"Space Rock" -- has it lost all meaning as a genre?

Discogs lists the definition of "Space Rock" as the following:

Space Rock Music | Discogs

In my opinion, the early works of Floyd certainly qualify ("Astronomy Domine", "Echoes"), along with Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Ziggy-era work. Certainly Hendrix and the Experience-era records. Something like Spiritualized's Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space record would qualify. Then I see it added as a genre to something like Doves' Lost Souls record, which, while lush and spacey, doesn't mention space in the lyrics.

Doves - Lost Souls

I've lately seen it applied to other questionable bands and songs as well.

Has the term "space rock" now lost all objectionable meaning as a genre descriptor?

 

I guess it just merged into post-rock and somewhat shoegaze, Imho it was always a weird definition!
Nowadays Angels & Airwaves are tagged as space-rock and I heard the same about King Gizzard & the Lizzard Wizard, now that is confusing!

 

I don't know. What does losing all objectionable meaning mean?

It's all just music, folks. Describe it how you like. It's your call - not a marketing department's.

 

Your first mistake is expecting Discogs to have a definitive definition of anything.

 

Essentially there are two completely unrelated rock subgenres called "Space Rock." There is the prog subgenre from the '70s that is associated with bands like Hawkwind and early Floyd. That was the first type of rock called "Space Rock."

The term fell out of fashion after the '70s.

Then Spacemen 3 came along with their minimalist version of shoegaze psychedelia and a new type of "space rock" essentially got named after them. That's where bands like Spiritualized and Verve got tagged with the name. They were not influenced by the original "space rock" bands, nor did they sound like them.

Then in the 2000s there were bands who were influenced by both '70s prog and shoegazing. It was easy to call these bands "space rock" because they were influenced by both types. But really, the term has always been meaningless.

 

Quite the opposite, it got codified and gentrified!

Space Rock - what is it, and who is it? What makes something "space rock"?*

 

Thanks--^^^ this is the type of response I was looking for.

 

Lyrics? I dunno. If it's an instrumental track and it sounds really spacey: loads of reverb, echo, whooshing noises, gongs and what have you, and is evocative of space, and it rocks.........does it miss the cut by lack or verbal space reference?

 

Not by my estimation, though I was going by Discogs' definition as the launchpad of this thread discussion.

 

This geezer begs to differ

 

This is certainly space rock to me (especially at 4:00 in):

 

A well timed post. I've just started listening to Space Ritual. The definitive Space Rock album IMHO.

 

I think the only way it could be meaningful would be if there was an rock group actually playing in space - like on a mission to Mars or something. But then, if that group were also staring down at their shoes while doing a Nirvana cover, followed by a Genesis one - I'd really like to see if people could still bother with its categorisation.

 

I don't know that it ever had a meaningful agreed-upon definition. I've seen it applied to loads of acts that don't have much in common, like Hawkwind and Tangerine Dream.

 

Space rock is a genre?

Okay...

 

You don't need to fly to outer space to play astronaut (music).


Public Service Broadcasting - "Gagarin"

 

Anything by these guys works for me Øresund Space Collective – Totally Improvised Space Rock

Lengthy improvisational instrumentals, like early Tangerine Dream but with more musicians - depending upon who's around at the time. More guitar-based too. There're some albums on Spotify for anyone wanting to check them out. CDs are usually pressed but only in small (500 - 1000) batches.

 

Can't 'Monster Magnet' be classified as "Space Rock"? Or am I missing the point?

Their 1995 album 'Dopes To Infinity' was the first thing that came to mind as being space rock.

 

That album is great !

 

You missed the nineties and English bands like Krel and Spacehead who played real space-rock.

Krel Transmission / Nomad (from Ad Astra, 1997)

 

Spacehead Monolith (part 1) (from ...of Stars and Time, 1996)

 

Official Website for Papadosio. Falling somewhere between rock, jazz and electronic mayhem we find space rock. Papadosio strives to create music that is strangely familiar, and calls all walks of humanity to bask in ...

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT7S-Ni0ZuQ1wwwZB7T3B7jqOcxz7Xepl

I consider these songs to fall under "space rock" as well.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=emb_logo&time_continue=13&v=Db-GVwtZ9sI



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CB54RQPUV6Q&list=OLAK5uy_nxA--wVMXsZSVsiQYRhX75UGj4y4YTqpE&index=6

With a song name of "Blast Off" how can one argue?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CB54RQPUV6Q&list=OLAK5uy_nxA--wVMXsZSVsiQYRhX75UGj4y4YTqpE&index=6

 

Space Rock. In all of my years of listening to rock music, that term has never been uttered by myself nor anyone I know.

 

Seems like everyone on this forum is into space rock lately.

Yes, it’s a genre... (Wait, how many genres are there, again?)

 

This is the second thread I’ve seen on it in the past week! (On this forum). In my own experience, there was a brief period in the 70s (Hawkwind, UFO II) when it was used.