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Inside DJ Shadow’s ‘Public Works’

After getting dicked over on the 1st by the Kid Robot staff, today I returned to the store and found that they, in fact, still had [the DJ Shadow box set](http://www.obeydjshadow.com) I was [previously lusting after](https://vjarmy.com/archives/2005/08/public_works.php) still in stock – and even in my size, to boot. After getting it home, I promptly shot the hell out of it and bring you the hot hot details.

The box is adorned with [cool artwork](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46247879/) and a [number on the back](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46247398/). Opening the box finds all the contents neatly wrapped in a [paper holder with a “flamable materials” sticker](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46247664/). When you unpack it, you’ll find…

Five t-shirts, the [“Post No Bills” book](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1584230932/), the [Funky Skunk mix CD](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46249166/), and a manilla envelope [full of stickers and buttons](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46249389/).

Public Works: Shirt #1 Public Works: Shirt #2 Public Works: Shirt #3 Public Works: Shirt #4 Public Works: Shirt #5

A quick judging of the t-shirt designs (and I’m making most of these names up): I’m not crazy about [“Portrait”](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46248475/), but [Crane](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46248591/), [Take Action](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46248705/), and [Molotov](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46248809/) are quite nice and I can see myself wearing them in public. The [Grim Reaper World Tour](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/46248952/) shirt – which I should note, is not available outside of the box set (unlike the rest) – is particularly remarkable in that it takes what is already an amazing box set and just makes it approximately forty-six times better. (That’s rounding down, mind you.) All the shirts have nothing printed on the back, are high quality cotton, and have a small Public Works logo thing on one arm.

The book contains a variety of pictures from Shepard Fairey’s [OBEY](http://www.obeygiant.com/) project; locations around the world where the pastes are up, some action shots as they go up. Very nice art book, perfect for a coffee table.

The CD – well, I haven’t had much of a chance to listen to it much yet, but it sounds like a very well done mix with lots of obscure hip-hop source material. It’s 66 minutes long, and the CD looks remarkably similar to the artwork on the front of the box/the Take Action shirt.

The envelope contents include buttons for the first four t-shirts, stickers for them, some Obey project stickers, and some advertising for the Public Works set.
All in all? I’d say it’s definitely worth it, if you’re a DJ Shadow fan.

(If you’d just like to browse all the linked pictures, check out [my photos tagged with “publicworks”](http://www.flickr.com/photos/remydwd/tags/publicworks/).)