He might have been the figurehead of punk’s original Class Of ’76, but there was always more to John Lydon than three chords and anarchy in the UK. In the aftermath of the Sex Pistols’ break-up, while his erstwhile bandmates were hanging out with Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs and recording ever more rudimentary punk covers and songs for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle soundtrack, the former Johnny Rotten was putting together Public Image Ltd; a much more musically adventurous project that drew on dub, disco and progressive rock, among other things. Given punk’s anti-‘dinosaur’ proclamations, Lydon’s love of prog is surprising, but it’s always been there, hidden in plain site. Here are six prog acts that have Johnny Rotten’s approval…
