Mark Knopfler: Producing Bob Dylan & # 39; s "Infidels"

In the 1980s, however, he also produced marks and entire CDs for other very notable artists - including Bob Dylan.

After performing on Dylan & # 39; s religion-laden "Slow Train Coming," Knopfler was approached once again in 1983 to making his newest album. Knopfler brought along engineer Neil Dorfsman (who went on to engineer and produce Dire Straits megaalbum "Brothers in Arms") and Dire Straits & # 39; keyboardist Alan Clark, and put together a number of other musicians who completely created the eight tracks entitled "Infidels" that would end up on the finished product (along with the countless Knopfler played guitar on the album as well, along with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor.

Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone complimented Dylan, saying it was "a stunning recovery of the lyric and melodic powers that appeared to have all but deserts him." It ended up being being the only one of Dylan & # 39; s albums to go gold in the 80s, and the Village Voice awarded it as one of its Top 10 Albums of the Year.

A continuing mystery is why Dylan extremely decided to remove the track "Blind Willie McTell" from the finished product. The song, originally released as one of a series of outtakes, was simply arranged with Dylan singing and playing the piano, and Knopfler on acoustic guitar. Knopfler, who wanted to leave the song on the album, had to leave for Germany with Dire Straits and Dylan ended up finishing the editing and extremely delivered the masters to CBS Records without his assistance or input.

In a 1987 interview in Q Magazine, Knopfler admitted "I was lucky with Bob. Themselves that the best way to go forward is to respect other"