Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do box set

• February 25, 2013

In the store | Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do? Box Set

12 x 7-inch album + instrumentals, individual covers, custom display sheet.

Mayer Hawthorne apparently wasn't content to release his How Do You Do? instrumentals conveniently on a single piece of vinyl with a regular album cover. The alternate solution is this outstanding box set, containing the album's 12 vocal tracks b/w the previously unreleased instrumentals on twelve 45s, each one coming with it's own cover, and a custom-made display sheet which fits the twelve records.

The twelve images that make up the mosaic of album covers is inspired by a series of 1960s promo LPs, Capitol Disc Jockey. Back in the day, Capitol Records would mail out a promo LP compilation of their new tracks to radio DJs each month. Through the year 1969, the albums were released one by one with interconnecting photos, absent of any text, of seductive 60s babes. The series culminated in Capitol Disc Jockey Album Dec. 1969 featuring a photo of a shirtless Santa Claus, and with the records all placed together, showing ol' Saint Nick surrounded by his harem, looking like the Hugh Hefner of the North Pole.

You'll notice, below, we blocked the key cover of Mayer's series. We're leaving the best as a surprise.

History in a nutshell: Mayer Hawthorne's first record was "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out", released on Stones Throw in late 2008 on 7-inch heart-shaped vinyl. After a stunning debut album A Strange Arrangement (2009) he toured the world several times over, and then became the first Stones Throw artist to jump to a major label.

"I'm on Universal now," he said to a live crowd at a Stones Throw event in Denver. "Boooo!!," replied the audience.

But it's all good. We're fans. Most recently, Mayer played our all-45 DJ party on New Years Eve. Between this box set, Donuts, and The Lions This Generation 45 set, we'll have a lot more for the next New Year's Eve party.

More music, more photos, more stories: Mayer Hawthorne