Customer Reviews

Throwing Copper

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It seems like such a long time ago, but it's true. There was a time when the top of the charts was dominated by the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish, and Live. Kids today don't know Live, but they sure know some of these songs: "I Alone", "Lightning Crashes", "All Over Me" which are still popular on satellite radio and some rock stations, not to mention movie soundtracks.

I began working at a record store in 1994, and I used to tell my customers, "You'll probably know all these songs." I said that for a few albums back then, such as Purple by Stone Temple Pilots and Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. Not only did Throwing Copper have 5 hit singles, but virtually every album track was getting played somewhere. That's how strong this album is.

The legacy of this album is its influence. I will maintain that without Throwing Copper, there would be no Nickelback today and certainly no Daughtry. Unfortunately all those bands learned from Live was bombast, and they turned it up to 11. They learned nothing about song craft, nothing about expression, nothing about restraint.

Throwing Copper has bombast in spades. It's there in Ed's vocals, but it's also there in the rhythm guitar parts and the noisy Neil Young-esque solos. It's there in the rolling bass lines and the thundering drums. But Ed Kowalczyk also knew how to use his voice quietly ("Lightning Crashes"), which amazingly was still as expressive. He names Michael Stipe as a huge influence, and you can hear R.E.M. and even U2 between the grooves.

Production by Jerry Harrison is stunning. The drums are some of the best, most natural sounding drums recorded in the 90's and the bass is strong without dominating. This CD is in no need of a remastering, it sounds just fine as it is.

It's kind of a shame that Live never did anything this good again, or with this kind of impact. While I have listened to every Live album since, I never bought any of them. This is the only one I bothered buying, and I liked it so much I bought some of the singles when I could find them. The domestic single for "White, Discussion" has a great acoustic version of "I Alone".

If you need some 90's nostalgia, and don't have this album, you absolutely need it. If you're too young to remember the 90's but love bands like Theory of a NickelCreed, then you need to find out what real music sounds like. Throw out your Daughtry discs and pick up Throwing Copper.

5 stars.

This cd....how do I say this,considering few cds have done this to me...kicks my a$$ every time. I listen to Throwing Copper and I want to scream, cry, throw my balled fist up in triumph, and kill myself all at the same time. Don't take that wrong...sometimes good music is so intense that I almost can't take it. The 90's were the last time I think really great music may have reigned. I mourn the loss of something real, true, authentic. Not something that's just for sale. Britney Spears is an example of the destruction of real music. B*tches like her have ushered in the plastic. Back to Live. I love this band despite how they have evolved or experimented, I own all their albums, 6 exist I think. Their music does it for me when I am brooding, dark, suicidal, poetic, and just lonely and myself. They make me hope; something I rarely do as much as I once did. I feel at peace, a little less warring. Buy this as if the soul of true music depended on it. Because in a way I believe it does. My life has been sung to the songs of Live. I have cried, won, died, been reborn, lost, and gained to these songs. This band was in my life before I knew who they were. Before I knew what good music was. I was alone in the desert, 3 months, when I started buying their cds, and they got me through. I hope you gain from what I have said, and may you have peace in your life, though we are not here for peace.

There are very few cds that I would even dream of giving a five star ranking to, because there is so much mediocrity out there right now, but this is without a doubt one of the finest cds to come out in the last fifteen years or so. I see so many average cds getting five star reviews on this website, and I can't understand how someone's musical taste could be so different from mine, but that's another story. From start to finish, the music on this cd just grabs you and refuses to let you go. From the hypnotic first song to the country-influenced final song (pre-bonus tracks, which I'm not sure this cd really needed, to be honest), not only does the listener get a crash course in the various genres of music, but he/she gets to experience the power of a fantastic band at arguably its finest moment. This cd came out when true alternative music was splashing the airways which sent the music world into a frenzy to make a bunch of soundalike bands, which regretfully they eventually succeeded, but this cd was truly original for its time. Live was able to get past the uninspired and slightly boring sound of their first cd and hit a homerun with only their sophomore cd, a feat rarely accomplished. Personally, I have a ton of cds, but this one, because of its completeness and because of its utter perfection by the band's attention to detail, is one that I listen to at least once every two or three months. It's a powerful cd both musically and lyrically. If you can, get a copy. It's well worth the money.

Live is one of my favourite bands - on every album there are powerful, intelligent lyrics riding on the waves of melodic guitar sounds. "Throwing Copper" is their second album (excluding "Death of a Dictionary") and is their best, in my opinion. Their hits "Selling the Drama" and "I Alone" are on this album, not to mention little-known tracks like "Iris" and "Top" which are truly amazing. "Lightning Crashes" is a melodic ballad about birth and death, and is perhaps one of the band's most beautiful songs ever written.

This album is nothing like their more recent albums ("V" and "Birds of Pray"). "Throwing Copper" has more unique melodies and styles and, although recorded in 1994, has catchy up-tempo songs to which you can still rock out to today and not feel stupid! Kowalczyk's lyrics are moving and sometimes cryptic, but always poetic, and this combined with Live's unique and original melodies makes for a must-have album for any rock fan. This will surely become one of the classic rock albums of all time.

There really isn't any other reason for me to be writing this review only to tell the poor souls who do not yet own this album that their is seriously something wrong with you. Live exploded onto the scene in the mid 90's once hits like "Selling the Drama", "I, Alone", and "Lightening Crashes" hit the airwaves. This was mainstream music, yes, but back then mainstream music wasn't anything to look down upon as it has sadly become now at the turn of the century. This mainstream music has depth, meaning, musical ability and most important of all, integrity.
This album is one of those rarities you really don't find much of anymore, an album you want to listen to all the way straight through and only repeat once it's over. Other albums of this nature include (for me anyway) "Blackwater Park" by Opeth, and "Master of Puppets" by Metallica.
The album kicks off great with Dam at Otter Creek, it's a slow and creepy song that works great as a lead-in to the rock and roll mayhem about to be ensued in the next few tracks. "Iris," and "Top" are my favorites off the album, as they are both deeply melodic and hypnotizing. Then again, every song on this one is very hypnotizing in it's flawless mixture of semi-progressive rock music and folk influence (I don't think you'll really find any traces of metal in here though). The hits just keep on hitting all the way through till the end. If there was any complaint I'd have about this album it's only that some of the songs are just too short. For example, "Waitress" I think is a great song, unfortunately, it only goes for about 2 and a half minutes. I think Live would do great with 6 and 7 plus minute songs.
That's about it though, otherwise there are no complaints at all, just applauds. This is the only album by Live I've heard though, as most of my money goes towards Metal CD's, but I'll have to pick up more from these guys soon. The bottom line is, BUY THIS.

Okay, for the longest time... around 9 years or so, Live was my favorite band of all time. I've seen them many times in concert, and they hold very true to their name. they were popular enough to get the occasional air play, and just unpopular enough so that you could tell some people your favorite band was Live, and they'd look at you weird and say, "who?" I still consider them one of the best bands if not the best of my generation. I just don't listen to them quite as much as i used to.

I did buy Mental Jewlery before Throwing Copper, but no album ever amazed me like Throwing Copper did(Secret Samadhi was close, and Crash by DMB), I can still say the album has been in my cd players more often than any other album, I've had to buy the album 3 times over cause of scratching or doing something stupid like giving it to a girlfriend. I can't think of a single song on Throwing Copper that sounded like it was a filler, and what amazed me more was how all the songs are so different but they all fit together perfectly on the album. not to mention amazing lyrics in every single song. from songs like TBD that stay a whisper until the last 15 seconds of the song when it just explodes, to Stage, a balls to the wall rock song from start to finish, to truly epic songs like Pillar of Davidson, and the mega hit Lightning Crashes, this is the album i compare all other albums to.

If youre new to Live, I would highly suggest buying this album. chances are youve heard many of the hits this album sprung without realizing it, lightning crashes, i alone, selling the drama, and all over you are still played on a regular basis on most rock stations, and iris and white discussion were more minor hits from the album. after Live released V i havent listened to the band as much as i used to, although that album did have some real gems, it had some real dissapointments for me too, and Ed's lyrics of late don't seem to hold the same power they did in albums like TC, Secret Samadhi and even The Distance to Here. Birds of Prey is a valliant effort to regain the strength of their old albums and it's definitely a step up from V, but i still don't think it's up to par with their other work. i really hope they can recapture the magic they had in the past.

Out of the three albums that I have to date that come from Live, this is by far my favorite. The others that I own are "the distance to here" and "birds of pray." Although "birds" comes in a close second, this album just has it all. It has those great rock songs (dam at otter creek, iris), great slow songs (lightning crashes) and songs that are just great singing along to (I alone, selling the drama). Live is one of those bands that you feel proud to have discovered. I had always heard of the group, but never gave them a chance. I guess I had been too young at the time and didn't want to try out new bands. I'm so glad that I finally broadened my perspectives and gave this great group a shot. Upon hearing "lightning crashes," i knew Live would have something really great to offer. I have not been letdown thus far. All three albums are terrific, but "throwing copper" is by far my favorite. If you were to begin listening to Live and have an interest in their music, I would say to begin with either this album or even their most current "Birds of Pray." Although take into account that I have not yet heard "secret samadhi," "V" or "mental jewelry." I'm sure they are all equally excellent in their own right. But to end my two cents, give this group a chance. After producing 6 cd's, I'm sure they've created at least one that tickles the music inside of you.

Years ago I made up my mind never again to spend money on another CD off which I'd only heard one song, because--you've all had this experience--the rest of the album is usually unremarkable or even awful. The best you can generally hope for is one or two other songs you like almost as much.

"Throwing Copper" is one of those classic rock albums where every song is a gem. It's got a flow to it; one song seems to pass naturally into the next. Despite the radio-hit nature of the songs we all know like "Lightning Crashes" and "All Over You", after you give the whole album a few run-throughs it seems amiss to listen to the songs individually anymore. The transition from fast, anthemic rockers to brooding tales of melancholy is seamless.

Singer Ed Kowalcyk's lyrics slalom gracefully between the spiritual, the thoughtful and the mundane. His "love thy neighbor" themes of brotherhood carry over from Live's excellent first album, "Mental Jewelry", but he doesn't beat you over the head with them this time. That album was a subdued yet interesting piece with a much more acoustic feel, while "Throwing Copper" adds a hard rock crunch into the recipe.

In the context of Live's own work, "Throwing Copper" (the name comes from a street slang term for firing a gun which one of the band members jokingly used one day) is unquestionably their finest, and while they have their high points on "The Distance to Here" and "Birds of Pray" (and their low points...namely the abortive experiment "V"), "Throwing Copper" is likely to survive as their masterpiece. Outside the context of their work, it's among the best albums of the 1990s period.

Live is the best band of the 20th and (hopefully)21st Centuary. And Throwing Copper is my favorite of their albums. Not only does Ed's voice melt your heart or rock your seat but their musical talent is awsome. This album is a balance between Music and voice. "Selling the Drama" is testement to that as every Live fan will sing it to you by starting with "duw-na-nuw-na-na and to love..." the music sticks in your head. all i can say is OH WOW.

There is so little to say about this CD. Pick it up. Go to the store now and get it. Because once you do, you won't stop rocking to it. This is as good as it gets. Still lyrically sound (but not as much as Mental Jewelry) and the guitar riffs pick up 1000% from Mental Jewelry. This puts LIVE on the front stage for good. Plain and simple.