Alice Cooper

When released in 1973, Billion Dollar Babies was seen as the Coop's very conscious and very shameless stab at pop stardom. But as this deluxe edition makes plainly evident, B.D.B. has aged into the group's peak moment. The immaculately crafted album balances every one of their interests: glam rock, horror movies, AM pop, camp, performance art and Broadway schmaltz. The bonus disc contains some seriously killer live material, most of which shows you just how well produced B.D.B. is.

The title's as perfect as the band's latest symbol--a $, its "S" transformed into a two-headed snake. No outrage Alice has concocted equals the frank, sweaty greed of his current success. Oddly, though, this blatant profit mechanism is his most consistent album--even the song about (mercy me) necrophilia is tolerable, just like the song about tooth decay. But without a "School's Out" or an "I'm Eighteen"--neither "No More Mr. Nice Guy" nor "Elected" quite makes the grade--there's nothing to tempt anyone back to the new improved filler. (Grade: B)