Space Rock: what the hell is it? Some include Pink Floyd in the genre, if it is quite a "genre" even, but I most associate it with Hawkwind and those who make Hawkwind-inspired noises. In particular there is one noise, or at least one group of noises, that emanated from what seems to be called a VCS3 ring modulator, which is some kind of "oscillator," which I take to be something that oscillates. What exactly is it, though? Who the hell knows, some kind of keyboard device. Space Rock is kind of a vague genre term, and (for me at least) it is often hard to pin down what makes something Space Rock. One pretty good indicator is if a band makes the aforementioned Hawkwind Noise (either the VCS3 or something like it--I'm pretty loose about counting something as the Hawkwind noise, as Monoshock seem to approximate it with guitars). Anyway, there is already a thread for space rock recommendations, here I would like to ask what is it, and who is it? What makes something "space rock"? It seems like kind of a vague term to me. If in the course of discussion recommendations are made and the other thread is duplicated a bit, I think we'll all make it through this traumatic event. Bands that I am familiar with that are sometimes classified as Space Rock: Pink Floyd: I guess some of their stuff could be called Space Rock, and they are influential, I think, among current purveyors of this kind of music. I like a lot of their stuff, but like many of you I'm a bit more into the first couple albums or so, and it is this early stuff that is probably closer to something like Space Rock. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No. Hawkwind: Awesome band and I am on something of a Hawkwind kick lately. I am a big fan. They have numerous spinoffs, I haven't heard much of the recent "Hawklords" stuff but if anyone is into it let me know. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Of course. Ozric Tentacles: Jammy and somewhat proggy and a little maybe new agey or something. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No, I don't think so, but in a way they do--their souls cry out in a Hawkwind Noise kind of way. Gong: Some of their stuff seems to fit the bill. And as a bonus, the Om Riff album/track by Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno is one of the best things ever recorded in the space rock medium, I think. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes, I'm actually unsure if they arrived at it independently, kind of a Newton/Leibniz situation maybe. Acid Mothers Temple: Awesome band. Absolutely impossible to keep up with their discography. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes, incessantly, almost to the point of comedy--there are times I wish they'd lay off it for a change of pace. If, like Bob Dylan, they did a straightforward album of Sinatra/Great American Songbook type material, they'd slather the Hawkwind Noise all over it. Cosmic Jokers: Some Krautrock stuff gets labelled "Space Rock" sometimes and these are the most plausible candidates to my ears. Amon Duul II also gets the label sometimes but I'm not sure it's apt. CJ's parent band, Ash Ra Tempel, is to my ears more like a Grateful Dead-type band with ambient-moody leanings. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No. Hidria Spacefolk: They are said to be reminiscent of Gong. I haven't listened to much, does anyone know know much about them? Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? I'm not sure, there are certainly noises in that vein anyway. I'm listening right now and I don't hear an oscillator per se but their overall sound is space-inflected, if we may say that, with many Hawkwindesque sounds. Lunar Dunes: Very much seems to be a band trying to make "Space Rock." They sound great but I think they are better approached as background music. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes, sometimes. Vespero: Another band I've seen labelled with the label. These are Russians, like Drago they were probably funded by the government and shot full of dope to make them rock harder. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Not exactly. Monoshock: This stuff is amazing. Everyone should listen to Monoshock. It rocks harder than anything else. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? They have it in spirit, anyway--they sort of make it with the guitars. Comets on Fire: Frenetic like Monoshock but a good bit cleaner and more eclectic. They are a highly rated band by your Pitchforks and such but I'm not sure that there are many actual songs, when you get down to it. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes, and it's probably the best thing about them. The Bevis Frond: Curious band, this (a lot of it is one dude, actually). They have some instrumentals that are definitely space rock, and they retain the services of Hawkwind's probably second-best bass player, Adrian Shaw. But they also have singing songs that are far from space, not even really psych some of it, kind of Elvis Costello-ish vocals and a folky vibe. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? I don't think so but they manage to convey the idea. Oresund Space Collective: They have "space" in their name. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes. First Band from Outer Space: this is surely space rock if anything is. Do they make the Hawkwind noise? Yes. Chrome: I'm not sure if they belong but they were on a list I consulted online. Killer band, some Hawkwind in their DNA for sure (and Helios Creed played on some Nik Turner stuff) but I'm not sure if they are aptly titled Space Rock. Really great music, though. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No. Krankschaft: They are I suppose technically a Hawkwind spinoff as they sort of evolved from the excellent Inner City Unit. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes. Circle: Sometimes they get listed but I'm not sure it's the right tag. I love them, though. Do they make the Hawkwind noise? No. White Hills: So-so psyche band, sometimes they hit the mark. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes, sometimes. ST 37: less-known spacers. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes. Carlton Melton: pretty spacy. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No, but it gets pretty widdly. Silver Apples: they oscillate, it would seem odd to call it the "Hawkwind noise" in their case... Follakzoid: I don't know if this qualifies, it takes you somewhere though. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? No. F/I: Space. Blanga. Yes. Here and Now: some spacy stuff where they make the noise. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes. Spacelords: I have just discovered them, good instrumental space rock, pretty heavy. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? It seems close, there's some squiggling. The Spacious Mind: good, heavy, jammy hard rock with a little squiggling, although I don't think they use an oscillator or make the Hawkwind Noise as such. Steve Hillage has some spacy stuff and even makes the noise sometimes (or somebody does). Tangerine Dream is sometimes called Space Rock and it seems like an apt term in a way but in a very different way from the aforementioned bands. Do they make the Hawkwind Noise? Yes. Sometimes Spacemen 3 and Loop get the tag, but I don't know about that (I love both bands though).
I'd take Space Rock as a sub-genre. Pink Floyd only did a couple o' songs that could fit there. Best examples are 'Astronomy Domine', 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun' and 'Let There Be More Light'.
I'm not sure if the OP is hitting on this (I'm not sure of terms), but I always think of certain Steve Miller Band songs from the 1976-1977 timeframe when I hear the term "space rock".
IMO the live side of UmmaGumma is a blueprint for Space rock tho many other bands started dabbling in it around the same time,Hawkwind being the biggest,my favorite type of music BTW.
Yeah, I totally agree with that. Maybe Interstellar Overdrive. Let There Be More Light could almost be Hawkwind...
Y Yeah, that has the right noise! Pretty jazzy I think...I don't know if that counts or not but it's pretty cool.
To OP: TLDR Nope. Just because the title says it is doesn’t mean it is so. That’s hard rock and blues. To me, stuff like Ashra Tempel, Amon Duul II, and some Tangerine Dream qualify. Of course everyone has their own definitions, but, to me, it must have certain elements present. Long drones, synth effects (or that replicated on guitar), open, wide, and psychedelic influenced. I know it when I hear it, but there’s a lot of stuff there that says it is by the title, but it isn’t.
There's a book from 1994 by Dave Thompson called "Space Daze:the History and Mystery of Electronic Ambient Space Rock" that's really a great overview of the scene. He commits some outrageous blasphemies (no Guru Guru!) but I like him for name-dropping Martin Stone multiple times, just as he did in his "Goldmine" articles.
Ding Ding Ding- We have a Winner, so close the thread now. Actually, a few later PF Songs(Echoes, One of These Days & Shine On You Crazy Diamond) are also Space-Rock to me. The Syd era songs were mostly Psychedelic-Rock IMO, although Astronomy Domine & Interstellar Overdrive are more Space-Rock to my ears. The Live Side of Ummagumma is my Desert Island Pink Floyd(you can keep your Walls and Final Cuts, although Animals is in my Top 3 PF Albums). I am just getting into Hawkwind having bought the box set 'This is Your Captain Speaking' after checking out a few of those albums on YouTube, and Space Ritual sounds like I was taken to Outer Space(maybe will bump into George Clinton's Mothership). I also just got the mini box to Warrior on the Edge of Time after I found out it included a Steven Wilson Remix, so will get to hear an album that came out after the early ones in the Captain Speaking Box Set. I will need to check out the Space-Rock recommendation thread on here.
