Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981–1988, by Matthew Goody

The inside story of Flying Nun Records

Needles and Plastic is a fully illustrated account of Flying Nun Records, its bands and its songs from 1981 to 1988, the critical early years when the label was based in Christchurch and records were pressed in New Zealand.

Matthew Goody tells the story through the records themselves, with entries on more than 140 releases, from The Clean's Tally Ho 7" in 1981 to The Verlaines' Bird-Dog LP in 1988. Drawing on years of research, the book reveals the stories behind the bands, recordings, songs and audiences, with contributions from a host of characters including Shepherd, Chris Knox, Doug Hood and Hamish Kilgour.

This is a remarkable tale of creativity and chaos, do-it-yourself innovation and extraordinary attempts at world domination, offering an inside look at one of New Zealand's, and the world's, great independent music labels.

• Publisher: Auckland University Press
• Published: November 2022
• 436 pages
• Paperback
• ISBN: 9781869409593