Surviving in a Ruthless World: Bob Dylan's voyage to Infidels

by Terry Gans

Bob Dylan’s 1983 album Infidels was a departure from his previous works in so many ways – lyrics, music, production and spirit. It is unique amongst Dylan albums, and while songs like ‘Jokerman’ and ‘I and I’ are well known, the album is less so. Surviving in a Ruthless World draws on previously unseen, and unheard resources in The Bob Dylan Archive® in Tulsa. It is the story of the writing and the recording of the album’s eight songs and unreleased tracks from the Infidels project. Author Terry Gans was granted unique permission to write, research and quote from Dylan’s personal notebooks, voluminous song drafts, 49 reels of master session tapes and from reference recordings and documents. Together with interviews with musicians, managers, video producers, and more Terry Gans creates a detailed picture of Bob Dylan creating his art with all of his usual mystery and magic..

Genres: Music, History

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2020

Reviews

[Allan Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that the Infidels sessions are rumoured to be next up in Dylan's Official Bootleg Series makes this a timely book.

It provides a full overview of the sessions on a track by track basis along with more supporting information than you might think you need. But this is aimed at Dylan fans where obsession is an entry-level requirement.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for the casual fan.

I'm always interested in Dylan's approach to writing, and believed the myth of the tossed off masterpiece, recorded live in as few takes as possible. If nothing else, the Dylan archives in Tulsa are going to reveal how much he actually works on his lyrics, and the recording process. This is a dive into the writing of Infidels, from notebook jottings to improvisations to lyric sheets to the recording process and product. One of the most interesting discoveries for me was how 32 track tape is used to construct a recording, and it's no wonder Dylan believes that the live/stage performance is where his work rises or falls. No trickery on stage.

Surviving in a Ruthless World (a great title, and the original title of the Infidels album) is not a compelling piece of writing, more a forensic report, and as such moderately interesting.

[Alex Dimaio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on an oft ignored 80’s album.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really exciting that the Dylan Archives in Tulsa are not open to at least some researchers. Here, Terry Gans, long well-know researcher, digs into the archives and presents pretty much everything that's knowable (now) about Infidels, Dylan's 1984 album. There's a lot here: drafts of lyrics, details of recording sessions, etc. You learn a lot about how Dylan works, both in the writing and the recording (or at least how he worked when recording this album). I found it a very welcome addition to the books about Dylan, and read it compulsively in a couple days, with some breaks to listen to the actual songs and the bootlegs of other versions that are around. If you're a Dylan fan, you'll probably take this the same way, and it won't be a waste of your time.

[Bradley Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Dylan’s 1983 album “Infidels,” with the book named after the album’s original title, is a unique departure from the singer-songwriter in terms of the lyrics, music, and production (an album I truly adore). Gans offers a well-researched and in-depth look into the album’s genesis, from writing to recording and covering material not included on the final album. With early access to the archives of The Bob Dylan Center opening in Tulsa, OK in 2022, Gans methodically and forensically details the history and process behind the making of “Infidels,” including reviewing notebooks and drafts of lyrics, recording session documentation, and hundreds of hours of reel tapes, as well as his interviews with musicians and others connected with the album. Not offering much with regards to analysis or interpretation, Gans’ speculation is mainly concentrated on the flow and decisions during the recording sessions, which is understandable given lack of context from Dylan either from him or his archival materials. A spirited, but a bit narratively limited, report at understanding a difficult cultural icon and one of his oft forgotten works.

[AndyL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am finding it difficult to rate and review this book.  I am grateful for the time and effort the author, Terry Gans, expended to unearth the details on the writing and recording of an album, Infidels, that I still find very interesting yet one that is still relatively obscure to most except for true Dylan fans.  I appreciated the chapters on how the musicians -- Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Dire Straits' keyboardist Alan Clark, the great rhythm section of Dunbar and Shakespeare--  were recruited. 

However, I wish the author spent more time on how the musicians, especially Knopfler, got along with Dylan and each other. I also would have liked a little more analysis and interpretation of the lyrics, which was limited to a very few paragraphs at best at the outset of each chapter. I similarly would have liked more detail on the reaction to some of the more controversial songs (Neighborhood Bully, Sweetheart Like You, Union Sundown).  Instead, most of each chapter on the songs -- both those included on the album and those eventually left off -- were devoted to a forensic examination of the writing and recording process with a focus on very minute, technical details, like small lyric changes and the number of takes for each song.  And I would have liked more, even if it amounted to speculation, on why certain songs were not included and others were.  All in all, a good effort but it left me wanting less of what was included and more of what was not.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a sift for the material dug out--folder and box--from the Bob Dylan Archive (always reverenced with the registered trademark brand seared onto its haunch, somewhat hilariously), which is weird, wonderful--a version of "Blind Willie McTell" co-stars Betty Grable--and minorly revelatory--"Jokerman" may've sprung from the furry loin of "Man of Peace."

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a real soft spot for Infidels because it’s one of the albums that really got me into Dylan. It’s pretty cool that this whole book is about one album, because it really tells you how extensive the Bob Dylan archive centre is.
An impressively researched book, and as someone else said, it’s not for the casual fan, but a decent read overall.

[J.B. Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent for all true Dylan fanatics. I learned a great deal about a snapshot in time of one of the great mid-career albums and what the work is like to produce great art in the modern age. If there was a book of this quality for every Bob Dylan album, I’d read every one of them.

[Shaw Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content here is solid, and it’s quite well-researched, but I was a bit shocked by the sheer amount of typos found throughout the book. Was there not an editor? Was there an editor, but they were poor at their job? That odd characteristic aside, I enjoyed this deep dive into the making of Dylan’s excellent ‘Infidels’ record.

[Mattias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nja. Mest en redovisning av en process, fast utan slutsatser. Författaren inleder med att säga att han inte ska ”hävda” någonting utan bara visa den information han hämtat ur The Bob Dylan Archive. Det blev uppenbart att det behövs ett Bootleg-släpp från åren 82-83, men inte så mycket mer. Kul, Terry, att du har fått lyssna på rullarna från inspelningen. Det vill jag med.

[David Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-intentioned amateur scholarship. For the committed, the chapters on the evolution of the songs Blind Willie McTell and Foot of Pride are of interest, but otherwise, this trawl through the BD Archives for material on the Infidels period is basically an assemblage of notes and facts. And it really needed an editor.