one shock is the all-to-brief and somewhat out
of place "Scope",a two and a quarter-minute blast back to acoustic jazz that demonstrated the musicians roots as well as their place in the larger musical spectrum.This is not Passports
greatest later album-that would be "Man In The Mirror" (see my
review",but it's a very close second and although musically
dissimilar in many ways should be purchased alongside that and
the also noteworthy "Earthborn" from '82.Breathtaking!

I dig much of what Doldinger and his various Passport bands have done. (See my review of Passport To Paradise.) Unfortunately, this album is not one such case. Apparently, either Klaus or Atlantic decided to try to cash in on the disco craze with a bunch of "four-on-the-floor" drum beats, predictable major key melodies, and--oh, yes--vocoderized singing. But like most such attempts by jazz and/or fusion artists, the results were lame. (I knew there was a reason I got into new wave and punk around that time.) Having recently rediscovered my fondness for early Passport, and not having any reviews to go by, I took a chance on "Oceanliner." Don't you make the same mistake.

I am a fan. So far, there is not a single Passport album I have not enjoyed. I hope you will, too.

I guess I'm not a purist. I don't like disco music, but I don't mind its influence on a few tracks here. In fact, my favorite Passport tune is the title track - it's atmospheric and has a great melody. (But what is he singing?!)

This is the album which sunk future purchases of Passport music for me. The fusion aspect of their music started to go downhill with the album Sky Blue and hit an iceberg with this album. No imagination and amatuerish solos.

Many people who review music on the Amazon site tend to overthink, overintellectualize the music and this can turn off people who may be interested in a band. Bands are in the business to make money, in the early 80s disco made money more than almost any other genre so maybe Passport, in an attempt to sell albums, played with the sound. While this offering by Klaus and Co. may sound somewhat disco, it none the less retains a distinct Passport flair and should not be dismissed. If you are a true Passport fan then you will want this album. If you are new to Passport then you wont be disappointed with it but go ahead and pick up some early Passport stuff as well. I love the cover.