#100days - AK•79: New Zealand's first punk album

Today's blip shows the cover of AK•79, New Zealand's first punk album. This iconic image was designed by Terence Hogan.

Punk took years to reach NZ when I was growing up. There was a 40% sales tax on music - you read that right, a 40% tax! Most venues were in the pocket of a few big brewery chains who preferred covers bands to anyone playing original tracks. No internet, no music videos, and buttoned-up radio stations. Even student radio was still in thrall to dreary old prog rock.

It was 1978 before local punk bands became a significant presence in NZ, and few were able to record or release their music. The album AK•79 was a landmark moment, a compilation of tracks for a fistful of different bands, some of whom had already split up by the time was released in 1979.

You can read the AK•79 story here courtesy of Simon Grigg & Audio Culture, listen to the album via Youtube here, and the extended 25-track version is available for just £5.99 on iTunes.

Never been to borstal - but I've never stopped trying!