ARCHIVE #2 1976-1992

I remember waiting for this compilation to be released. Being a completist, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it for little gems like "It's Yourself", "The Day the Lights Went Out", and "Vancouver". I figured it would be nice to have ALL of Genesis' later B-sides in one nice little package, along with some interesting live stuff.

Well, was it worth the wait....? .... I guess so......

This package includes MOST of that stuff. My beef with this collection is with what was omitted from it (although I could certainly do without those 12" mixes, and that "Mama" Work in Progress is also no major attraction).

For instance, WHY in the world would they omit "Match Of The Day"? It's kind of a comical piece, almost in the Monty Python vein (Phil was a big fan!). It's an interesting tune, perhaps not essential, but I dig it. The other major omission is "Me & Virgil", a neat little story about a boy and his brother growing up and moving out west ("Go West, Young Man", again...?). Kind of heavy, again perhaps not essential, but interesting. These 2 tracks WERE/ARE part of the Genesis catalog, so why in the world would they be overlooked?

My other complaint concerns the editing of 2 tracks that WERE included. "It's Yourself" and "Submarine" both fade early, whereas when they were originally released on 45, they actually resolve. OK, Submarine is no masterpiece (Why include THAT at all, if you're not going to include "Match Of The Day"....!), but it's okay. Why the early fade? Someone ask Tony Banks; he seems to have all the answers.

At any rate, some of the live tracks are brilliant, especially "Entangled" and "Duke's Travels".

Despite my complaints, it's a good collection, with the sound quality much improved over what was available (IE; 3 Sides Live's 4th studio side, which is no longer in print). Perhaps the omissions could be rectified when they decide to remaster the Genesis catalog again.