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Throwing Copper

 
Album Review: Throwing Copper

  • Artist: Live
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: April 19, 1994
  • Type: Contains explicit content
  • Genre: Rock

Review

On Throwing Copper, Live tightened their sound, added crashing crescendos for dramatic effect, and injected some anger into their sound and songwriting. They also eased up a bit on the Eastern philosophy; the result is a more cohesive, memorable record overall, and quite an improvement from the sometimes overly precious Mental Jewelry. And for all of Mental Jewelry's ideologies, Throwing Copper is ultimately a more passionate and successful album, thanks to tracks like "I Alone," "Selling the Drama," and "All Over You," all of which received heavy radio play. The rebirth-themed "Lightning Crashes," the album's biggest hit, was written in memory of Barbara Lewis, a classmate who was killed by a drunk driver in 1993. Other standouts include the Kurt Cobain/Courtney Love-inspired "Stage," the apocalyptic "White, Discussion," the bass-driven, obsessive "Iris," and the dark "Dam at Otter Creek." Of course, Ed Kowalczyk couldn't resist throwing in a song like "T.B.D." (for the Tibetan Book of the Dead), based on Aldous Huxley's slow descent into death, aided by heroin. Its melodrama is a bit much, even for Live, and is just a sign of things to come on their next album, Secret Samadhi. But Throwing Copper is still a huge improvement from Mental Jewelry, and is the least overtly preachy Live album to date. ~ Gina Boldman, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
The Dam at Otter Creek Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (4:43)
Selling the Drama (Lyrics) Ed Kowalczyk, Live Live (3:26)
I Alone (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (3:50)
Iris (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (3:59)
Lightning Crashes (Lyrics) Ed Kowalczyk, Live Live (5:25)
Top (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (2:42)
All over You (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (3:59)
Shit Towne (Lyrics) Ed Kowalczyk, Live Live (3:48)
T.B.D. (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (4:28)
Stage (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (3:08)
Waitress (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (2:49)
Pillar of Davidson (Lyrics) Live, Ed Kowalczyk Live (6:46)
White, Discussion (Lyrics) Ed Kowalczyk, Live Live (6:08)
[Untitled Track] Live (4:16)

Credits

Lou Giordano (Engineer), Todd Gollopo (Cover Design), Chad Gracey (Vocals (Background)), Live (Producer), Tim Stedman (Cover Design), Tim Stedman (Art Direction), Peter Howson (Artwork), Jerry Harrison (Producer), Patrick Dahlheimer (Guitar (Bass)), Ed Kowalczyk (Vocals), Ed Kowalczyk (Guitar), Chad Taylor (Guitar), Chad Taylor (Vocals (Background)), Chad Gracey (Drums)
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Wikipedia: Throwing Copper
Top
Throwing Copper
Studio album by Live
Released April 26, 1994
Recorded July - September 1993 At Pachyderm Studio, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock
Length 59:25
Label Radioactive
Producer Jerry Harrison, Live
Professional reviews
Live chronology
Mental Jewelry
(1991)
Throwing Copper
(1994)
Secret Samadhi
(1997)
Singles from Throwing Copper
  1. "Selling the Drama"
  2. "I Alone"
  3. "Lightning Crashes"
  4. "All Over You"
  5. "White, Discussion"

Throwing Copper is a 1994 album by American alternative rock Live. It was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio. The cover art is a painting by Scottish artist Peter Howson titled Sisters of Mercy. To date, the album has sold over eight million copies in the US.

Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk was asked in an Australian radio interview in 1997 if R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe had sung the backing vocals at the end of the song "Pillar of Davidson." Kowalczyk laughed and replied, "No, that's just me trying as hard as I can to sound like Michael Stipe!"

Contents

Track listing

All lyrics by Ed Kowalczyk, music by Live.

  1. "The Dam at Otter Creek" – 4:43
  2. "Selling the Drama" – 3:26
  3. "I Alone" – 3:50
  4. "Iris" – 3:59
  5. "Lightning Crashes" – 5:25
  6. "Top" – 2:42
  7. "All Over You" – 3:59
  8. "Shit Towne" – 3:48
  9. "T.B.D." – 4:28
  10. "Stage" – 3:08
  11. "Waitress" – 2:49
  12. "Pillar of Davidson" – 6:46
  13. "White, Discussion" – 6:08
  14. "Horse" (hidden track) – 4:16

Outtakes and B-sides

Demo tape

A demo tape of Throwing Copper contains three outtakes and various alternate versions of released songs. The only known copy is incomplete and it is unknown if there were other tracks on this demo.

  1. "The Dam at Otter Creek" (features alternate vocals)
  2. "We Deal in Dreams" (alternate version than released on Awake)
  3. "Iris" (features different background vocals)
  4. "Hold Me Up" (unreleased outtake)
  5. "Susquehanna" (unreleased outtake)
  6. "Shit Towne" (features an extended ending)
  7. "Waitress" (features an alternate ending)
  8. "Pillar of Davidson"
  9. "Top" (features drum clicks at start)
  10. "Stage" (features short intro)
  11. "All Over You" (features drum clicks at start; cuts off at 2:27)

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Peak
1995 Billboard 200 1
UK 7
1995 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1
1996

Singles

Single Year Chart Peak
"Selling the Drama" 1994 The Billboard Hot 100 43
Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
Modern Rock Tracks 1
Top 40 Mainstream 34
UK 30
"I Alone" 1994 Mainstream Rock Tracks 6
Modern Rock Tracks 6
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 38
"Lightning Crashes" 1995 Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Modern Rock Tracks 1
Top 40 Mainstream 6
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 12
UK 33
"All Over You" 1995 Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
Modern Rock Tracks 4
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 33
UK 48
"White, Discussion" 1995 Mainstream Rock Tracks 12
Modern Rock Tracks 15
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 71


Preceded by
The Lion King (soundtrack) by Various artists
Billboard 200 number-one album
May 6 - May 12, 1995
Succeeded by
Friday (soundtrack) by Various artists
Preceded by
These Days by Bon Jovi
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
August 13 - September 9, 1995
January 14 - February 3, 1996
Succeeded by
One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Throwing Copper" Read more

 

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