Issue #35: Live – Throwing Copper

Released:  April 19th, 1994

Recorded:  July – September 1993

Genre:  Post-Grunge, Grunge, Alternative

Record Label:  Radioactive

Duration:  59:25

Producers:  Jerry Harrison, Live

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Throwing Copper is One of My Favorites

Throwing Copper is one of those albums that doesn’t quite stand out for any specific reason, though in a way, that’s why it’s notable – because there is nothing that’s easy to single out.  By 1994, the original grunge movement winding down, yet the musical traits of the genre were being adopted by other bands and modified to better gain commercial attention.  Live attempts to channel the rawness and angst into something a little more relatable to by college crowds and adults and piles on the pop-friendly tunes while retaining the “sonic aesthetic” of earlier grunge.  Whether derisively or as a point of acclaim, Throwing Copper is often described as a combination of Pearl Jam and R.E.M.

Kowalczyk does a great job of expressing frustration and passion with his voice, with croons not all that dissimilar to Eddie Vedder (to address the above comparison).  It moves in waves, flowing between conventional singing and a throaty groan.  In fact, Kowalczyk covers a lot of ground between soft singing and guttural “crying” throughout the album, typically building to an impassioned plea or declaration in the chorus.  He continually builds and resolves tension with his shifts in volume and range.  The vocals definitely have a grunge feel to them, but with the rough edges smoothed out and a more balanced ratio of singing to shouting.

Throwing Copper is centered mostly around guitars, with lightly distorted chords creating much of the rhythm.  However, it’s not nearly as heavy or as loud as its grunge cousins, and in some cases (“Top,” “All Over You,” “White, Discussion”) it’s got a jangly quality to it (reminiscent of R.E.M.; again addressing the above comparison).  Guitar treatment here is such that it’s clearly rock but also accessible to almost any audience.  That’s not to say all the edge is gone though, as songs like “Stage” and “I Alone” tap into 90’s unhappiness and isolation.  “Stage” is fast paced and erratic with the album’s deepest guitars, and “I Alone” features a chorus full of pounding drums.  “Iris” is another track that steps just outside of the mainstream with its “soft-loud-soft-loud” structure and bursts of guitar and rapid blasts of percussion.

Throwing Copper is another one of those albums I have a tough time describing, partly because of its rather homogenized sound.  And this isn’t a bad thing, it just means that the album was carefully planned with attention to consistency and commercial appeal (which ain’t always a bad thing).  I think it’s easier for a lot of listeners (myself included) to reflexively categorize Throwing Copper as poppier than it actually is because of the large number of singles and how much combined airplay they’ve accumulated.  Cuts like “Lightning Crashes” and “Selling the Drama” are so inundated in our consciousness that it’s easy to gloss over what made them such hits in the first place.  Certainly there’s a high degree of polish here, but there’s also a mature (if not slightly pretentious) level of introspection, inner conflict, and social commentary (“Waitress,” “Shit Towne,” and, I think, “Pillar of Davidson”).

The record is an even listen all the way through, and with the right approach, it’s easy to see how Live became a kind of “intellectualized grunge.”  It kept the sound but added melody; it kept the mood but added subtlety.  Kowalczyk’s lyrics are sometimes criticized for being self-righteous and imbued with inflated purpose, though I find most of them enjoyable.  I like semi-abstract lyrics like those found on Throwing Copper.  They’re not impossible to figure out, yet they’re inspecific enough to put some imagination and interpretation in the hands of the listener.  For instance, “Lightning Crashes” is about life and death, but it can be read in several different ways depending on one’s own experiences.

The melding of alternative and grunge that is Throwing Copper is one of my favorite albums precisely because of its consistent, radio-friendly approach that leaves just enough room for “realness” to shine through.  The singles are all strong picks, but I’m also quite fond of “Shit Towne,” “Pillars of Davidson,” and “Iris.”  At roughly an hour in length, it’s a little longer than it needs to be; although fondly remembered by many, I think cutting 2 to 4 tracks may have propelled it a little further up the critical ladder.  Throwing Copper has its ups and downs like any other album, though I don’t know if I’d be ready to start slashing off tracks from a personal perspective.  It may fall a couple notches short of a masterpiece but it’s an excellent snapshot of the 90’s.  I love going back in time with Throwing Copper when I’m in more of a mood for the spirit of the 90’s rather than having to focus on the more personal and negative proclamations of similar records.  It’s all at once representative of alt rock, grunge, and post-grunge, falling neatly in the middle and summing up the first half of the decade in an easily accessible package.

Written by The Cubist

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Written by The Cubist

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