Review Summary: Far from his best, but a solid if inconsistent effort.
In 1983, Bob Dylan had just ended his infamous “Born Again” phase, during which his suddenly new approach towards life, religion, and music had managed to alienate many fans and additionally had resulted in several of his most questionable albums. How would his new album Infidels fare? Surprisingly well, it turns out, although it is plagued by substantial flaws.
There is no escaping the 80s release date of Infidels. Besides the laughable album cover, the musical hallmarks of that decade are everywhere on this album, and the sound presented here is remarkably different from those to be found on any of Dylan’s diverse works in the 60s and 70s. From the opening track “Jokerman”, the frequent presence of synthesizers makes that evident. In terms of genre, Infidels can only be considered folk in the broadest sense. About half the songs on this album, notably “Neighborhood Bully” and “Union Sundown”, rock about as hard as anything Dylan has ever done, before or since. The album was produced by Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits fame, and the legendary guitarist also lends his talents on several Infidels tracks.
How about the quality of the songs? Infidels is very much a mixed bag in this regard. The beginning of the album shows great promise. The first song, “Jokerman”, is easily the high point of the release, a brilliant song that ranks among the best of Dylan’s entire career. Both its cryptic lyrics, seemingly a critical look at the figure of Jesus and at religion more generally, and the wailing chorus are remarkable and unforgettable. The next song, “Sweetheart Like You”, while less well-known, is also excellent, with strong lyrics and a pretty melody. Unfortunately, though, after this excellent start the album starts to go downhill.
In large part, this is because the more rock-oriented songs are generally weak. “Neighborhood Bully”, with its pro-Israel lyrics, and “Union Sundown”, an early complaint about American manufacturing moving overseas, are both difficult to enjoy. Partially, this is due to the potentially-irritating nature of the lyrical themes, but also because they are musically uninteresting and do not seem to fit well with Dylan’s style. “Man Of Peace”, another of the more rocking tracks, does work better, but also overstays its welcome somewhat. Meanwhile, “I And I” and “License To Kill”, each folkier in approach, are both good-to-great. The latter, in particular, is touching in its criticism of humanity’s wars and destruction of the environment. Finally, the album closer, “Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight”, is very much Dylan’s version of an 80s ballad. While this may seem like an atrocious idea, it actually works relatively well and ends the album on a positive note.
In the end, Infidels occupies an ambiguous place with the lengthy Dylan discography. Within the generally poor standard set by the singer-songwriter’s 1980s output, it is certainly one of the best albums of that era. However, given its extreme inconsistency and the fact that many of the 80s-stylistic elements seemingly don’t work well for Dylan, Infidels is far weaker than his more classic works. While arguably Infidels is underrated within Dylan’s discography, given the presence of the classic “Jokerman” and multiple other great songs, it is still an album which is better left until after one has already explored more acclaimed albums such as Blonde And Blonde and Blood On The Tracks.
“They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings,
Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you a king”
- Sweetheart Like You
