Album is the fifth studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by English rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Public Image Ltd, released on 3 February 1986. It features John Lydon

John Lydon

John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...

 backed by a group of musicians assembled by producer Bill Laswell

Bill Laswell

Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....

, including Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....

, Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto

After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...

, Tony Williams and Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...

.

Most of the songs were written by Lydon with Mark Schulz and Jebin Bruni and registered in September and October 1985, such as "Round And Round (European Cars)", "Fairweather Friend", "Fishing (Pearls Before Swine"), "Black Rubber Bag" and "Things In Ease". "Fairweather Friend" featured originally music written by Schulz and Bruni. An unrecorded Lydon/Schulz composition "Animal" was registered too. Schulz and PIL tour bassist Bret Helm had previously registered a further (presumably non-PIL, therefore unused) composition called “Cat Rap”.

The packaging concept is a pastiche of generic brand

Generic brand

Generic brands of consumer products are distinguished by the absence of a brand name. It is often inaccurate to describe these products as "lacking a brand name", as they usually are branded, albeit with either the brand of the store in which they are sold or a lesser-known brand name which may...

 products, possibly in reference to those used throughout the cult punk film Repo Man. Flipper

Flipper (band)

Flipper is a punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,, punk rock and noise rock bands...

, a punk band from San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, had released an album with the same concept and a near-identical name, Album - Generic Flipper

Album - Generic Flipper

Album – Generic Flipper is the debut album by the San Francisco band Flipper. In November 2007, Blender magazine ranked it #86 on their list of the 100 greatest "indie rock" albums of all time. It is also referred to as Album, Album: Generic, Generic Flipper, and just Generic...

, in 1982. Later in 1986, Flipper retaliated by releasing a live album entitled Public Flipper Limited Live 1980-1985

Public Flipper Limited Live 1980-1985

Public Flipper Limited Live 1980-1985 is Flipper's second live album. The title is a nod to John Lydon's post-punk outfit Public Image Ltd. Earlier the same year Public Image Ltd...

.

In the liner notes of PiL's Plastic Box compilation (1999), Lydon remarked that Album was "almost like a solo album" since he was working on his own with several musicians. He said that Miles Davis

Miles Davis

Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...

 came into the studio while the album was being recorded and commented that Lydon sang like Davis played the trumpet. Lydon said it was "still the best thing anyone's ever said to me."

Track listing

Listed on the album cover as "Ingredients"

1. "F.F.F." (John Lydon
   John Lydon
   John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
   
   , Bill Laswell
   Bill Laswell
   Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
   
   ) – 5:32
2. "Rise" (Lydon, Laswell) – 6:04
3. "Fishing" (Lydon, Jebin Bruni, Mark Schulz) – 5:20
4. "Round" (Lydon, Schulz) – 4:24
5. "Bags" (Lydon, Bruni, Schulz) – 5:28
6. "Home" (Lydon, Laswell) – 5:49
7. "Ease" (Lydon, Bruni) – 8:09

Track by track commentary by Lydon and associates

"F.F.F.":

• John Lydon (1986/99): “Farewell to fairweather friends. There's a hell of a lot of them in the music business, clingers, dead wood, dead weights. So I had a great pleasure just flicking them out of my life.” “Farewell, fairweather friends! [...] It could be applied to quite a few people [...] There's a few, there's a whole host of them. They know who they are.” “'F.F.F.' is also pretty much clear - more references to people falling by the wayside. Not that I have a problem with that, I've always thought it's inevitable. When you work with people, you eventually drain each others' ideas and energy, and then it's time to move on.”
• Martin Atkins (former PIL drummer, 2002): “I think I initially left [the band in 1985] to try and jolt John
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   into realising how awful I felt. He simply fuelled the shit storm with my betrayal - 'F.F.F.'!”
• Steve Vai (session guitarist, 2004/06): “Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
  , the producer, called and I flew in and out of New York from Alcatrazz
  Alcatrazz
  Alcatrazz is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.-History:The band's initial line-up consisted of former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, young Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy...
  
   shows to cut the [solo guitar] parts. I did basically all the guitar parts in two days. Bill Laswell took a very interesting approach to the production of this disc. Some of the material I'd never heard and just went in and started playing on it. At the end, Johnny Lydon came in and liked it [...] There was the consideration of putting a band together - him, myself, Bill Laswell on bass and Ginger Baker
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
   on drums. Would have been quite a band.” “I went in in a day and did everything, then I flew back out on tour. And then I went in for another half day, and Lydon came in on the second day. He's just like ultracool and it's the first time he's heard any of my parts and he goes 'This is fucking great, man, how did you fucking know I wanted it like that?' [...] We were thinking about turning it into a band - me, him, Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
   and Ginger Baker
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
  , but well, I was doing some other things, you know? It would have been cool. To this day that's one of the projects I'm most proud of.”

"Rise":

• Sid Vicious (1978): [about new Sex Pistols lyrics] “Yeah, we've got one about South Africa, about how those, about how the, like, blacks are repressed so bad there. And, like, that's not on and they are gonna rise up and they're gonna kill those, those people.”
• John Lydon (1986/92): “I read this manual on South African interrogation techniques, and 'Rise' is quotes from some of the victims. I put them together because I thought it fitted in aptly with my own feelings about daily existence.” “The song is not as personal as it could be because I've never been to South Africa, but it can apply to lots of other situations.” “I am PIL. Most of the songs on the 'Album', for instance, were written at home and put onto demonstration tapes. But I didn't think the [1984/85 touring] band were good enough or experienced enough really to, like, record the song properly. And that's why I use session people. [By using session musicians] the songs obviously changed - their shape, and not their direction.”
• John McGeoch (1990): “I actually heard demos of the stuff from before, songs like 'Rise' which was called 'South African Song', and 'F.F.F.' and stuff, and it wasn't written as a heavy metal album as such. But with the players and stuff it came out like that.”

"Fishing":

• John Lydon (1986/92/2007): “I'm referring to people who have to be in crowds, who can't stand up for themselves and who have no point of view.” “I'll never work with [drummer Ginger Baker] again: too many problems, and he's too old, always going 'Well, in my day...'” “Ginger Baker
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
   was an absolutely smashing bloke, as was everyone on 'Album'. Steve Vai
  Steve Vai
  Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
  
  , Shankar
  L. Shankar
  Lakshminarayanan Shankar, also known as L. Shankar and Shenkar, is an Indian-born American violinist, singer and composer.-Early life:...
  
  , Ryuichi Sakamoto
  Ryuichi Sakamoto
  After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
  
   - we came together as friends. There was more talk than there was actual play, which was very important. And the late, great Tony Williams, what a fantastic, wonderful human being!”
• Ginger Baker (session drummer, 2010): “I never met or even spoke to John Lydon
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
  , it was all arranged for us to go into the studio and just put the tracks down. Tony Williams and I did half each, but as they released the record without the personell on it, all the reviews and write-ups could never tell who was who. We had a big laugh about it!”
• Bill Laswell (producer, 1999): “The whole thing with [Ginger Baker] came out of John Lydon suggesting playfully that he wanted Ginger to be the drummer in PIL, and I thought that was a great idea. So I was stupid enough to go to the north of Italy and find Ginger. I kind of brought him out of retirement and brought him back to New York and we did these tracks with Lydon.”
• Roger Trilling (Bill Laswell's manager, 1999): “I wasn't there, but apparently Ginger
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
   played for Bill
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
   in his barn. Just solo with the horses there, apparently the trees swayed and the flowers cried. The drum god would return. One small step for Ginger
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
  , one giant leap for John Lydon. The rest of the cast was quickly assembled - Tony Williams, Steve Vai
  Steve Vai
  Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
  
  , Bernie
  Bernie Worrell
  George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
  
  , Nicky
  Nicky Skopelitis
  Nicky Skopelitis is an American guitarist and composer from Greek heritage. He is best known as a guitarist, but also performs on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments....
  
  , Aïyb
  Aïyb Dieng
  Aïyb Dieng is a Senegalese drummer and percussionist specializing in hand drums. He has recorded one solo album , and has worked with a wide range of musicians but is perhaps best known for his long-term association with prolific bassist/producer Bill Laswell.-Biography:He was born and raised in...
  
  . First we recorded the drums, with Jason Corsaro in the Power Station
  Avatar Studios
  Avatar Studios, formerly known as The Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City.The building was originally a Consolidated Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal...
  
   and its huge concrete resounding garage. Then we moved over to Quad for bass, keyboards and rhythm guitar. I would give John
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   bulletins as we drank beer in bars - 'Today Steve Turre
  Steve Turre
  Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
  
   blew into conch shells, tomorrow a didgeridoo. Oh, Sakamoto
  Ryuichi Sakamoto
  After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
  
   did great today!' John
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   grew wary, restive, even aggravated. Howard Thompson, in charge for Elektra
  Elektra Records
  Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
  
  , was even more importunate, I remember at one point physically barring him from getting into the elevator. We recorded a few days of Vai
  Steve Vai
  Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
  
   at Electric Lady
  Electric Lady Studios
  Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
  
  , and then moved over to RPM for three days of vocals. John
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
  , I think, got a cassette the evening before. The idea was to get him on the initial take, and if it didn't work, keep the tapes, which was Bill's
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
   music anyway. Well, John's
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   declamations were eloquent ones and no less aggressive or irritating than the music. Everyone was pleased, and though I remember John's
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   presence in the anteroom during the mix, what I mostly remember is an all-night Korean restaurant, where we would start drinking at three, four, or five in the morning.”

"Round":

• John Lydon (1986): “The nuclear holocaust is imminent [...] These bastards are going to kill us all off, and of course I bloody worry about it!”

"Bags":

• John Lydon (1986): “That's about my fear of height [...] The end result when somebody falls off a cliff or building, and the black rubber bag is what they take you away in.”

"Ease":

• John Lydon (1986): “Susan and Norman, you dreary couple with the Ford Cortina and your names on the windscreen. There's actually a Susan and Norman out there right now, driving around in a blue Ford Cortina feeling well proud of themselves for being utterly dull.”

Related tracks

"World Destruction" (John Lydon solo single with Afrika Bambaataa):

• John Lydon (1984/85/86/90): [first meeting Bill Laswell] “So, you're the E.T.
  Extraterrestrial life
  Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
  
   of the music business!” “I got in touch with Laswell
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
   to the 'Album' album from the Bambaataa project
  Time Zone (band)
  Time Zone was a electro band headed by Afrika Bambaataa. Bambaataa worked with different musicians for each Time Zone project.-History:The first Time Zone single was the 1983 electro song "The Wildstyle" which featured music from a German project called Wunderwerke. Bambaataa was introduced to...
  
  .” “I'm gonna be doing more work with Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
  , the man who produced it, because he's going to be working on my new album. No, of course [PIL] is not finished! Damn cheek!” “Well, we had a few lyrics. We went in, put a drum beat down on the machine and did the whole thing in about 4 1/2 hours. It was very, very quick. They say you can't rush talent, but you can.”
• Afrika Bambaataa (1984/96): “The fact that he seems not to care while I'm trying to warn the people, I like that. Makes the record more scary.” “I was in Paris and I was just sitting in the hotel room watching CNN
  CNN
  Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
  
  , which played a big role to me, and a movie that was called The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
  The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
  The Man Who Saw Tomorrow is a 1981 documentary-style movie about the predictions of French astrologer and physician Michel de Notredame .The Man Who Saw Tomorrow is narrated by Orson Welles....
  
   about the predictions of Nostradamus
  Nostradamus
  Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
  
  , with Orson Welles
  Orson Welles
  George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
  
   in it. So when I saw that, this thing just hit me to write something based on what Nostradamus
  Nostradamus
  Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
  
   was talking about, so that became the idea for 'World Destruction'. Then I was talking to Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell
  Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
  
   saying I need somebody who’s really crazy, man, and he thought of John Lydon
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
  . I knew he was perfect because I’d seen this movie
  Copkiller
  Copkiller is a 1983 thriller film directed by Roberto Faenza, starring Harvey Keitel and John Lydon. It was adapted from Hugh Fleetwood's novel The Order of Death....
  
   that he’d made. I knew about all the Sex Pistols
  Sex Pistols
  The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
  
   and Public Image
  Public Image Ltd.
  Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band formed by vocalist John Lydon , guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble, with frequent subsequent personnel changes. Lydon is the sole constant member of the band....
  
   stuff, so we got together and we did a smashing crazy version - and a version where he cussed the Queen something terrible, which was never released.”
• Bill Laswell (2005/09): “Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
  
   called me and said he wanted to do a song with the lead singer for Def Leppard
  Joe Elliott
  Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...
  
  . I told him I didn’t know the singer for Def Leppard
  Def Leppard
  Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
  
  , but I knew John Lydon
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
  . So the request to do it actually came from Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
  
  .” “It seemed like a very natural thing at the time. It wasn’t really my idea, I got a call from Afrika Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa
  Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
  
   who wanted to incorporate what he does with metal to make 'World Destruction'. And he said to me 'Do you know Def Leppard
  Def Leppard
  Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
  
  ?' And I said 'No, I don’t know Def Leppard
  Def Leppard
  Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
  
  .' At that time I didn’t know many metal people, I would later on but not then. So I told him that I had just got to know John Lydon
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
  . I told him that he was Johnny Rotten who had been in this band the Sex Pistols
  Sex Pistols
  The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
  
  , saying 'It’s not really metal, but you might think it is,' and he said 'Yeah, that sounds good.' So we went and did this thing very quickly and it seemed very natural to me [...] I really liked 'Never Mind the Bollocks'
  Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
  Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is the only studio album by the highly influential and controversial English punk rock band The Sex Pistols...
  
  , I thought that was a great record, I liked the guitar and production. It was a really great album, intense and believable. And then when I heard PIL I liked that a lot as well because I was already interested in dub and Jah Wobble
  Jah Wobble
  Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
  
   already had that low end sound. I liked them quite a lot – or the first few albums at least.”

"The Animal Speaks" (John Lydon collaboration with The Golden Palominos):

• Anton Fier (Golden Palominos drummer, 1986): “Oh it was sort of boring, a really elaborate session, much like a tooth extraction. Three days before recording I gave him a tape to listen to, which of course he didn't. The result is okay but the proceedings were quite difficult. I like the guy but he's really paranoid, and I know why – because over the years all sort of people have tried to take advantage of him. It just took a while until I had persuaded him that I wouldn't do that. Somehow it's a bit difficult to communicate with him until he trusts you.”

Personnel

• John Lydon
  John Lydon
  John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
  
   – vocals
• Tony Williams – drum
  Drum
  The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
  
  s on 1 2 6
• Ginger Baker
  Ginger Baker
  Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
  
   – drums on 3 4 5 7
• Bernard Fowler
  Bernard Fowler
  Bernard Fowler is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and actor. He has provided backing vocals with The Rolling Stones for over 20 years on recordings and tours, and has been a featured guest vocalist on the majority of solo albums released by the members of that band. He has also been a...
  
   – backing vocals
  Backing vocalist
  A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
  
  
• Ryuichi Sakamoto
  Ryuichi Sakamoto
  After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
  
   – Fairlight CMI
  Fairlight CMI
  The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
  
   on 2 3 5 7
• Nicky Skopelitis
  Nicky Skopelitis
  Nicky Skopelitis is an American guitarist and composer from Greek heritage. He is best known as a guitarist, but also performs on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments....
  
   – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
   on 1 2 3 4 6
• Steve Vai
  Steve Vai
  Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
  
   – guitar
• Jonas Hellborg
  Jonas Hellborg
  Jonas Hellborg is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Mattias IA Eklundh and Buckethead....
  
   – bass

Additional personnel

• Shankar
  L. Shankar
  Lakshminarayanan Shankar, also known as L. Shankar and Shenkar, is an Indian-born American violinist, singer and composer.-Early life:...
  
   – electric violin
  Electric violin
  An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
  
   on 2 4
• Bernie Worrell
  Bernie Worrell
  George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
  
   – organ
  Organ (music)
  The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
  
   on 1 4 6, Yamaha DX7
  Yamaha DX7
  The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
  
   on 3
• Malachi Favors
  Malachi Favors
  Malachi Favors was a noted American jazz bassist best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
  
   – acoustic bass
  Double bass
  The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
  
   on 3 5
• Steve Turre
  Steve Turre
  Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
  
   – didjeridu
  Didgeridoo
  The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
  
   on 7
• Aïyb Dieng
  Aïyb Dieng
  Aïyb Dieng is a Senegalese drummer and percussionist specializing in hand drums. He has recorded one solo album , and has worked with a wide range of musicians but is perhaps best known for his long-term association with prolific bassist/producer Bill Laswell.-Biography:He was born and raised in...
  
   – chatan pot drums on 4

UK

• “Album” entered the UK Album Charts, where it stayed for 6 weeks and reached #14 on 15 February 1986.
• The single “Rise” entered the UK Top 75
  UK Singles Chart
  The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
  
  , where it stayed for 8 weeks and reached #11 on 1 February 1986.
• The single “Home” briefly entered the UK Top 75
  UK Singles Chart
  The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
  
  , where it stayed for 1 week at #75 on 3 May 1986.
• The single “World Destruction” by Time Zone
  Time Zone (band)
  Time Zone was a electro band headed by Afrika Bambaataa. Bambaataa worked with different musicians for each Time Zone project.-History:The first Time Zone single was the 1983 electro song "The Wildstyle" which featured music from a German project called Wunderwerke. Bambaataa was introduced to...
  
   entered the UK Top 75
  UK Singles Chart
  The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
  
  , where it stayed for 9 weeks and reached #44 on 19 January 1985.

USA

• “Album” entered the Billboard 200
  Billboard 200
  The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
  
   album charts, where it stayed for 16 weeks and reached #115 on 12 April 1986.
• The single “Rise” did not chart.

Other countries

• In Canada, “Album” entered the Canadian Albums Chart
  Canadian Albums Chart
  The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
  
  , where it stayed for 5 weeks and reached #95 on 5 April 1986.
• In New Zealand, “Album” entered the Top 50 Albums Chart
  Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
  The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
  
  , where it stayed for 2 weeks and reached #34 on 27 April 1986. The single “Rise” entered the Top 50
  Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
  The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
  
  , where it stayed for 4 weeks and reached #29 on 30 March 1986. The single “World Destruction” by Time Zone
  Time Zone (band)
  Time Zone was a electro band headed by Afrika Bambaataa. Bambaataa worked with different musicians for each Time Zone project.-History:The first Time Zone single was the 1983 electro song "The Wildstyle" which featured music from a German project called Wunderwerke. Bambaataa was introduced to...
  
   entered the Top 50
  Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
  The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
  
  , where it stayed for 5 weeks and reached #12 on 21 April 1985.