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

Different kind of head-state I think. Spaced-out is a murkier and more indistinct state than being on a psychotropic induced trip. Not sure what 'head music' was intending. Music for 'heads'? 'Heads' being turned on (enlightened) people, I suppose.

 

Yeah I agreed, alike e.g. Zappa who was a genre per se as well, but since Sun Ra has his followers (I won't say "imitators"), de facto he created a subgenre.

 

Who are his followers?

 

And what shall we do with Kantadha, Kan ha Diskan, Kveding, Khöömii, Kui, Klasik, Kuzhal Pattu, Kaffirinha, Kajari, Kulintang, Kroncong, Khaliji, Kaseko and Kawina?

 

panik.

but I was only talking about made-up musical descriptors, with wanton over-use of the letter 'k'.

 

I just found a cd of this and had to have it. “Time Captives” was a song that my dad recorded on cassette from a late night underground college radio show and for years we never knew who did it. That was one of my quest for life songs.
Speaking of the term, I was enlightened to it’s classification when Steve Kilbey of The Church started self proclaiming himself a “old Space Rocker” and how the band was “Space Rock”. I think that’s valid, albeit not as “psychedelic” as Hawkwind or Kingdom Come for sure.

 

For example The Spatial AKA Orchestra (early phase), The Sun Ra Revival Post-Krautrock Archestra, Planet Battagon, BlipVert, Al Doum & The Faryds, The Oakland Elementary School Arkestra, to name a few.


Planet Battagon ERIS in Formation (from Trans-Neptunia, 2020)

 

10 Songs & Projects Inspired By Sun Ra | Sampleface

 

Steve Hillage have to be mentioned in this thread as well.


Steve Hillage Lunar Musick Suite (from L, 1976)

 

More than I could have imagined!

 

Although quite different band than Hawkwind, Gong have had some great space-rock tracks; I'd like to mention A Sprinkling of Clouds.


Gong A Sprinkling of Clouds (from You, 1973)

 

up next:

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

Not sure that I’m brave enough to start that thread...

 

It would be even better if you start that but with *Ambient rock* in the title

 

Space rock had a short life from about 1967 well into the 70's. So yes, there is very little space rock. Maybe the Flaming Lips could be pointed out in that genre recently but I struggle coming up with another decent example.

 

Igra staklenih perli (transl. "Glass Bead Game", actually named after Das Glasperlenspiel the novel by Hermann Hesse) were a six-piece band from my hometown of Belgrade; in general their quite interesting catalogue is rather a proggy psychedelia, but they had recorded some songs that could be regarded as their take on Space Rock.

Igra staklenih perli Putovanje u plavo (transl."Voyage into Blue", from Igra staklenih perli the album, 1979)

 

There are lots of space rock bands from recent years.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqB...MvnFyA&start_radio=1&ab_channel=Krankievision

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_v62rg7U2Y&ab_channel=aaltan77

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQJJ--uhCog&ab_channel=ROBHAMMER*stonerdoom*psych*sludge*grunge*metal*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF4...9ANnfJB2KK1dgwqeRx&ab_channel=Hawklords-Topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0CADX05dpY&ab_channel=666MrDoom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUHYgI_iRnQ&ab_channel=iosonofederico

All those above are no-doubters, space rock in the classic sense; I didn't include any of the Spacemen 3 strain identified above (I don't really think of them and bands like Spiritualized or Loop as space rock, but I wouldn't argue about it)


I'm far from struggling to come up with examples but I'll cut it there...I could easily post 2o more. See this thread, it could keep you occupied for years listening to post-70s space rock tracks:

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

 

First track from the first UFO's album, is another non-Hawkwind and yet a genre-defining space-rock instrumental.


UFO Unidentified Flying Object (from UFO 1, 1970)

 

I'd like to mention also this song from Daevid Allen solo output.


Daevid Allen Non God Will Not Go On Or The Wrong Way To Be Right (from N'Existe Pas, 1979)

 

Which reminds me, have we mentioned Here and Now? I suppose I mean on the other thread, I see this one has only 3 pages so it must be the other one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EOHEqjzGR8&ab_channel=Mehefinheulog1

 

The more I listen to all of these links of so-called space rock that you guys are posting, the more I believe that none of us really has a clue. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

 

Space Rock is a sub-genre of Rock.
It hasn't lost all meaning, imo. Like any term, it often gets misused, or inappropriately applied. Also, the meanings of words and phrases change over time which is another factor that needs to be considered. This is why it is important to establish academic usage of terminology as distinct from colloquial usage.

 

Never heard of any of them. I'm not a big enough fan of the genre to go digging into whats happened since the 70's.

 

Nobody's saying you have to...but, it exists

 

This video features beautiful pictures and a lovely version of What You See Is What You Are the song:


Here And Now - Peel Session 1978