There are a lot of Alice Cooper compilation albums out there. Super Hits was produced by Bruce Dickinson (yes the vocalist from Iron Maiden) and features tracks off albums like Trash, Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation.
This album contains ten tracks, that are a mix of singles and album cuts, or tracks that should have been singles and weren't, and few tracks that I don't understand why they were included. There are a bunch of tracks I would have left off this album.
As you read on you'll wonder why I even ever bought this album, and eventually I will explain it.
The album opens with Poison. This is the biggest song on this album, and needs to be included for that reason, but I would personally have left it out. After that is Lost In America, which is another song that I feel as good about as I do with the opening track. Both are great representations of what Alice was doing at the time, and I understand why some people like them, but they aren't for me.
Next is Hey Stoopid, which I love. It's a great song that's just a really fun listen, right down to Ozzy Osborne's cheap cameo background vocals. This song is dated with it's sound, but I don't care. I think this entire album is underrated, and was messed up through mismanagement. It could have been much bigger.
Why Trust You is the second of three tracks included from the Trash album, and while I'm glad it's not Bed Of Nails, I really would have prefered Hell's Living Without You instead. This song is just so basic and boring for Alice. It's a filler track.
I feel the same way about Love's A Loaded Gun as I do about the last song. This may be the worst song on the Hey Stoopid album. It's a ballad, that shouldn't be a ballad, and if they had included Hell's Living Without You, which is a much better ballad, they could have switched this track out for Wind-Up Toy or Hurricane Years, even Dirty Dreams. All of which would have been better options than this track.
There are four songs on this album from The Last Temptation. lost In America was the first, You're My Temptation, is the second, and the only one I'm totally okay with having included. It's not my first choice, but it's a decent song.
Trash, from the album of the same name, is the only song on here from that album I enjoy. I'm thankful that only three songs were included from that album, and twice as appreciative this is one of the representatives for my audio pleasure.
Stolen Prayer is supposed to be like the softer side of Alice. I don't like it. This is yet another song I never would have included. Like seriously why would this one be included but Bad Place Alone is left out? It just doesn't seem right.
Sideshow is yet another song that was included for reasons I can't understand. Nothing's Free is the one I would have switched for this one. It's not that Sideshow is bad, it's just not a Super Hit.
The album finishes with one of my favourite Alice Cooper ballads. Actually there's only two Alice Cooper ballad sI truly like. The first is Hell's Living Without You, which I've already stated should have been on here. The second is Might As Well Be On Mars. The lyrics captivated me very early on. "The city streets are wet with rain tonight / Taxi drivers swerve from lane to lane / A lonely guitar man playin' down the hall / Midnight blues comin' through the walls / I tried to call you on the telephone / I left it off the hook / Just to hear it ring / You told me you were better off alone / I never knew that tears could stain / I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars / Lookin' down at all the cars / I can see you / In the window of your favorite corner bar / But to reach you is just too far / And I might as well be on Mars / The city seems so old and grey and beat / It closes in and makes me wanna suffocate / And you just live across the street / But that's a billion miles away / You've turned my world into a dark and lonely place / Like a planet lost in space, my light is fadin' / I'd cross the universe to be right where you are / But I'm right in your backyard / And I might as well be on Mars / I might as well be on Mars / You can't see me / I might as well be the Man on the Moon / You can't hear me / Oh, can you feel me so close / And yet so far / Baby, I might as well be on Mars / Baby, I can't fly / If I could I'd come down to ya / Maybe I should try / I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars / Lookin' down at all lthe cars / I can see you / In the window of your favorite corner bar / But to reach is just too far / And I might as well be on Mars / I might as well be on Mars / You can't see me / I might as well be the Man on the Moon / You can't hear me / Oh, can you feel me so close / And yet so far / Baby, I might as well be on Mars". Then there's the prodution and grandious sounding choruses mixed with singular lonely sounding verses. This song just speaks so much of that longing love. It's also a fantastic end to the album with all the great soloing. This song in this placement is the only part of this album I can't complain about.
I remember picking up this album because I was stupid, that's why. I had no need to pick up this album. But, it was produced by Bruce Dickinson, it was Alice Cooper, and I wanted to foolishly waste money. I wouldn't suggest this album to anyone, and I think it's a crappy representation of the songs Alice was releasing at the time. If you stumble across this one, feel free to leave it be.
4/10 - content
7/10 - production
4/10 - personal bias
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