John Lydon says guitarist Steve Vai’s work on Album, the full-length disc PiL released in 1986, may well have marked a shift in Vai’s approach to playing. “I think he kind of altered his perspective after working with us,” Lydon said, speaking to MusicRadar. “He did some wonderful stuff after that. He got out of just heavy metal, and that's a good, good thing. To this day, I rate the man very, very highly. Very highly!"
Lydon said he was already familiar with Vai’s work before recruiting him for the project. “People think that I wouldn't be listening to stuff like that, but I listen to everything,” he said. “It was great. It was [producer-bassist] Bill Laswell who put us together.”
Lydon said he was seeking more than musicianship, at the time he approached Vai. “I have a keen ear for sheer bravery and audacity, and people who are prepared to stretch the boundaries of what most musicians call 'common sense,’” he said.