In a departure from their previous releases, John Lydon was advised by trusted music producer Bill Laswell to take on an all-star cast of session and trusted musicians, including Steve Vai, Ginger Baker, Bernie Worrell, Tony Williams, Ryuichi Sakamoto of the Yellow Magic Orchestra and Malachi Favors of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago.

Schulz and PIL tour bassist Bret Helm had previously registered a further (presumably non-PIL, therefore unused) composition called "Cat Rap".

But I didn't think the [1984/85 touring] band were good enough or experienced enough really to, like, record the song properly.

And I had sort of decided to make a heavy group, so I invited Tony Williams, Ginger Baker, Steve Vai, and all these people came.

Originally, former Captain Beefheart drummer Robert Williams was hired to play on the album after he had successfully auditioned for the band and started rehearsing with them, only to be informed a short while later that the whole band was fired and the album would be recorded with hired session musicians.

The packaging concept was a pastiche of the generic brand products manufactured in the early 1980s; it was visually similar to those sold at the Ralphs supermarket chain (dark-blue lettering and light blue stripe over white ground) in the USA.

In 1982, Flipper, a punk rock band from San Francisco, California, had released an album with the same concept and a near-identical name, Album – Generic Flipper, a pastiche of generic products manufactured for Lucky Stores supermarket chain (black lettering over yellow ground).

Each release used the same basic design as the LP, CD and cassette covers, although second single "Home" was issued under its own name.

Ginger Baker's and Tony Williams' drums were recorded at Power Station by engineer Jason Corsaro.

"[27] It was revealed in the liner notes to the super deluxe edition that it was actually Ornette Coleman, not Davis, who said that.

Lead guitarist Steve Vai: "Bill Laswell, the producer, called and I flew in and out of New York from Alcatrazz shows to cut the parts.

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 on drums.

The rest of the cast was quickly assembled – Tony Williams, Steve Vai, Bernie [Worrell], Nicky [Skopelitis], Aïyb [Dieng].

First we recorded the drums, with Jason Corsaro in the Power Station and its huge concrete resounding garage.

I would give John bulletins as we drank beer in bars – 'Today Steve Turre blew into conch shells, tomorrow a didgeridoo.

Howard Thompson, in charge for Elektra, was even more importunate, I remember at one point physically barring him from getting into the elevator.

"[31] Listed on the LP sleeve as "Ingredients" "Home" reached number seventy five on the UK Singles Chart.