Not a true representation
Where are classic tracks such as Raped & Freezin', Halo of Flies, Ballad of Dwight Fry? A greatest hits is just that, the hits. A best of should represent what the artist believes are his best tracks regardless of chart status. I look forward to the apocalypse when maybe, just maybe, a label will get this format right.

A nightmarishly necessary collection
It has been suggested by some that this is a good place to start for those who are not completely familiar with Alice Cooper. I've always loved Alice Cooper, their/his music and stage originality, but am almost ashamed to say I've never owned an Alice Cooper album. The very beginning was slightly before my time, but that's no excuse. Alice set the stage for so many that came later, and is truly an original icon. This cd is exactly what my collection needed.

I realize there are some classics lacking in this collection and also that it's light on the early stuff, but all the major hits are here, plus some other lesser known tracks to complete the picture. I know there are those who thought Alice got a little wimpy later on as he tried to sound more "legit," but I don't care. I love the ballads, even though they are far from what the "founding fathers" had in mind, and listening to them is my guilty little pleasure.

I agree that this is a good place to start, or for those more seasoned fans wanting a neat summary of Alice's music. The liner notes are fantastic and contain short blurbs by Alice (and two other band members) detailing what the songs are about and where he was in his life when they were written. A very interesting read.

Summary: Essential for those not wanting to dip into the boxed set.

Come on guys, you can do better than this
Alice Cooper the band is 100% better in every respect than Alice Cooper the solo performer. So why so many solo tracks? And the boxset is even worse! Please Rhino/WEA: a two disc best of Alice Cooper the group. Or maybe a four disc box with live tracks and rarities? Is this too much to ask??

Too many important omissions and too many dated numbers
This is a fine compilation of 22 Alice Cooper songs from the 1971-89 era, clocking in at 76 minutes.

But, as my title blurb states, there's too many important omissions. Where's "Devil's Food/The Black Widow," "Dead Babies" and "Go to Hell"? These songs are MANDATORY Alice Cooper tunes and should be on any serious compilation.

Plus there's too much emphasis on forgettable DATED material like "Department of Youth," "Muscle of Love," "How You Gonna See Me Now" and "Generation Landslide." Many older songs like "Billion Dollar Babies," "I'm Eighteen" and the three noted in the previous paragraph are timeless and still sound great, but these others don't have much place on a "Best Of" album.

THE SETLIST: I'm Eighteen, Is it My Body, Desperado, Under My Wheels, Be My Lover, School's Out, Elected, Hello Horray, Generation Landslide, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, Teenage Lament '74, Muscle of Love, Only Women Bleed, Department of Youth, Welcome to My Nightmare, I Never Cry, You and Me, How You Gonna See Me Now, From the Inside, Clones (We're All) and Poison.

The BEST
Truly the best of! I never get tired of listening to this. Great selections from his career.