IT'S ALMOST THE SAME CD AS "MASCARA & MONSTERS: THE BEST OF ALICE COOPER". HOWEVER, IT NOT INCLUDE "IS IT MY BODY", "BE MY LOVER" AND "CLONES (WE'RE ALL)". IT REPLACES TWO OF THEM BY "HALO OF FLIES" AND "HEY STOOPID". IT IS SHORTER FROM "MASCARA..." BY ONE SONG - IT HAS 21 SONGS. I WOULD SAY ONLY THE BIGGEST FANS AND COLLECTORS SHOULD SPENT 25 DOLLARS FOR IT. IF YOU'RE NOT THE COLLECTOR OF ALICE'S CDS, YOU BETTER BUY "MASCARA & MONSTERS: THE BEST OF ALICE COOPER" FOR ABOUT ONLY 14 DOLLARS.

Made in AUS in 2001, Serial# 8122-73534-2, Playing Time 78:11

This australian exclusive has a slightly different content than "Mascara & Monsters", removing "Is It My Body", "Be My Lover" and "Clones(We're All)", while adding the full version of "Halo Of Flies" and the single version of "Hey Stoopid". Other tracks have also been replaced by their single version, namely "Billion Dollar Babies", "Teenage Lament '74" as well as "Muscle Of Love".

The disc is about 2 minutes longer than "Mascara...", and just as the liner notes of the latter contained quick "memories" of each track, this edition does as well, with the appropriate adjustments for the change in content.

I wasn't really fond of the US release (you can see my review there to find out why), and this edition is only slightly better: it still skips important releases, and doesn't warrant the bigger investment.

Alice Cooper must be regarded as a legend, and his influence on the rock scene can't be denied. How much impact did Cooper have on Kiss? Would we have Marilyn Manson if it wasn't for Mr. Cooper? Alice Cooper sure put theatre into music and horror into rock, and although he might be known mostly for that, Cooper was also talented. If you want a taste of Alice Cooper, this album is a very good buy. On "Definitive" you get most of his biggest hits and best songs, and that will do if you're not a dedicated fan.

Most of the songs are from Cooper's earlier career, and that's good because somewhere down the road Cooper lost his originality and started making average, or mediocre heavy metal (like "Poison"). On this release you get some great rock tunes like "I'm eighteen", "School's out", "No more Mr. nice guy", "Teenage lament `74", "Billion dollar babies" and "Welcome to my nightmare" among others. You might be pleasant surprised to find out that Alice Cooper also had a softer side when you get to hear the excellent "You and me" and "Only women bleed".

Dedicated fans might have a thing or two to say about the chosen songs, but for us who don't feel the need to own every single release from Alice Cooper this album is great.