Throwing Copper
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox album Throwing Copper is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Live, released on April 26, 1994, on former MCA Records subsidiary Radioactive Records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio.<ref name="credits"/> 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.<ref name="RIAA"/>
Cover art
The cover art is a painting by Scottish artist Peter Howson titled Sisters of Mercy. On September 23, 2005, it was sold for $186,000 by Christie's in New York. The painting is oil on canvas and measures Template:Convert.<ref>"Peter Howson (b. 1958) – Sisters of Mercy" Template:Webarchive Christie's</ref>
25th anniversary reissue
In May 2019, the band announced a 25th-anniversary reissue of Throwing Copper, which was released on July 19.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 but was not officially released;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "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.
Critical reception
Template:Music ratings Throwing Copper has typically been regarded as Live's strongest album. A Rolling Stone review stated that the band "strive for an epic sound" and successfully execute on that goal;<ref name="RollingStone" /> retrospective reviews have been similarly positive, with the Jakarta Post describing the album as "a solid beast from front to back" and uDiscoverMusic characterizing it as "challenging, yet commendably powerful".<ref name="JakartaPost">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="UDM">Template:Cite web</ref> The instrumentation on the album has been generally praised: Rolling Stone considered the musicians to be "expert players [who] drop musical smart bombs with unerring precision", and the Jakarta Post referred to the music as "absolutely dynamic and catchy".<ref name="RollingStone" /><ref name="JakartaPost" /> Singer Ed Kowalczyk was applauded for his vocal performance as well, with a retrospective Stereogum review noting his ability to "raise his voice from a plaintive hush to a clenched roar".<ref name="Stereogum">Template:Cite web</ref>
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 was more negative, stating that the album's "melodrama [is] a bit much".<ref name="Allmusic" /> Stereogum described Kowalczyk's lyrics as "mystic gibberish" that nevertheless featured "memorably inscrutable turns of phrase".<ref name="Stereogum" />
A 2024 review by Paolo Ragusa of Consequence of Sound credits this album with starting post-grunge and shifting rock music to a new direction after the death of Kurt Cobain by combining some harder rock influences with clearer vocals, softer guitar melodies, and the production of Jerry Harrison to make a distinct sound.<ref name="cos2024">Template:Cite web</ref>
Track listing
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- Notes
Personnel
Adapted credits from the liner notes of Throwing Copper.<ref name="credits">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
- Live
- Ed Kowalczyk – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Chad Taylor – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Patrick Dahlheimer – bass
- Chad Gracey – drums, backing vocals
- Technical personnel
- Jerry Harrison – production
- Lou Giordano – engineering, recording
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Gary Kurfirst – executive production
- Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
Charts
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Weekly charts
| Chart (1994–97) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 26 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 8 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 40 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 17 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 21 |
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 100 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 68 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 7 |
| Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 100 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 8 |
| Chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 21 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 95 |
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 55 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 150 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 60 |
Certifications
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