Genesis- Man on the Corner (REACTION//DISCUSSION)
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
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Song Link: • Man on the Corner (200...
No other drummer has ever blended programmed drums and real drums as perfect as Collins.
Agreed
I've always loved this song. It's one of my earliest memories of Genesis along with Abacab and Dodo/Lurker and will stay with me as such. Great reaction!
I think this the most minimalist I've ever heard Phil. This is clearly not the same energy as Salmacis or Dance on a Volcano. I love it.
I always imagined that the "Man on the Corner" was the same person who creates Sarah Jane. The viewpoint on the Man is of a third person outsider but Sarah Jane is in the first person viewpoint. Obviously, I was hoping for some connection between the songs that didn't exist. On a totally different line, how many times does Genesis use the lyrics "like a monkey on your back?"
great insight.
I totally agree. I think this is one of his better tunes. It's just a feeling song. Don't over think it. It's really comforting. It's good.
I too love the song... The clap on three a nice little gristle to chew ♥️
It's one of my favorites on this album.
I love this song as well. Great atmosphere. Phil's voice is amazing and I love his drum kicks. No idea what Rutherford is doing with that guitar, but it sounds cool.
He’s lightly tap-scraping the strings with the pick. It does make for a cool effect.
Hi Justin. Ah you have to love the Roland drum machine. What a tool to build a rhythm from. I agree under rated song. It's funny you mentioned Edgar Allan Poe. I was going to suggest listening to Alan Parsons "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" Edgar Allan Poe.
It's confusing because they're clapping on the 1, as opposed to the 3
Reminds me of Fool on the Hill by Beatles. Nice simple song and as you say the theme of the album is simplicity (apart from hand claps) hard to get excited by this one but it’s perfectly decent
I agree, it's a subtle tune, a bit of a somber melody. It's about a man in neutral, not acting, just waiting, reliant on someone else. Reminds me of a little rhyme my grandmother had, she'd insert a name like "Justin, Justin, sitting on a fence, Trying to make a dollar out of 99 cents." I do like Tony's synths, experimental for him, nothing classical about it; restrained percussion and bass, lyrics that don't tell a story, don't enlighten. It leaves me wanting.
Fortunately, "Man on the Corner" is not as horrible as "Who Dunnit?" but that doesn't make this song any more interesting to me.
This track could very well have appeared on Phil Collins' debut solo album Face Value, as the style is very similar (and also the same sound and same type of chords played on a Prophet-5 synthesizer).
D’accord à 100%. J P love this….. !?!?
This is totally a drum machine, real drums kick in later in the song, just like In The Air Tonight.
Great song. Although on first listen I didn't care too much for the programmed drums and rhythms, it grew on me later as Phil on his solo albums and Genesis on the following albums regularly used it.
Interesting your comment on the handclaps. Mike himself commented on the rhythm count: "Every time we played it live, we had to pay absolute attention to keep the beat. When you know where ‘one’ is you are alright, but if you miss that moment it is a catastrophe. I remember many evil looks from Phil on stage when we played that song.”
A song with a completely different feel, but one I think you might find interesting to review, is Meet me on the corner, by Lindisfarne. It's the title that put it into my mind. It was their first hit single, and the opener of their album Fog on the Tyne. Give it a try, I don't think you'll regret it.
Justin- as a drummer I agree…the handclaps (and the snare later on) always feel wrong. I don’t know how Genesis counted this song but to me the handclaps are on beat 1, but they would sound better on beat 3 (which is where they should be for a half-time song like this)
Hey ! This is the band that made "Firth ou fifth" ! As far as I'm concerned, musically, "Man on the corner" is a very ordinary, boring song.
The average public believes this is a Phil Collins solo song.
Who Are You? Who The F*** Are you? The WHO.
A great song but not a great Genesis song. It's more like a Phil Collins song. There are a couple of great songs on the album, especially Keep It Dark but they aren't enough to rescue Abacab from being one of the worst Genesis albums.
"Man on the corner" has ... a similar structure as "In the air tonight", but 10 times powered by Genesis, the day you react to "Mama" you will find a similar song structure but 100 times powered by Genesis. I love all 3 in different levels. Fantastic review Justin!!
Can't wait for JPs reaction to Mama!
Looking forward to it!
@@JustJP Hey Justin, Self titled Genesis album is the best album after ATTW3, and "Home by the sea" is the best Genesis 80´s song ever, you lost the mood of this song cos u splited it in 2 reactions, but it doesn´t matter, you are the best bro! I can´t wait for the next live handpan video, was outstandind
Agree that this song is really underrated. And you're not alone on the counting thing; if you check out the interviews from the mid-2000s rerelease of Abacab, Mike calls out Tony as losing track of the beat during concerts, and he's playing on it! It's deceptively tricky for such a simple sounding song.
How can it be under rated if it is still getting airplay on radios? More than much of their catalog.
@@David-iv6je What radio? BBC?
@@justintime42000 Various US FM "Classic rock" features various post-1980 Genesis. Usually the rockier ones. The soft rock Genesis songs are regularly featured on the more easy listening stations.
We each of us of course look at it through the tiny windows of our experience. But I've always felt that if anything, modern Genesis gets overplayed and over adulated.
@@David-iv6je I’m mostly a Duke and before Genesis fan myself and agree with you about 80s Genesis being overrated but that’s what radio and MTV did for music in the 80s. I don’t hate post-Duke Genesis but don’t love it like their earlier music. I haven’t listened to classic rock radio in ages.I don’t own a car or I probably would try. Seemed like a great idea at first to help keep rock alive but quickly became a very limited, corporate driven medium. Unfortunately there isn’t much worth listening to on FM anymore in the NYC area. It was a groundbreaking city for rock music for decades. Very sad..
@@justintime42000 Amen. As for music, follow your personal bliss, whatever that may be.
This was my first ever favorite song when it came on MTV back in the 80’s. I went out and bought Face Value at a garage sale (my first ever album) and the rest was history (including a lifelong obsession with Rush and Peter Gabriel). Phil’s vocals off the chain. Glad you loved it.
This was a fairly big radio hit for Genesis. I always liked it, especially for its message. Beautiful melodies and harmonies by Phil. He really came into his own on this album.
Regional radio hit maybe? I was living in a very large US radio market at the time, and never heard it.
@@Lwize it was a minor Top 40 entry in 82 I think. With a moderately edited intro and fade. Even then the average American radio listener attention span was tested😆🎶🎵
This is something of a relief after the nadir of Genesis' career on 'Who Dunnit'. But as well as a nice contrast to its preceding track, it's a beautiful song. Very minimal in its arrangement and vocalisation although you can here the emotion from Phil in both the quieter and more expressive parts, from empathy to anguish. This definitely sounds like a track from a Phil Collins' solo album rather than Genesis, yet Tony's synths are just perfect in establishing the mood. Fun fact: David Crosby sang backing vocals on 'Another Day In Paradise' and the pair performed the song at the Grammys. I'm with you, Justin - everyone has a story to tell. We just have to listen and let them tell it.
Just remember that 'Who Dunnit' was a protest against mindless Punk Rock. (I still hate it, however)
My favorite Genesis song! It sounds like Phil is putting his whole life into his performance and it's probably one of the most unique pop songs ever made!
If you like this soft mood of the keys, you should listen to Fading Lights. A more impressive song.
Fading Ligths is the best song of "We can´t dance" album by far
As a farewell song for the Collins era of Genesis, Fading Lights is perfect. Heads and shoulders above the rest of the album, though there are a few more that are solid installments.
I'm sorry, but this chord progression does nothing for me apart from stirring a pot of lukewarm milk throughout the song surrounded by silly electronic handclaps. The buildups in "Mama" and "In the air tonight" have far more impact. Sure, Phil's vocals are pretty cool but that doesn't save the overall tune from being bland, at least for my sensitivity.
Ooo I love cold rice pudding :D
This song was my introduction to Genesis when I was 14 and at summer camp. By the end of the year I was bugging out to the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway lol.
Drum machine is a Roland Compu Rhythm CR-78. It's featured on both 'Duke' and 'Abacab' albums, 'In The Air Tonight' and on 'Heart of Glass' by Blondie.
Such a tricky beat, not easy to find where's one. Even Tony had trouble playing this live :)
I thought you might like it. It has a decidedly serene quality, and a sense of soulfulness.
This sounds very little like Genesis and a LOT like a Phil Collins solo song. And I don't know if it was written before or after "In the Air Tonight", but it certainly must've been
included on ABACAB to capitalize on the enormous success of that single. It's got a similar-ish vibe and it allows Phil to unleash his screaming voice, which is what everyone loves.
I think it's a decent song with some interesting bits (I can never quite figure out when the keyboards first come in...) but it's neither as good as the stuff Genesis were writing at the time,
or the songs that Phil was releasing on his solo albums. And I've also always thought it odd that a lyric about a man waiting on a corner had to be SHOUTED.
I mean, it sounds like shouting for shouting's sake to me, and I think it's a lot more effective when Phil shouts about something that truly upsets him. Like his wife...
This was one of songs that got a lot of radio airplay on my local AOR station.
Hearing it first time was great, but after 40 years it doesn't stick that much anymore. The b-sides from that period sticks better for me, but the Abacab album still have some highlights for me.
A good song, but this would have been a better fit on a Phil Collins solo album...the lyrics are sadly true and timeless...but musically, it is tedious...liked it more when I was younger...
Collins revisits the lyrical theme in his solo song "Another Day In Paradise "
I love it too Justin!
Was a bit afraid you wouldn't like it when you started making funny noises, but you did! :D
Sometimes I like to swerve ;)
Not a fan of Abacab at all, but this track is pretty cool.
My favorites on _Abacab_ are top heavy-every song from Side 1-"Abacab", "No Reply At All", "Me And Sarah Jane", "Keep It Dark", plus "Dodo/Lurker" and "Man On The Corner" from Side 2. The remaining tracks are meh, IMHO. Phil really did an amazing vocal delivery of "Man" during live performances as well. Singing good live is the mark of a gifted singer. No autotune back then! 😉
It matches perfectly your dancer story.
Subcriber goals.... The Wall... haven't done it already????? Oh my freakin gosh. Do IIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣❤
love this. Phil's singing here is so very good. And the song is well wrought. The transitions from the drum machine/electronic pop into the live drums/bass/guitar parts are very dramatic.
I think I remember that Phil claims he offered Genesis In the Air Tonight, and they declined it, and so he recorded it for his solo album and it went on to be a big hit for him. Tony says, 'of course I never turned that song down! He didn't offer it to us.' In any case, a song like this uses a similar approach of building the song on around a kind of burbling drum machine pattern, minor key chords over the top, a dark melody over that. The thing is that these guys have such lovely melodies and harmonies, and memorable unusual sounds. I love Firth of Fifth and Supper's Ready and the Lamb, but I still feel this song is Genesis at their best.
Great underated track...that keyboard and drum machine combo is something else...unique...as Genesis often were ❤
Nothing sounds quite like the 808. Much like In the Air, its drum machine and then brings in the real deal.
Everyone keeps saying this is more like a Phil Collins solo song than a Genesis song as if Tony’s synthesizer isn’t essential to the song. Yes, it reflects the transition toward a more mainstream sound, but all of the prog rock bands were doing that. The music industry had changed. Radio and, more importantly, MTV were not playing 7-minute songs. Simplifying songs to make them radio-friendly was essential to the band’s survival.
This song showed the band could do simple, but could still provide a unique sound employing atmosphere, unusual time signatures, and distinctive synth chords. It also relied on Phil’s vocals for the build, which I don’t think the band had really done before. They would do the same with later songs like Mama, That’s All, and Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. One thing I appreciate about Genesis’ pop songs is that they didn’t sound like anything else you might hear on the radio at the time.
This one of my favorites on the album too. It has a chill vibe to it, plus the drums are cool. Dodo is still the top track, but this is a cool track
I have a feeling that, had "In the Air Tonight" not been such a big hit, this song would not be as minimalist as it is. In an interview Phil said that he proposed ITAT for the "Duke" album, but the band rejected it, so he released it on his first solo album and it went on to become a huge hit that was still topping the charts when ABACAB came out. Mike denies this, and says that he finds it hard to believe the band rejected such a great song, but it's possible he just doesn't remember and maybe Phil didn't exactly pitch it in a way that impressed Mike and Tony (perhaps on purpose because he secretly did want to save the song for his solo album). Mike went on to say that had ITAT been a Genesis song, they probably would have ruined it. It would have been a lot more busy, with solos and other instrumentation and the sparse, haunting and minimalist atmosphere of the song would have been lost.
Regardless, I think the success of the song had an impact on Genesis's direction and inspired them to take a more minimalist approach on ABACAB. "Man on the Corner" is the perfect example of this and I agree that, unlike some of the other attempts at this approach on this album, this one works the best. The minimalism, the drum machine, the atmosphere, the buildup, the real drums coming in on top of the drum machine, Phil's voice building in intensity all sound like direct inspirations from ATAT. The only real difference is the mood and intensity of the song. This song is obviously much lighter, less angry and more thoughtful. Not my favorite on the album, but still a great song and a great example of the new direction Genesis was taking on this album.
3) Are you sure I can't get you break from your chronology walk through of Rush & get you to take on 2000s Rush albums before I die? Maybe pick-up where you left off going into 2112, then jump to the last album 2012's Clockwork Angels, back to 1977's A Farewell to Kings, then jump to 2007's Snakes & arrows.... All three post millennial Rush albums are fantastic and need illumination.
This is my favorite song on this album. I don't like this album as a whole, but I do like this song. I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. I really like the singing, lyrics and ambience of this song.
I love this song. Live is fantastic! Thanks! Great mood and analysis! ✌️
It's a fairly decent track from Phil. The track would fit perfectly on "Face Value". I think it suffers following Who Dunnit. Who Dunnit was a momentum killer and I think the album fails to reach the levels of the first 5 tracks.
I'm usually a big fan of Mike's tracks but I think Like It Or Not is a bit weak and doesn't fit with the albums sonic template (sounds like it should have been on Duke). Another Record is absolute B-Side filler.
Btw, if you ever get round to hearing You Might Recall and Paperlate, I imagine you will be perplexed as to why they weren't included on this album.
Yeah. It's good. But it's also boring. Repetitive...
But the drumming ! Oh M G... I don't know the time signature but everything is out of beat. The snare/clap just like not in the good beat. It makes it so strange and so good...
I am very surprised you liked it. And pleased as well.
Would I'll ask again to do the Duke/Abacab "hidden tracks" ? (Me and Virgil must of all)...
2) Best way to offer 1st Listen Material? I wholeheartedly suggest
Ween - "Transdermal Celebration", and the whole "Quebec" album that it came
from. I overlooked this fantastic band for over 20 years, don't be like me
Looking forward to you doing the invisible touch album - my intro to genesis back in ‘86 when I was 11
Tonight tonight tonight, domino & the Brazilian... cmon JP.. pick up the pace my boy 😀
1) I reappraised the song during your listen. While not in the top 1/2 of Abacab(Which I love) I found some appreciation for the minimalist arc of the track, more so than some other Genesis soft rock pablum this track may be grouped with. Also one must consider the era, 1981, noted & garnered prog drummer Phil Collins dinking around with early synthetic drumming tools.. . kinda cooler in retrospect with a better 2021 macro-view of Genesis and music production.
My like on this is ONLY based on your original shrug and "Mehhh" sound. This song is pleasant-enough... but it's not a cup of tea I'll be returning to. So... thanks for the laugh (right after the song was over)... and I'll eagerly await the next reaction. Cheers!
I always think of this song when I hear the Beatles song Fool On The Hill. And vice versa. Although I think McCartney wrote that one for MLK, if I remember right. But both songs have the same kind of feel I think. At least lyrically. Observational.
It’s kinda Ok, perfectly listenable. Nothing great, and I find it a bit repetitive, TBH. As much as I adore Genesis, sadly I think in 82, there was some better music around then this.
I like this song a lot but I like.."Like it or Not" much more. It's definitely the new sound of Genesis song but better then anything from "Invisible Touch" Roland's on the drums.. That's what Phil calls him. The drum machine. Then Phil kicks in like "In the Air" but a mellower drum kick.
This song sounds like they're people watching this guy. Guessing about this guy and he's homeless. Like what's his story. That's my take on the song. Like what brought him there to that corner...
"Man on the Corner" would have fit nicely on the first two Phil solo albums. Great song. One of the first Genesis songs that I heard. Possibly the first. Either this or Abacab or No Reply At All. I didn't like it back then as a 9 year old. Too spooky or maybe I just didn't want to like a song big brother liked. I out grew whatever I disliked about it a few years later.
Can’t help you with the handclaps. According to the sheetmusic, it’s all 4/4. But there is an extra beat in there somewhere, and an extra syllable. Maybe they went with the ‘I don’t know’ lyric, maybe it was an editing glitch, maybe someone was drunk. It does make it more elusive
From the very off with this song, you can sense the Phil Collins' solo material influence oozing out of every pore. From the low synth chords to the claps and the emphasised drum beats later on, not to mention the progression of the vocals from softly sang to balls-out expression toward the end. The ending part after the vocals finish sounds quite special as the beat and rhythm are played out with emphasis on the beats going up and down alternatively, with the odd bit of fill between. Trademark 80's Collins.
If you like this as much as you do, you really ought to check out some of Phil Collins' earlier solo albums. And not just the usual singles. I can't almost guarantee you'll love them.
good to see you again. stopped by a good few days ago to see if you were still around. was just learning about bitcoin, maybe that guy was powered by it? well, that's a dark question about currency and society and perhaps a/the plight of freedom, where i had merely wished to suggest the man on the corner was powered by the sun, or something (solar-powered?). as you play it, im so grateful, for some reason i wasn't expecting to hear it, sort of clicked without intuitizing anything, than this will be good.if there is an underrated genesis song, for me, this is it. i think i leave it, for when i listen to abacab, to give myself maximum pleasure around the last half, among songs like whodunnit (and if im not mistaken, it's the final track, thought of saying a couple of thins). nice fake, at the end there. of course, all i think about is the calling all stations album . interesting, i never really thought of that, abacab being stripped down, and interesting, that point on heart being in it, sometimes more is more. true, with mike, that's very interesting. maybe chris philips, never mind. well, again, last tracks, got to say i like the knife, i guess i like the last of everything, it's gonna get better, calling all stations, not to mention the knife is a different sort of sound, adds depth to tresspass (a part of me wonders, but i don't think i would prefer a rock album over what trespass is). classic phil singing, fawow yaoew. love off-beat, well, inaccurate, but sure inaccuracies as well, well, in the context of conventional music (craft, almost said ology). just thought to add, i wonder, mike could have done the beat, or parts of the beat, if im not mistaken he famously did the drum machine for duchess (and i would guess, probably other songs). awww (i, i,), nice singing
There was a period when every sound came out of a Fairlight, and I can’t. I just can’t. Songs may have been great, but the sound design gives me cold shivers. I want there to be an unplugged version of this song instead of this 8bit creepy stuff. Preferably with Tom Waits in it as a guest
Really never got into this. Found it flat. Pure Phil kind of song, with very simple chords, Tony must have been frustrated :-), this is a kind of a missed In the air tonight. In live it is more boring. Sometimes Genesis don't get me. On this one something is missing, a take off, it never comes. This song and the two following are the weak point of the album.
Another unfamiliar mix for me. The song kind of follows the In the Air Tonight formula of drum machine open, slow build of music and vocals and then booming drums and vocals. I used to like the song a lot more than I do now. I find the repeated melody just too redundant. I was agreeing with your "Meh", until you didn't mean it.
That part I get, at least. We all have days when we just can’t cope with the world. I, for one, could wish on those days that I was off the track far enough to be ruled out, left alone, on welfare and just left to my own devices. But we’re with it enough to still have to participate, and people depend upon us, so we go on with the stressfull drudgery of the dayjob, feeding The Machine. On such a day, I’m jealous of the man on the corner. He’s free in a way I’ll never know
Love this song !
Will you be listening to more killing joke songs you reacted to 'love like blood' I recommend you listen to 'Eighties' or 'Adorations'.
I almost like the storyline/message of this song...... better than the song itself. Man on the Corner is perfect for the flow of this album. It's "passion light" . Most citizens can relate to the story. They've seen "this person" .
This got a lot of radio play here in Canada back in the day. I like the song, but don’t love it. Great review Justin 👍🏻
Probably the 2nd best song behind Abacab imo. Rest of the songs are dog average.
I'm with you. I like it. Again, I tend to listen to entire albums and in that context it tends to fit.
You're right about the hand claps... they don't fall on the backbeat!
Instead of playing every Genesis song 😏 try getting back to the second album of Yes, Time and a Word. Songs like Astral Traveller or Everydays will give you an interresting perspective to the masterpieces like Fragile or Close to the Edge. And Tony Kaye and Peter Banks do their part well.
As happens with many Genesis more pop songs this is one that looks deceivingly simple. Their musicianship is what made them stay relevant for two decades.
I always felt this song reminds me of The Beatles "The Fool On The Hill", as far as the mood // tone.
This and Mama have always been my favorite Genisis songs, maybe because we are all that lonely man on the corner at times...
The tape flanging that rushes in at 2:45 sends chills up my spine. It’s lovely
Like an ode to those homeless, outcast, misfits, suffering souls.
Love it.
Genesis say a lot about injustice and inequality. It is one of the things I LOVE about what and who these guys are. Authentic Human Beings.
@@rk41gator actually Phil era is very secular humanist and almost agnostic. But they made great pop songs.
Phil Collins is a rhythm magician and professor.
I’m like, oh yeah, that song. Overplayed, then I hadn’t heard it for decades. Did not miss it or I don’t hate it. Mehathon.
Nice review. You should listen to this song live. With recent remastering than when I first heard it it sounds great. Good lyrics too.
Minimalist Genesis :)
Oh God, there are two more tracks to go. O_O
And then a few more albums as well🤭🤭🤭
@@JustJP nooooooooo
There are t-shirts out there that say "Friends don't let friends clap on 1 and 3" lol That's exactly what they do here (the 1)..... but it works great... It drives the song and without them it would probably fall flat from the repetitiveness. One of the best songs on Abacab!
Lol!
Phil ‘s version of Yhe Beatles’ tune Fool on the Hill!
One of my favourites on the album too. It's got such a mood.
The man on the corner is selling oranges.
Trying to fool us!!!! You really liked this!!!!! We knew!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
😁😁😁
Deep
The cage live is a must do
September 18,1981.
such a great ballad, Phils so strong at these kinds of songs
Definitely is his niche
So langsam brauche ich eine Liste der schon gespielten Songs
Whoooop Whoooop!!!!!
Hypnotic
Although much of it is quite light in it's feel, its very well put together and I've always really liked this track. You can't help but get a muted sense of Phil's "In the air tonight" style of drumming towards the end, which is never a bad thing.
I was thinking of Phil's solo song too - it's almost as though "Man On The Corner" and "In The Air Tonight" are inter-changeable.
Love this song and album, I've heard this album a hundred times. It always invokes a familiar mood.