Infidels (Bob Dylan album)

Infidels
A photograph of Dylan's face, wearing sunglasses and a short beard
Studio album by
Bob Dylan
ReleasedOctober 27, 1983 (1983-10-27)
RecordedApril–May 1983
StudioPower Station, New York City
Genre
Length41:39
LabelColumbia
Producer
Bob Dylan chronology
Shot of Love
(1981) 		Infidels
(1983) 		Real Live
(1984)
Singles from Infidels
  1. "Union Sundown[2]"
    Released: October 1983
  2. "Sweetheart Like You[3]"
    Released: December 1983
  3. "Jokerman[4]"
    Released: December 1983 (UK), April 1984 (US)
  4. "I and I[5]"
    Released: 1983

Infidels is the twenty-second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 27, 1983, by Columbia Records.

Produced by Mark Knopfler and Dylan himself, Infidels is seen as his return to secular music, following a conversion to Christianity, three evangelical records and a subsequent return to a less religious lifestyle. Though he has never entirely abandoned religious imagery, Infidels gained much attention for its focus on more personal themes of love and loss, in addition to commentary on the environment and geopolitics. Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone called those gospel albums just prior to Infidels "lifeless", and saw Infidels as making Bob Dylan's career viable again. According to Connelly, at the time of its release, Infidels was considered to be Dylan's best poetic and melodic work since Blood on the Tracks.[6]

The critical reaction was the strongest for Dylan in years, almost universally hailed for its songwriting and performances. The album also fared well commercially, reaching No. 20 in the US and going gold, and No. 9 in the UK. The album's highest chart position worldwide was in Norway, where it peaked at No. 1. Fans and critics were disappointed that several songs were inexplicably cut from the album just prior to mastering—primarily "Blind Willie McTell", considered a career highlight by many critics, and not officially released until it appeared on The Bootleg Series Volume III eight years later. The album was recorded and mixed entirely on digital recording equipment.

  1. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (November 13, 1985). "BOB DYLAN MINGLES EXHILARATION AND MISANTHROPY". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Bob Dylan - Union Sundown". 45cat.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Bob Dylan - Sweetheart Like You". 45cat.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Bob Dylan - Jokerman". 45cat.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Bob Dylan - I And I". 45cat.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. ^ Connelly, Christopher (November 24, 1983). "Infidels Album Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2013.