Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/26/1994
On
Throwing Copper,
Live tightened their sound, added crashing crescendos for dramatic effect, and injected some anger into their sound and songwriting. They also eased up a bit on the Eastern philosophy; the result is a more cohesive, memorable record overall, and quite an improvement from the sometimes overly precious
Mental Jewelry. And for all of
Mental Jewelry's ideologies,
Throwing Copper is ultimately a more passionate and successful album, thanks to tracks like
"I Alone," "Selling the Drama," and
"All Over You," all of which received heavy radio play. The rebirth-themed
"Lightning Crashes," the album's biggest hit, was written in memory of
Barbara Lewis, a classmate who was killed by a drunk driver in 1993. Other standouts include the
Kurt Cobain/
Courtney Love-inspired
"Stage," the apocalyptic
"White, Discussion," the bass-driven, obsessive
"Iris," and the dark
"Dam at Otter Creek." Of course,
Ed Kowalczyk couldn't resist throwing in a song like
"T.B.D." (for the Tibetan Book of the Dead), based on
Aldous Huxley's slow descent into death, aided by heroin. Its melodrama is a bit much, even for
Live, and is just a sign of things to come on their next album,
Secret Samadhi. But
Throwing Copper is still a huge improvement from
Mental Jewelry, and is the least overtly preachy
Live album to date.
~Gina Boldman, All Music Guide
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