punk prog???

PiL's 1986 release was simply entitled Album,
Compact Disc, or Cassette, depending on the format. The
cover's blue typeface and spartan design parodied generic
brands; promotional photos featured Lydon in a "generic blue" suit
surrounded by generic foods and drinking generic beer. Produced by Bill
Laswell (despite Lydon-fuelled faction and disunion) and with many
of Laswell's usual rotating cast of musicians, it also featured guitar
solos by Steve Vai, considered by Vai himself to be some of his best
work. Jonas Hellborg, solo bassist and at the time, member of John McLaughlin's reformed band, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, played bass on the
album. Jazz great Tony Williams and legendary Cream drummer Ginger
Baker drummed on the album. Controversy reared again, with claims
that the album cover and title concept had been stolen from the San
Francisco noise/punk band, Flipper, contemporaries of PiL, whose album, Album, featured a
similarly unadorned sleeve. Flipper retaliated by naming their next
album, Public Flipper Limited. Neil Perry gave Album a
positive review in the NME:

"This is a wonderful, stunning and equally confusing record, and
working on the theory that you'd never expect to hear the Lydon sneer
backed by prime metal riffing, that's exactly what you get. Not
everywhere, of course, as proved by the haunting "Rise". And "Ease", by
the way, with its shock-horror two minutes plus guitar solo, is quite
beautiful<span style="text-decoration: underline;">...</span><sup id="cite_ref-10"><span></span>

In the liner notes of PiL's Plastic Box compilation (1999),
John Lydon remarked that:

"In some ways Album was almost like a solo album. I worked
alone with a new bunch of people. Obviously the most important person
was Bill Laswell. But it was during the recording of this album in New
York that Miles Davis came into the studio while I was
singing, stood behind me and started playing. Later he said that I sang
like he played the trumpet, which is still the best thing anyone's ever
said to me. To be complimented by the likes of him was special. Funnily
enough we didn't use him..."<sup id="cite_ref-11"><span>[</span>12<span>"></span>