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