The Homing Beacon/The Landing Beacon

Last updated
"The Homing Beacon/The Landing Beacon"
Instrumental by Buckethead
from the album Electric Sea
ReleasedJuly 6, 2009
Genre Ambient, acoustic
Length6:56
Songwriter(s) Buckethead

"The Homing Beacon" (also known as "The Landing Beacon") is an acoustic song by Buckethead and a memorial tribute to Michael Jackson, [1] who was an early influence on Buckethead. [2] The track has no lyrics, just music, described as "slow, almost peaceful" [3] and has been called a "poignant guitar tribute to Michael Jackson". [4]

Contents

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" 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 [5] 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. [6] [7]

On the album version, the song is called "The Homing Beacon".

Other Buckethead songs referencing or sampling Michael Jackson

Notes

Related Research Articles

<i>Bad</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Michael Jackson

Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous album, Thriller (1982). Written and recorded between January 1985 and July 1987, Bad was the third and final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, with Jackson co-producing and composing all but two tracks. Jackson adopted an edgy look and sound with Bad, departing from his signature groove-based style and high-pitched vocals. The album incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul, and hard rock styles. Jackson also experimented with newer recording technology, including digital synthesizers and drum machines, resulting in a sleeker and more aggressive sound. Jackson wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album. Lyrical themes on the album include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Finck</span> Musical artist

Robert John "Robin" Finck is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contributed studio performances on The Slip (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Part of Me</span> 1988 single by Michael Jackson

"Another Part of Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. Produced by Quincy Jones, it was released as the sixth single on July 11, 1988, for the singer's seventh studio album, Bad (1987). The song was originally featured in Jackson's 1986 3D film Captain EO. It is the sixth song on the album. As with earlier songs in his career such as "Can You Feel It" and "We Are the World", the lyrics emphasize global unity, love and outreach.

<i>Enter the Chicken</i> 2005 studio album by Buckethead & Friends

Enter the Chicken is the fourteenth studio album by musician Buckethead. The album was released on October 25, 2005 by Serj Tankian's label Serjical Strike. It has eleven songs, two of which are less than twenty seconds long. It contains appearances from such artists as Saul Williams, Maximum Bob, Efrem Schulz and Serj Tankian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stranger in Moscow</span> 1996 single by Michael Jackson

"Stranger in Moscow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory (1995). The song was released as the sixth and final single worldwide on November 4, 1996 by Epic Records. It was not released in the United States until much later on July 7, 1997. The track was written in September 1993, while on the Dangerous World Tour stop in Moscow. An early version of the track's chord structure appears in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3; according to conflicting accounts, Jackson and his team composed music for the game before leaving the project or choosing to stay uncredited for their work.

<i>Giant Robot</i> (Buckethead album) 1994 studio album by Buckethead

Giant Robot is the second studio album by avant-garde guitarist Buckethead and loosely following the same "amusement park" concept as his previous album (Bucketheadland). It has some re-recorded songs from Buckethead's band Deli Creeps, as well his earlier demo tape Bucketheadland Blueprints. Giant Robot has a more professional sound than its predecessor in terms of recording and production value; the re-recorded tracks have lost their initial "basement" or "video game" sounding beats and guitar licks. As with Bucketheadland, the album was originally only released in Japan.

<i>Monsters and Robots</i> 1999 studio album by Buckethead

Monsters and Robots is Buckethead's fifth studio album, released April 20, 1999, by Higher Octave records. A large part of the album was co-written with Les Claypool, who also plays bass on several tracks and lends his vocals to the track "The Ballad of Buckethead".

<i>Colma</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Buckethead

Colma is the fourth studio album by guitarist Buckethead. It was released on March 24, 1998, on CyberOctave records. The album was recorded for Buckethead's mother, who at the time was sick with colon cancer, and he wanted to make an album which she would enjoy listening to while recovering.

<i>Crime Slunk Scene</i> 2006 studio album by Buckethead

Crime Slunk Scene is the eighteenth studio album by Buckethead and his fourth tour-only album. It was originally only sold on his 2006 tour but was later made available on Travis Dickerson's record label, TDRS music, until it eventually went out of print.

<i>Bucketheadland 2</i> 2003 studio album by Buckethead

Bucketheadland 2 is the tenth studio album by guitarist Buckethead. Released in 2003, it is a sequel to his debut album, Bucketheadland, a concept album about his fictional "abusement" park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan (Buckethead composition)</span> 2009 single by Buckethead

"Jordan" is a musical composition by American musician Buckethead. Originally featured as a playable track on the 2006 music video game Guitar Hero II, "Jordan" was officially released as a downloadable single via iTunes on August 18, 2009.

<i>Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)</i>

Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) is the first album by Bill Laswell's ever-changing "supergroup" Praxis. The album was released in 1992 and features Buckethead on guitar, Bootsy Collins on bass and vocals, Brain on drums, Bernie Worrell on keyboards and DJ AF Next Man Flip on turntables.

<i>Dangerous</i> (Michael Jackson album) 1991 studio album by Michael Jackson

Dangerous is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 26, 1991, more than four years after Jackson's previous album, Bad (1987). Co-produced by Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien, the album was Jackson's first since Forever, Michael (1975) without longtime collaborator Quincy Jones. Guest appearances include Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Slash and Wreckx-n-Effect. The album incorporates R&B, pop and new jack swing, a growing genre at the time. Elements of industrial, funk, hip hop, electronic, gospel, classical and rock are also present. Twelve of the album's fourteen songs were written or co-written by Jackson, discussing topics like racism, poverty, romance, self-improvement, and the welfare of children and the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckethead</span> American guitarist

Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative virtuose electric guitar playing. His music spans several genres, including progressive metal, funk, blues, bluegrass, ambient, and avant-garde music. He performs primarily as a solo artist, although he has collaborated with a wide variety of artists such as Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Iggy Pop, Les Claypool, Serj Tankian, Bill Moseley, Mike Patton, Viggo Mortensen, That 1 Guy, Bassnectar, and Skating Polly. He was also a member of Guns N' Roses from 2000 to 2004. He has recorded 435 studio albums, four special releases, and one EP. He has performed on more than fifty albums by other artists. Buckethead has written and performed music for major motion pictures, including Saw II, Ghosts of Mars, Beverly Hills Ninja, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Last Action Hero, Falling, and contributed lead guitar to the track "Firebird" featured on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Michael Jackson</span> Death of American singer

On June 25, 2009, the American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 50. His physician, Conrad Murray, said that he found Jackson in his bedroom at his North Carolwood Drive home in the Holmby Hills area of the city not breathing and with a weak pulse; he administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to no avail, and security called 9-1-1 at 12:21 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (UTC–7). Paramedics treated Jackson at the scene, but he was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood at 2:26 p.m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Is It (Michael Jackson song)</span> 2009 song by Michael Jackson

"This Is It" is a song co-written by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson and Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album of the same name which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It.

<i>Captain EO</i> 1986 short film by Francis Ford Coppola

Captain EO is a 1986 American 3D science fiction short film shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 till 1998. The movie, starring Michael Jackson, was written by George Lucas, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film was shown as part of an attraction with in-theater effects. The attraction returned to the Disney Parks in 2010 as a tribute after Jackson's death. The film was shown for the final time at Epcot on December 6, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Monti</span> American musician and record producer

Dan Monti, also known by his stage name Del Rey Brewer or simply Brewer, is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer who has worked with such bands as Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses. The bulk of his work, however, has been in conjunction with Buckethead, with whom he has also toured as a bassist.

<i>Electric Sea</i> 2012 studio album by Buckethead

Electric Sea is the thirty-fifth studio album by guitarist Buckethead. It is the sequel to his 2002 release Electric Tears.

This is the discography of American musician Bootsy Collins.

References

  1. "Buckethead Pays Tribute To Michael Jackson". Blabbermouth.net . 6 July 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  2. Chashmere, Paul (7 July 2009). "Buckethead Releases Song for Michael Jackson". undercover.com.au. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  3. Lang, Jeremy (6 September 2009). "'The Homing Beacon: A Song for Michael Jackson' by Buckethead". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on 2009-09-10. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  4. "Buckethead Posts Guitar Tribute to Michael Jackson". Guitar World . 6 July 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  5. Munro, Tyler (16 July 2009). "Buckethead's Tribute to MJ". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  6. "Bucketheadland.com". Bucketheadland.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  7. http://qfg.info/misc/destroyallmonsters.txt [ dead link ]