Throwing Copper

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other Template:Category handler Template:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Mental Jewelry1991Secret Samadhi1997studioThrowing Copperlivecopper.jpgLive Template:Start dateJuly–September 1993Pachyderm (Cannon Falls, Minnesota)* Alternative rock

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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>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=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 artEdit

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 reissueEdit

In May 2019, the band announced a 25th-anniversary reissue of Throwing Copper, which was released on July 19.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=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 receptionEdit

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">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="UDM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=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">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=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">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listingEdit

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Notes

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PersonnelEdit

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

ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

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Weekly chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (1994–97)	Peak position
European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	26

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Year-end chartsEdit

1995 year-end chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (1995)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	21
European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	100
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	68
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	7
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	8

1996 year-end chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (1996)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	21
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	95

1997 year-end chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (1997)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	55

2002 year-end chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (2002)	Position
Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	150

Decade-end chartsEdit

Decade-end chart performance for *Throwing Copper*
Chart (1990–1999)	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	60

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CertificationsEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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