Throwing Copper

---

title: "Throwing Copper" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1994-albums", "live-(band)-albums", "albums-produced-by-jerry-harrison", "mca-records-albums"] description: "1994 album by Live" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throwing_Copper" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1994 album by Live ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Throwing Copper
type	studio
artist	Live
cover	livecopper.jpg
released
recorded	July–September 1993
studio	Pachyderm (Cannon Falls, Minnesota)
* post-grunge{{cite web	last
length
label	Radioactive
prev_title	Mental Jewelry
prev_year	1991
next_title	Secret Samadhi
next_year	1997
misc	{{Singles
name	Throwing Copper
type	studio
single1	Selling the Drama
single1date	May 1994
single2	I Alone
single2date	December 1994
single3	Lightning Crashes
single3date	June 1995
single4	All Over You
single4date	September 1995
single5	White, Discussion
single5date	1995
::

| name = Throwing Copper | type = studio | artist = Live | cover = livecopper.jpg | alt = | released = | recorded = July–September 1993 | venue = | studio = Pachyderm (Cannon Falls, Minnesota) | genre =

• Alternative rock
• post-grunge | length = | label = Radioactive | producer =
• Jerry Harrison
• Live | prev_title = Mental Jewelry | prev_year = 1991 | next_title = Secret Samadhi | next_year = 1997 | misc = {{Singles | name = Throwing Copper | type = studio | single1 = Selling the Drama | single1date = May 1994 | single2 = I Alone | single2date = December 1994 | single3 = Lightning Crashes | single3date = June 1995 | single4 = All Over You | single4date = September 1995 | single5 = White, Discussion | single5date = 1995 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. It was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads 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.

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 243 x 182 cm.

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 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.

Critical reception

| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Classic Rock | rev2score = | rev3 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | rev3score = | rev4 = The Great Rock Discography | rev4score = 7/10 | rev5 = MusicHound Rock | rev5score = | rev6 = Q | rev6score = | rev7 = Rolling Stone | rev7score = | rev8 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | rev8score = | rev9 = Spin Alternative Record Guide | rev9score = 7/10 | rev10 = The Village Voice | rev10score = C+ 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; 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". 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". 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".

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". Stereogum described Kowalczyk's lyrics as "mystic gibberish" that nevertheless featured "memorably inscrutable turns of phrase".

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.

Track listing

| all_lyrics = Ed Kowalczyk | all_music = Live | headline = Original compact disc issue | title1 = The Dam at Otter Creek | length1 = 4:43 | title2 = Selling the Drama | length2 = 3:26 | title3 = I Alone | length3 = 3:50 | title4 = Iris | length4 = 3:59 | title5 = Lightning Crashes | length5 = 5:25 | title6 = Top | length6 = 2:42 | title7 = All Over You | length7 = 3:59 | title8 = Shit Towne | length8 = 3:48 | title9 = T.B.D. | length9 = 4:28 | title10 = Stage | length10 = 3:08 | title11 = Waitress | length11 = 2:49 | title12 = Pillar of Davidson | note12 = | length12 = 6:46 | title13 = White, Discussion | length13 = 6:08 | title14 = Horse | note14 = unlisted track | length14 = 4:16 | headline = Europe and Australia Two CD set Four Songs | title1 = Operation Spirit | length1 = 3:19 | title2 = Good Pain | length2 = 5:39 | title3 = Heaven Wore a Shirt | length3 = 3:38 | title4 = Negation | length4 = 3:37 | headline = 25th anniversary reissue bonus tracks | title15 = Hold Me Up | note15 = from the film Zack and Miri Make a Porno, previously unreleased | title16 = We Deal in Dreams | note16 = previously released on Awake: The Best of Live | title17 = Susquehanna | note17 = previously unreleased | headline = 25th anniversary reissue bonus disc: Live at Woodstock '94 | title1 = Iris | title2 = Top | title3 = The Beauty of Gray | title4 = Selling the Drama | title5 = Shit Towne | title6 = Lightning Crashes | title7 = I Alone | title8 = Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition) | title9 = White, Discussion ;Notes

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of Throwing Copper.

;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

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"] | Chart (1994–97) | Peak position | European Albums (European Top 100 Albums) | |---|---|---| | 26 | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="1995 year-end chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"]

Chart (1995)	Position	Australian Albums (ARIA)	Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)	German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)	US Billboard 200
8
40
17
21
100
68
7
100
8
::

::data[format=table title="1996 year-end chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"]

Chart (1996)	Position	Australian Albums (ARIA)	New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	US Billboard 200
8
21
95
::

::data[format=table title="1997 year-end chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"]

Chart (1997)	Position	Australian Albums (ARIA)
55
::

::data[format=table title="2002 year-end chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"]

Chart (2002)	Position	Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
150
::

Decade-end charts

::data[format=table title="Decade-end chart performance for ''Throwing Copper''"]

Chart (1990–1999)	Position	US Billboard 200
60
::

Certifications

References

References

1. Thee, Marcel. (August 1, 2019). "After 25 years, Live's 'Throwing Copper' remains alternative rock gem".
2. Martins, Jorge. (2023-12-25). "Top 10 Post-Grunge Albums From the '90s That Actually Stood the Test of Time".
3. "Great Rock Discography".
4. "Live discography".
5. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1995". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
6. (July 19, 2019). "+Live+ Today Release The Super Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition Of Their Landmark 8x Multi-Platinum Sophomore Album 'Throwing Copper'". [[Universal Music Enterprises]].
7. link. (July 14, 2014 ''[[Christie's]]'')
8. "Throwing Copper Super Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition Box Set (2LP+2CD)".
9. Blistein, Jon. (May 30, 2019). "Hear Live Rip Through Previously Unreleased Track 'Hold Me Up'".
10. Boldman, Gina. "''Throwing Copper'' – Live". [[AllMusic]].
11. Dome, Malcolm. (2019-07-19). "Live's Throwing Copper: 25 years on, suddenly contemporary".
12. Larkin, Colin. (2011). "[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]". [[Omnibus Press]].
13. Strong, Martin C.. (2004). "The Great Rock Discography". [[Canongate Books.
14. Durchholz, Daniel. (1999). "MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide". Visible Ink Press.
15. (November 1994). "Live: ''Throwing Copper''".
16. Evans, Paul. (August 11, 1994). "Live: ''Throwing Copper''".
17. Moon, Tom. (2004). "(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
18. Gardner, Elysa. (1995). "Spin Alternative Record Guide". [[Vintage Books]].
19. Christgau, Robert. (November 28, 1995). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot".
20. Thee, Marcel. (2019-08-01). "After 25 years, Live's 'Throwing Copper' remains alternative rock gem". [[Jakarta Post]].
21. Peacock, Tim. (2022-04-26). "'Throwing Copper': How Live Fashioned a Platinum-Grade Alt.Rock Classic". uDiscoverMusic.
22. DeVille, Chris. (2014-04-18). "''Throwing Copper'' Turns 20". [[Stereogum]].
23. Ragusa, Paolo. (2024-05-22). "Following Kurt Cobain’s Death, Live’s Throwing Copper Birthed the Post-Grunge Movement".
24. (October 8, 2014). "REVIEW: Live – Throwing Copper (1994)".
25. (1994). "Throwing Copper". [[Radioactive Records]].
26. (August 5, 1995). "Eurochart Top 100 Albums - August 5, 1995".
27. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1995". Australian Recording Industry Association.
28. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1995".
29. "Jaaroverzichten 1995". Ultratop.
30. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1995".
31. (December 23, 1995). "Year End Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums 1995".
32. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". [[GfK Entertainment]].
33. "Top Selling Albums of 1995".
34. "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 1995". Sverigetopplistan.
35. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995".
36. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association.
37. "Top Selling Albums of 1996".
38. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996".
39. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association.
40. "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002".
41. Mayfield, Geoff. (December 25, 1999). "Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade > Top Pop Albums of the '90s".

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