"The Homing Beacon" (also known as "The Landing Beacon") is an acoustic song by
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing.
Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...
and a memorial tribute to
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, who was an early influence on Buckethead. The track has no lyrics, just music, described as "slow, almost peaceful" and has been called a "poignant guitar tribute to Michael Jackson".
Release
The song was originally released on July 6, 2009 through Buckethead's website. Along with the track came a drawing. It seems that there is a draft of the drawing on one side of the paper depicting Jackson in the outfit he was wearing on the "
Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988 as the seventh single from his seventh studio album, ''Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyric ...
" music video doing the famous anti-gravity lean; and on the other side of the paper he depicts Jackson while holding his arm raised above his head, with his finger pointing upwards, another of Jackson's signature stances.
The song was included as the last track on Buckethead's 2012 release ''
Electric Sea''.
Naming
The song has two different names because on the 2009 version, the drawing reads "The Homing Beacon - A song for Michael Jackson" but the MP3 file is called "The Landing Beacon" with "A Song for Michael Jackson" as the album title.
[http://qfg.info/misc/destroyallmonsters.txt ]
On the album version, the song is called "The Homing Beacon".
Other Buckethead songs referencing or sampling Michael Jackson
* "A1" on ''KFC Skin Piles'' samples Michael Jackson's "
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
".
* "The Return of Captain EO" on ''A Real Diamond in the Rough'' references ''
Captain EO
''Captain EO'' is a 1986 American 3D science fiction short film shown at several Disney theme parks from 1986 until 1998. The film, starring Michael Jackson, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film was shown as part of an attraction with ...
''.
* "Walk on the Moon" on ''Shadows Between the Sky'' is another tribute to Jackson.
* The title of the album ''
Captain Eo's Voyage
Buckethead is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currently includes 31 studio albums, one live album, two extended plays, five special releases, six demo tapes, & four DVD releases. Since 2011 ...
'' released in 2010 references Jackson. The cover shows his back and one of his jackets, and several tracks allude to Jackson.
Notes
* The last 1:05 of the song may be taken from "What Kind of Nation", from Buckethead and
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received nominations for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Mortensen made his film debut with a small role in ...
's album ''Intelligence Failure''. It bears a close resemblance to a section of the song which begins at 1:05.
References
External links
Download The Homing Beacon/The Landing Beacon from Bucketheadland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Homing Beacon The Landing Beacon
2009 songs
Buckethead songs
Songs about Michael Jackson