Being a Genesis fan is a lot like being a Van Halen fan -- sooner or later, you've gotta take sides.

That's because over the years, both of these bands have gone through their fair share of nearly identical musical changes. They swapped beloved lead singers for inferior replacements. They watered down their sounds to embrace commercial radio. And in doing so, they divided their fans into distinct factions. All you have to do is ask Van Halen fans one question -- Dave or Sammy? -- to know where they stand.

Same goes for Genesis, although the names in question are Peter and Phil. As in Gabriel and Collins, the band's first two lead singers. Under Gabriel's influence -- roughly 1966 to '75 -- Genesis were a pioneering prog-rock outfit, dishing up elaborate concept albums that they performed in their entirety during flamboyant stage shows. After Gabriel left and Collins moved from his drum stool to the mic, Genesis slowly evolved (or, depending on your stance, devolved) to the massive hit-making machine they were in the '80s, spinning out chart-toppers like Turn It on Again, Mama, I Can't Dance, Abacab and Misunderstanding like so much string cheese. Many of their older fans balked at such blatant commercialism, but there's no denying it won them millions more fans than they had during their artsy days.

On the surface at least, these late-comers are the Genesis fans Archive #2 is designed to please. This three-CD set picks up where Gabriel left off, chronicling Collins' years at the helm before he, too, vacated to concentrate on his solo career. Following the game plan of the first Archive, this 34-song compilation consists of rare and unreleased non-album fare -- outtakes, demos, live cuts and several examples of the peculiar '80s phenomenon known as the 12" mix.

There are, of course, some unearthed minor treasures to be found. It's hard to see why some of these numbers -- the bittersweetly poppy Abacab leftover You Might Recall, the Supremes-influenced bounce of I'd Rather be You and the prog-edged Feeding the Fire from the Invisible Touch years, the delicate Wind and Wuthering-era ballad Inside and Out -- never made it to album. Although we are willing to hazard a guess: Because too many of them sounded too much like the old Genesis. A number of the unreleased studio tracks are more prog-oriented material, presumably jettisoned in favour of commercial ditties as the band strove to make a clean break with its past. Which is not to put down the more commercial rarities -- working versions of Paperlate and Mama are also much-appreciated mementoes that deserved finally to see the light of day.

Sadly, though, quality finds like these are in the minority. For the most part, it's easy to see why Archive #2's material languished. More than a few of the studio outtakes come off as unfinished jams or failed experiments. Case in point: the ballad Evidence of Autumn, a treacly stream of sap that goes nowhere. Or Naminanu, an Abacab-era number whose lyrics consist only of its nonsense title.

The inconsistency of the studio leftovers seems to explain all the live cuts and remixes. This way, Phil and the boys can include familiar, bona fide hits like No Reply and Invisible Touch without turning the box into a best-of set. Admittedly, some of the live bits are interesting -- '70s fare like Ripples, Entangle and Burning Rope recall the band's more musically ambitious past. But does anybody really need to hear a live version of the silly Illegal Alien? Or an 11-minute, multi-part remix of Tonight, Tonight, Tonight?

Somehow, we can't imagine any Genesis fan of any era enjoying that.

Track Listing Disc 1
  1.On The Shoreline
  2.Hearts On Fire
  3.You Might Recall
  4.Paperlate
  5.Evidence Of Autumn
  6.Do The Neurotic
  7.I'd Rather Be You
  8.Naminanu
  9.Inside And Out
  10.Feeding The Fire
  11.I Can't Dance 12"
  12.Submarine
 
  Disc 2
  1.Illegal Alien (Live)
  2.Dreaming While You Sleep (Live)
  3.It's Gonna Get Better (Live)
  4.Deep In The Motherlode (Live)
  5.Ripples (Live)
  6.The Brazilian (Live)
  7.Your Own Special Way (Live)
  8.Burning Rope (Live)
  9.Entangled (Live)
  10.Duke's Travels (Live)
 
  Disc 3
  1.Invisible Touch 12"
  2.Land Of Confusion 12"
  3.Tonight, Tonight, Tonight 12"
  4.No Reply At All (Live)
  5.Man On The Corner (Live)
  6.The Lady Lies (Live)
  7.Open Door
  8.The Day The Light Went Out
  9.Vancouver
  10.Pigeons
  11.It's Yourself
  12.Mama (Work In Progress)