Alice Cooper

The majority of Alice Cooper fans will most definitely point to Mr. Furnier's early-'70s period as his peak (when the original Alice Cooper Band shocked and rocked to the tune of countless classics -- "School's Out," "Eighteen," "Under My Wheels," etc.). So the 2007 comp, The Best of Alice Cooper, poses a bit of a problem, as the 15-track set is comprised solely of Alice recordings that were done for Epic, which reflects the late '80s/early '90s. And while this period did re-establish Alice (albeit briefly) as a chart force -- thanks to the hit "Poison" -- the material does not come close to matching the aforementioned earlier tracks. So if you're looking for a true career-spanning Cooper "best of," 2001's Mascara & Monsters: The Best of Alice Cooper is the way to go. But if you already own that set and are looking to sample what Cooper was up to later in his career, Best Of will suffice, as it contains the aforementioned "Poison," as well as tracks penned by Zodiac Mindwarp ("Feed My Frankenstein"), and Chris Cornell ("Stolen Prayer"), as well as latter day live renditions of such early classics as "Billion Dollar Babies," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," and "Under My Wheels." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide