''Throwing Copper'' is the third studio album by American
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of albums ...
, released on April 26, 1994, on former
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
subsidiary
Radioactive Records
Radioactive Records was an American record label. It was formed as a joint venture between talent manager Gary Kurfirst (who managed such acts as the Ramones, Big Audio Dynamite, Deee-Lite and Deborah Harry) and MCA Records, and it is now out ...
. It was produced by
Jerry Harrison
Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the cult band the Modern Lovers before becoming keyboardist and guitarist ...
of
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...
and was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio. ''Throwing Copper'' has generally been regarded as Live's best album, having sold over 8 million copies and certified 8× platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
Cover art
The cover art is a painting by Scottish artist
Peter Howson
Peter Howson OBE (born 27 March 1958) is a Scottish painter. He was a British official war artist in 1993 during the Bosnian War.
Early life
Peter Howson was born in London of Scottish parents and moved with his family to Prestwick, A ...
titled ''Sisters of Mercy''. On September 23, 2005, it was sold for $186,000 by
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
in New York. The painting is oil on canvas and measures .
25th anniversary reissue
In May 2019, the band announced a 25th-anniversary reissue of ''Throwing Copper'', which was released on July 19. The reissue contains three bonus tracks: "Hold Me Up", which was recorded during the original ''Throwing Copper'' sessions and later heard in the 2008 comedy ''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (also known simply as ''Zack and Miri'') is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008.
Plot
Zack B ...
'' but was not officially released; "We Deal in Dreams", which had been released as a single off the band's 2004 compilation album '' Awake: The Best of Live''; and "Susquehanna", another previously unreleased track originally recorded in 1993, though it had been written during recording sessions for the band's first studio album, ''
Mental Jewelry
''Mental Jewelry'' is the second studio album by the band Live—but their first under this name; they had previously released the album ''The Death of a Dictionary'' under the name Public Affection, under which it also released the EP ''Divided ...
''.
Critical reception
''Throwing Copper'' has typically been regarded as Live's strongest album. A ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' review stated that the band "strive for an epic sound" and successfully execute on that goal; retrospective reviews have been similarly positive, with the ''
Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
'' describing the album as "a solid beast from front to back" and uDiscoverMusic characterizing it as "challenging, yet commendably powerful". The instrumentation on the album has been generally praised: ''Rolling Stone'' considered the musicians to be "expert players hodrop musical smart bombs with unerring precision", and the ''Jakarta Post'' referred to the music as "absolutely dynamic and catchy". Singer
Ed Kowalczyk
Edward Joel Kowalczyk (; born July 16, 1971)"Edward Kowalczyk IMDb entry" '' was applauded for his vocal performance as well, with a retrospective
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
review noting his ability to "raise his voice from a plaintive hush to a clenched roar".
The lyrics of the album received more mixed reviews. The ''Jakarta Post'' felt that ''Throwing Copper'' "managed to push earnestness and wild esotericism as far as it could go without feeling resoundingly cheesy", but Gina Boldman of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
was more negative, stating that the album's "melodrama sa bit much". Stereogum described Kowalczyk's lyrics as "mystic gibberish" that nevertheless featured "memorably inscrutable turns of phrase".
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
'' They were, however, included on the 2012 vinyl reissue on Music on Vinyl, which also added "Horse" to the track listing. The 2019 vinyl re-release was a double album, featuring the bonus tracks and "Horse" on the D-side.
Personnel
Adapted credits from the liner notes of ''Throwing Copper''.
;Live
*
Ed Kowalczyk
Edward Joel Kowalczyk (; born July 16, 1971)"Edward Kowalczyk IMDb entry" '' – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Chad Taylor – lead guitar, backing vocals
*
Patrick Dahlheimer
Patrick Michael "Pat" Dahlheimer (born May 30, 1971, in York, Pennsylvania) is the former bassist for Live and bassist for The Gracious Few. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8× platinum album ''Throwing Copper''.
– bass
*
Chad Gracey
Chad Alan Gracey (born July 23, 1971, in York, Pennsylvania, US) is the drummer for the bands Live and The Gracious Few. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8× platinum album ''Throwing Copper''.Jerry Harrison
Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the cult band the Modern Lovers before becoming keyboardist and guitarist ...
– production
*
Lou Giordano Lou Giordano (born c. 1957) is a record producer and recording engineer who co-founded Radiobeat Studios. He worked at Fort Apache Studios when it was located in Boston, and was a partner in the production company Prodco, which had close ties with ...
–
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1963) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at The Hit Factory in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground f ...