Throwing Copper - Live

THE QUICK REVIEW (For those in a hurry)

"Throwing Copper" is the second album from delectable rockers Live. Despite being an absolute pain in the bum to find in online catalogues (since typing in "Live" will bring up a plethora or "live" albums) they are well worth investigating.

Released in the mid 1990s, the album produced a couple of moderately successful hits in the form of "I Alone" ...
...a good indication of the album as a whole. Other standout tracks on the album include "Pillar of Davidson" and "Waitress".

It's always hard to compare artists, but for the want of a better comparison, I would suggest that if you enjoy bands like Pearl Jam and REM, you might well like Live. They are by no means exactly like either of them, but they hint at both.

Live combine delicious rock melodies, ... more

THE QUICK REVIEW (For those in a hurry)

"Throwing Copper" is the second album from delectable rockers Live. Despite being an absolute pain in the bum to find in online catalogues (since typing in "Live" will bring up a plethora or "live" albums) they are well worth investigating.

Released in the mid 1990s, the album produced a couple of moderately successful hits in the form of "I Alone" and "Selling the Drama". These two excellent tracks are a good indication of the album as a whole. Other standout tracks on the album include "Pillar of Davidson" and "Waitress".

It's always hard to compare artists, but for the want of a better comparison, I would suggest that if you enjoy bands like Pearl Jam and REM, you might well like Live. They are by no means exactly like either of them, but they hint at both.

Live combine delicious rock melodies, outstanding musical talent and beautifully crafted, thoughtful lyrics to deliver a truly delectable aural experience. Comes highly recommended from the delawney cd player.

THE FULL OP

Never wanting to be one stuck in a rut, I thought it was about time I wrote a music op on something other than girly singer-songwriters, so where better to start than one of my favourite albums of all time; Live's "Throwing Copper".

I initially purchased this album as a birthday present for a friend. Luckily for me, it didn't come wrapped in cellophane so I was able to have a sneaky listen myself before wrapping said present. (Come on - you can't tell me you've never done that?!) I thought it was a reasonable rock album, quite pleasant, but didn't really think much more of it. I didn't even bother to tape it.

However, it was around this time that "I Alone" and "Selling the Drama" were being played a lot on the radio (I listened to Virgin at the time) and I was really starting to find them quite catchy. I also had the CD single of "Selling the Drama", which had a wonderful 'bootleg' version of "I Alone". I found I couldn't stop playing it and eventually had to get the album for myself. It proved to be a grower, and has now safely become one of my favourite albums of all time.

Live are essentially a rock band, but you would be mistaken if you consigned them to the generic "good but heard it all a thousand times before" general rock bin. They combine great musicianship, clever arrangements and intelligently crafted lyrics to bring you an ultimate classic album package in "Throwing Copper". All the music is their own, and all lyrics are written by singer Ed Kowalczyk, with the possible exception of "Lightning Crashes" (more of that later).

Ed has an unusual, distinctive voice, for want of a better comparison I would say it's a tad Michael Stipe-esque in quality. The four piece band manage to create a "big" sound with their two guitars and layered vocals. They also demonstrate that sometimes less is more, knowing when to lay it on thick, and when to just hang back and let the emotion come through.

The album opens with "The Dam at Otter Creek". It starts off so quiet that you find yourself checking the volume - I recommend caution here, as it does get louder and it will scare the pants off you if you've turned it up too much! (delawney speaks from experience). I guess the interpretation of the song is about bottling up your emotions so they all build up - like dammed water. The music reflects this, starting gently, building up into a real crescendo. This is a smashing album opener. Ed's voice just oozes emotion, it sends shivers down your spine. You'll really be wanting to jump up and down at the end.

"Selling the Drama" follows next. This was (I think) the second single from the album, and did perform moderately well at the time. It's still a rocking track, but a little less of a belter than the opener. It's followed by "I Alone" (single number one), a classic rock track. I first heard it as it was played regularly at my Uni rock nights at the time.

Another stonking rock track follows with "Iris". Yet again Live show their ability to manipulate the use of contrast to create a wonderful blend of 'light and shade' in their music. Make no mistake, Live can rock, but they don't feel a need to go all out all the time - the pull it out when they can use it to it's best advantage musically. Some more fantastic lyrics here, my favourite line being "has been perverted by the sentimental and mistaken for love".

Live slow things down and get a bit more contemplative with "Lightning Crashes", a song all about the cycle of life and death. This is made somehow all the more poignant by the fact that the lyric sheet shows the words were written by Barbara Lewis (1973-1993), so we could assume she wrote it with her own impending death in mind, or it could be a tribute, I'm not certain. When I first got this album I thought this track was a little slow and boring in comparison with some of the other songs. However, this one is a grower, and eventually the beauty of it will take you over.

In the middle of the album is a run of three short, powerful rock numbers. "Top" somes first, followed by "All Over You", a gem of a twisted love song;

"Our love is like water
pinned down and abused for being strange".

I love this track - it's deceptively simple, it doesn't drown in oceans of lyrics, but it sums up how every relationship is uniquely felt by the two subjects of that relationship.

The upbeat rock anthems continue as we move into "Shit Towne". I guess the title is pretty self-explanatory here - all about living somewhere, well, shitty. (Hey, they said it).

"TBD" opens with a delicious hollow bass sound that makes you shiver. The verses begin slowly, with Ed almost darkly whispering the vocals. The minimalistic guitar sounds during the bridge add to the magic of the mood. As is Live's style they once again employ a cunning use of contrast, as it finishes with a rock finale.

From the quiet ending of "TBD" we are launched into the through and through belting rock number that is "Stage". And appropriate it is for a song about a "Rock and Roll messiah" who couldn't give up the stage.

"Waitress" is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Two minutes and forty-nine seconds of all-out rock, and some excellent lyrics.

"Come on baby leave some change behind
she was a bitch but good enough
to leave some change, everybody's good
enough for some change"

And this is the basic theme of the song - that everyone, no matter how 'below' you they may seem, is deserving of some respect and enough to live on. It also reminds you how we are all basically the same, and how we can all find something positive about everyone.

But however good "Waitress" is, it cannot live up to the epic "Pillar of Davidson" that follows. This isn't just one of my faves on the album, but one of my faves of all time. Focusing on the tedium of working in a factory, the lyrics are both moving and clever;

"Warm bodies; I sense
are not machines that can only make money
Past, perfect, tense
words for a feeling and all I've discovered".

Again, the band combine their music and thoughtful lyrics with great skill. Like "TBD" it opens with the bass, and the gentle strumming of a guitar. The verses are echoey and fairly minimalistic, beautifully emphasising the emptiness expressed in the lyrics. The chorus is full of passion, full of the emotion of desperation.

"White, Discussion" follows, all about the futility of talk without action.

"And as the final sunset rolls behind the Earth
and the clock is finally dead
I'll look at you and you'll look at me
and we'll cry a lot
but this will be what we said
this will be what we said

Look where all this talking got us, baby".

This is a track that builds and builds to a fantastic, belting loud ending. It also has some of the best lyrics. This would be the finale to the album, but we are treated to the delights of a hidden track in the unnamed "Track 14". It's a nice, gentle closer to the CD, with a country-bluesy feel and a slightly more light-hearted feel than some of the other tracks on the album.

This is a CD I play regularly, something which in all honesty I cannot say about many albums. When I moved house recently and had to pack up the majority of my CDs, this was one of the ones I chose to keep out to see me through the move. It's also a great CD for housework and decorating (and unpacking)! If you like powerful rock music with an intelligent edge, this is for you!

"Throwing Copper" was Live's second album, following up their debut "Mental Jewelry" (1991). They have released three albums since: "Secret Samadhi" (1997), "The Distance to Here" (1999) and "V"(2001).

Spin (2/96, p.45) - Voted Best Album in the Annual Readers Poll for 1995.

Rolling Stone (8/11/94, p.70) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...this Pennsylvania quartet seems ready-made for alternative stardom....Live capture the anger and ache of the moment in riveting songs driven home by expert players..."

(Thanks Amazon for the quotes!)

The Band:
Chad Taylor - guitar, background vocals
Edward Kowalczyk - lead vocals, guitar
Patrick Dalheimer - bass
Chad Gracey - drums and background vocals

"Throwing Copper" 1994
Radioactive Records for MCA
RAD 10997

Currently retailing for £11.99 at Amazon.

 

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