Click on this link to go back to the main Bob Dylan page ... infidels Infiltrate Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 Bob's recording career got out of his Christian state (and, honestly, not a moment too soon). I don't object to *Christian* music ... I do object, however, to Christian music that sounds a bit too much like tele-evangelist plastic gospel choir crapola! (I mean ... Christian music doesn't have to have rousing choruses and whatnot.) Oh well, that doesn't matter anymore! Bob decided to write some more secular music. Unfortunately, after his rouse with gospel, Dylan suddenly woke up, rubbed his eyes, and found himself smack dab in the middle of the 80s. He turned on the radio one fateful day, heard a little bit of Dire Straits ... and he must have like it because he hired the guitarist Mark Knopfler to play a little bit of the pop guitar as well as produce his next album. ... And, for a little while at least, we saw Bob Dylan attempt to turn himself into a regular ole' 80s rock star! (He didn't bleach his hair blonde, though ... heck, it worked for David Bowie!) With this, we see a return to form *ever so slightly*. For several moments in here, I am reminded fondly of Dylan's olden days. "Jokerman" is probably the best example of this. It's a nice, quiet, thoughtful number that probably even features one of his finest melodies. It also has 80s production written all over it. The rest of the songs range from 80s pop/Dylan to just pure 80s pop. (The purest 80s pop song on here is "Union Sundown," which, for the life of me, I cannot hate.) The defining characteristic of a music fan concerning whether or not they're going to like this album is if they can stand 80s pop productions. If you answered 'affirmative' on that, the next question you'd have to answer is if you think you could stomach Bob Dylan indulging himself into a little bit o' 80s pop. (Mind you, this is still Bob Dylan ... he's not donning a bustier and lip-syncing to "Material Girl" or anything like that ... much of this can hardly be mistaken for anything other than a weaker version of Desire-era Dylan.) If you think you can, then you'll probably find a lot to enjoy about Infidels. Those who shook their heads in awe and amazement at the artistic low Dylan stooped to in his previous two albums, I'm afraid, would probably be doing the same thing at this one. However, this is my site, and when I say I liked Infidels, I can be bloody dogmatic about it. AND I POOP ON ALL THE CRETINS WHO DARE OPPOSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 (Beware! This is an 80s pop album! And Dylan and 80s pop ought to go together like oil and water! ... But if you've accepted that fact well enough to not be shocked by it upon listening to it the first time, you'll probably find that there are some worthwhile moments in here.) Average Song Score: 8.3 (This album has more than its fair share of good songs on it! Dylan still proves that he's a good songwriter ... but not as good as he was during his glory days ... of course.) Album Tilt: 8.0 (This wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, really. Dylan embracing 80s pop values produced a fairly entertaining album.) Artist Rating: 7.5 (I miss how deep Dylan used to get in his albums! A few of these songs served as 'pleasant reminders' ... but that was it. This is too poppy to really deserve a higher score here ... and Dylan doesn't add anything new to 80s pop music with this album, either.) Track Reviews Jokerman 10/10 This is an entertaining, low-key 80s song! The melody here is more entertaining and listenable than anything we've heard since Desire, I expect. Mark Knopfler's production of it might be on 80s pop side of the spectrum ... but that doesn't subtract whatsoever from this song's enjoyability. Indeed, I'd be willing to say that this was a comfortable combination of 80s pop and the Bob Dylan from the Blonde on Blonde era. This is one mightily good song. Sweetheart Like You 7.5/10 Okay ... I'm twiddling my thumbs now ... This is a similar song to "Jokerman" except it's not nearly as cool and enjoyable. And ... yawn ... this is kinda boring. It fails to even give me that deep-Dylan vibe that I had been getting from him during his heyday. Hmm. Oh well. This song does have good qualities, though. It's *listenable* and, technically, it's a well-done song. I just wish it were more exciting. Neighborhood Bully 7/10 WELL, this song is rather LOUD, but that doesn't mean that it has to be that good. Yeah ... it needs more depth and thoughtfulness. What'd they do with Dylan? I hear him, but I don't see the souuuuuuuuul!!! License to Kill 7.5/10 This one has the same sort of plodding pace that we saw in "Jokerman." Unfortunately, the melody isn't nearly as good ... and neither is the production. Although, we see the return of the organ and the harmonica. Isn't that a step in the right direction? This is such a paper-thin song ... Man of Peace 8/10 Bob Dylan shouldn't do 80s pop songs! I usually like 80s pop songs ... but never before has Dylan songs sounded so monotonous! I'm used to his melodies being lush and creative ... and ... the rhythm section not being so danged 80s. Blah!!! But the melody here is all right. I just don't like that rhythm section very much! (It's fairly long ... but only minimally weary.) Union Sundown 8/10 MUCH BETTER. Yes, this definitely sounds like a regular old 80s song, but it actually has much better production and a better melody. Yes ... this is even an entertaining one. I'm still having a hard time believing that Bobby had to turn himself into a regular 80s star, but ... hmmm ... with "Union Sundown," I guess it's okay. This is probably derivative, but it's quite entertaining. (Many people don't like this one ... I suppose that's because this is the most '80s-pop' one of the whole album ... but I'll freely admit that I am one who would enjoy 80s pop when it's done right ... and, here, it's good enough for government work!) I and I 9/10 This is also a good song. It's a slowly-paced song, but the production is better (not sure about those locusts sounds ... that kind of disturbs me) and the melody is good. This also gives me the feeling that I'm listening to a good old regular Dylan song, because it feels like it has some depth to it. It's far from being a classic, but this is a nice one nevertheless! Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight 8.5/10 Whew! This album closed on a few high-notes (as arguable as "Union Sundown" being a high-note as it is). But this is another good, slow-paced song that utilizes a nice melody (and there's some depth) and it's produced rather well. Dylan also gives a pretty good performance ... albeit, it sounds too much like he's trying to imitate Phil Collins ... which is something that would have made a pretty funny parody! But his voice sounds pretty good (well ... as good as Dylan's voice ever gets) and this is a pretty nice pop song. Infidels! Leave your thoughts about this album here!

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He knows how to spell "sissors."