Various - AK79

New Zealand's most beloved indie label, Flying Nun, marks the 40th anniversary of the historical landmark compilation, AK79 - a defining record that captured a raw snapshot of the punk subculture in Auckland during the late 70s.

Raw, unfiltered, shambolic madness; the vision to capture the Auckland scene began with Bryan Staff (Head of Ripper Records and Radio DJ at the time) who saw reason to capture the music coming out of the local punk venues of the time such as Windsor Castle and Zwines. Originally released by Ripper Records in December 1979, bands that featured on the original pressing included The Swingers, The Scavengers, The Primmers, Proud Scum, Toy Love and The Terrorways. The musical movement captured on record was an abrasive, empowered response to the overindulgent progressive rock and glam era of the 70s. The initial pressing, with its iconic black and white cover designed by Terence Hogan was limited to 500 copies, to be later reissued on vinyl and cassette through CBS.

During the 40 years since AK79’s first release, the record took on a life of its own. Those original 500 pressings became a rare and coveted collectors item, and somewhat of an “urban myth” on the vinyl market. So the story goes, when the original master recordings of AK79 were discarded in 1982, it only created further demand for this enigmatic record. Responding to the call, an expanded version of AK79 arose, released on CD by Simon Grigg and Roger Shepherd as a joint release by Propeller Records and Flying Nun Records in 1993. This time there were some late additions, including tracks from The Suburban Reptiles, The Spelling Mistakes, The Features and The Marching Girls, along with additional tracks from the original bands on the first pressing. This particular reissue was remastered and mixed by Grigg, and came bundled with additional liner notes by Grigg, Staff and The Terrorways’ own Kerry Buchanan. In November 2008, a bootlegged 2 LP version would come to life for a very special reunion gig in Auckland which involved The Scavengers, The Spelling Mistakes and the first performances from The Terrorways and Proud Scum since 1980 in a rare event. At the time, it was sold at the show with unreleased tracks and a 20- page booklet.

40 years on, the spirit of the AK79 still packs a punch and the feeling captured in these recordings are as relevant as ever. This reissue features new liner notes written by Ripper Records’ Bryan Staff and all songs ever featured on any version of AK79, for a complete look at its recorded history. 

TRACKLIST:

1. Mysterex - The Scavengers

2. Never Been To Borstal - The Terrorways

3. I Am A Rabbit - Proud Scum

4. True Love - The Scavengers

5. Suicide - Proud Scum

6. She’s A Mod - The Terrorways

7. Certain Sound - The Swingers

8. Funny Stories - The Primmers

9. Squeeze - Toy Love,

10. Baby - The Swingers

11. You’re Gonna Get Done - The Primmers

12. Toy Love Song - Toy Love

13. Megaton - Suburban Reptiles

14. Coup D'etat - Suburban Reptiles

15. Routine - The Scavengers

16. Suicide 2 - Proud Scum

17. Short Haired Rock And Roll - The Terrorways

18. Frogs - Toy Love

19. Saturday Night Stay At Home - Suburban Reptiles

20. City Scenes – Features

21. Feel So Good - The Spelling Mistakes

22. First In Line - Marching Girls

23. Hate Me Hate Me - The Spelling Mistakes

24. Victim – Features

25. True Love (Marching Girls Version) - Marching Girls

Double LP comes in gatefold sleeve and includes 12-page booklet with essays, liner notes, and histories.