Classicks

1995's Classicks is another in a long line of Alice Cooper best-of compilations, and it includes both live and studio material. Featured are such late-'80s and early-'90s favorites as "Poison," "Hey Stoopid," "House of Fire," and a great duet with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, "Stolen Prayer," among others. While the live material is advertised as being issued officially for the first time on CD, it turns out that it comprises nothing more than the exact versions lifted from Alice's 1989 home video Alice Cooper Trashes the World. Still, you can never go wrong with any version of such early-'70s anthems as "Under My Wheels," "Billion Dollar Babies," "I'm Eighteen," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "School's Out," and the ballad "Only Women Bleed." While the album's title may be a bit misleading (only six of the 14 tracks are true classics), and while it isn't in the same league as 1974's Greatest Hits, hardcore Cooper fans will find a decent collection in Classicks. [Note -- the Japanese version of Classicks includes an extra bonus track, the rare B-side "It Rained All Night."] ~ Greg Prato