Editing Space rock

{{short description|Genre of rock music}}
{{Redirect|Space metal|other uses|Space Metal (disambiguation){{!}}Space Metal}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Space rock
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Psychedelic music|Psychedelia]]|[[Progressive rock]]|[[Space music]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Late 1960s and early 1970s, United Kingdom
| derivatives       = {{hlist|[[Post-rock]]|[[shoegaze]]}}
| other_topics      = *[[Alternative rock]]
*[[ambient music]]
*[[experimental rock]]
*[[indie rock]]
*[[krautrock]]
*[[minimal music]]
*[[noise pop]]
}}

'''Space rock''' is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental [[Texture (music)|textures]] that typically produce a [[hypnotic]], otherworldly sound.<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|title=Space rock|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref> It may feature [[Distortion (music)|distorted]] and [[reverberation]]-laden guitars, minimal drumming, languid vocals, [[synthesizer]]s, and lyrical themes of [[outer space]] and [[science fiction]].

The genre emerged in late 1960s [[psychedelia]] and [[progressive rock]] bands such as [[Pink Floyd]], [[Hawkwind]],<ref name="AllMusic"/> and [[Gong (band)|Gong]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/shapeshifter-r171304 |title=Shapeshifter – Gong &#124; AllMusic |first=Chris |last=Nickson |work=allmusic.com |access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref> who explored a "cosmic" sound. Similar sounds were pursued in the early 1970s' West German ''[[kosmische Musik]]'' ("cosmic music") scene. Later, the style was taken up in the mid-1980s by [[Spacemen 3]], whose "[[Drone (music)|drone]]-heavy" sound was avowedly inspired by and intended to accommodate drug use. By the 1990s, space rock developed into [[shoegaze]] and [[post-rock]] with bands such as [[the Verve]] and [[Flying Saucer Attack]].<ref name="AllMusic" /> 

==History==
===Origins: 1950s-1960s===
{{See also|Progressive rock|Psychedelic rock}}
Humanity's entry into [[outer space]] provided ample subject matter for [[rock and roll]] and [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] songs from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s. It also inspired new sounds and sound effects to be used in the music itself. A prominent early example of space rock is the 1959 concept album ''[[I Hear a New World]]'' by British producer and songwriter [[Joe Meek]]. The album was inspired by the [[space race]] and concerned humanity's first close encounter with alien life forms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/joe-meek_0805.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008102511/http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/joe-meek_0805.htm|url-status=dead|title=Joe Meek: The RGM Legacy|archive-date=8 October 2012|access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref> Meek then went on to have a UK and US No 1 success in 1961 with "[[Telstar (song)|Telstar]]", named after the newly launched communications satellite and thus intended to commemorate the new space age. Its main instrument was a [[clavioline]], an electronic forerunner of the [[synthesizer]]s.

[[The Beatles]]' song "[[Flying (The Beatles song)|Flying]]" (1967), originally titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental", was a psychedelic instrumental about the sensation of flying, whether in a craft or in your own head space.<ref>AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger</ref> [[Jimi Hendrix]] is also an early innovator of the genre, with such tracks as "[[Third Stone from the Sun]]", "[[1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)]]" and "[[The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice]]".

[[Pink Floyd]]'s early albums contain pioneering examples of space rock: "[[Astronomy Domine]]",<ref>Bruce Eder, [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1530785|pure_url=yes}} Astronomy Domine song review], ''[[AllMusic]]''</ref> "[[Pow R. Toc H.]]"<ref>Nicholas Schaffner, "Saucerful of secrets: the Pink Floyd odyssey", (Dell, 1992), {{ISBN|0-385-30684-9}}, p.66.</ref> and "[[Interstellar Overdrive]]"<ref>Richie Unterberger, [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1530791|pure_url=yes}} Interstellar Overdrive song review], ''[[AllMusic]]''</ref> from their 1967 debut album ''[[The Piper at the Gates of Dawn]]'' are examples. Their second album ''[[A Saucerful of Secrets]]'' contained further examples: "[[Let There Be More Light]]" and "[[Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun]]" with explicit [[science fiction theme]]s, and their third, ''[[More (soundtrack)|More]]'' (1969) had "[[Cirrus Minor (song)|Cirrus Minor]]".

[[File:Hawkwind Donington 1982.jpg|thumb|[[Hawkwind]], an influential space rock band]]

===Peak: 1970s-1980s===
In the early 1970s, West Germany's ''[[kosmische Musik]]'' ("cosmic music") scene developed among artists who explored "spacy", [[ambient music|ambient]] instrumental soundscapes.{{sfn|Adelt|2016}} The term is frequently used as a synonym of [[krautrock]],<ref name=seabrook>{{cite book |last1=Seabrook |first1=Thomas Jerome |title=Bowie in Berlin: A New Career in a New Town |date=2008 |publisher=Jawbone Press |page=85 |isbn=978-1-906002-08-4 |access-date=25 April 2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsSHjTf_-F8C}}</ref> but may also be used as a German analogue to the English term "space rock".<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic">{{cite book |editor1-last=Horn |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Shepherd |editor2-first=John |title=Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 11 |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=177}}</ref> These artists often explored [[electronic music]], [[synthesizers]], and [[Space-themed music|themes related to space]] or otherworldliness.<ref name="harden">{{cite journal|last1=Harden|first1=Alexander C|title=Kosmische Musik and its Techno-Social Context|url=http://www.iaspmjournal.net/index.php/IASPM_Journal/article/view/784|journal=IASPM Journal|date=31 December 2016|volume=6|issue=2|pages=154–173|doi=10.5429/2079-3871(2016)v6i2.9en|access-date=18 August 2017|doi-access=free}}</ref>{{sfn|Adelt|2016}} Examples included artists like [[Ash Ra Tempel]], [[Tangerine Dream]], [[Popol Vuh (band)|Popol Vuh]], and [[Klaus Schulze]].<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic"/>

In early 1971, Pink Floyd began writing the song that would become known as "[[Echoes (Pink Floyd song)|Echoes]]", from the 1971 album ''[[Meddle]]''. The song was performed from April until September 1971, with an alternative set of lyrics, written about two planets meeting in space. 

A major album in the history of space rock was [[Hawkwind]]'s ''[[Space Ritual]]'' (1973),<ref>Wilson Neate, [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r40140|pure_url=yes}} Space Ritual review], ''[[AllMusic]]''</ref> a two-disc live album advertised as "88 minutes of brain-damage" documenting Hawkwind's 1972 tour that included a [[liquid light show]] and lasers, nude dancers (notably the earth-mother figure [[Stacia]]), wild costumes and psychedelic imagery. This hard-edged concert experience attracted a motley but dedicated collection of psychedelic drug users, science-fiction fans and motorcycle riders. The science fiction author [[Michael Moorcock]] collaborated with Hawkwind on many occasions and wrote the lyrics for many of the spoken-word sections on ''Space Ritual''. 

In Europe, Hungarian band [[Omega (band)|Omega]] produced albums such as ''Time Robber'' (1976), ''Skyrover'' (1978), and ''Gammapolis'' (1979).  Other European bands include the progressive rock groups [[Eloy (band)|Eloy]] and [[Nektar]]. Nektar, who were known for having a rhythmic liquid/slide light show at their concerts, released their album ''[[Journey to the Centre of the Eye]]'' in 1971. Another European band of the period were the French [[Rockets (band)|Rockets]], formed in 1974 and relocated to Italy in 1978.

===1990s revival===
[[File:Spacemen 3.jpg|thumb|British group [[Spacemen 3]] spearheaded the space rock revival.<ref name="AllMusic" />]]

The 1990s space rock revival extended from [[shoegaze]], [[dream pop]] and related indie genres, as well as the first wave of [[post-rock]]. In the United Kingdom and the United States, it included bands such as [[Spacemen 3]], [[Peter Kember#Spectrum|Spectrum]], [[Spiritualized]], [[the Verve]], [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]], [[Flying Saucer Attack]], [[Duster (band)|Duster]], Magic Mushroom Band,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ozric Tentacles – Freakbeat 1990 |url=http://ozrics.elementfx.com/ozric_te.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109181100/http://ozrics.elementfx.com/ozric_te.html |archive-date=9 January 2018 |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=Ozrics.elementfx.com}}</ref><ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/magic-mushroom-band-mn0000228690/credits Magic Mushroom Band] Allmusic.com Retrieved 29 March 2022</ref> and [[Ozric Tentacles]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Space rock|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|website=AllMusic| access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref>

In the mid-1990s, a number of bands built on the space rock styles of Hawkwind and [[Gong (band)|Gong]] appeared in America. Some of these bands were signed to [[Cleopatra Records]], which then proceeded to release numerous space rock compilations. Starting in 1997, [[Daevid Allen]] of Gong, along with members of Hawkwind, Clearlight, and [[Blue Öyster Cult]], started to perform with [[Spirits Burning]], a studio project created to celebrate space rock.

The Strange Daze festivals from 1997 to 2001 showcased the American space rock scene in three-day outdoor festivals. A [[Michigan]]-based space rock scene included [[Burnt Hair Records]], [[Darla Records]], and bands such as [[Windy & Carl]], [[Mahogany (band)|Mahogany]], [[Sweet Trip]], [[Füxa]] and [[Auburn Lull]]. This was a modern movement of the traditional "space rock" sound and was pinned Detroit Space Rock.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THIRD MAN RECORDS RELEASES SOUTHEAST OF SATURN: COMPILATION OF MICHIGA – Third Man Records – Official Store |url=https://thirdmanrecords.com/blogs/news/third-man-records-releases-southeast-of-saturn-compilation-of-michigan-space-rock-shoegaze-dream-pop |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=thirdmanrecords.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Space-themed music]]
*[[Space music]]
*[[Space disco]]
*[[Space age pop]]
*[[Space Truckin']]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Psychedelic music}}
{{Rock music}}
{{Progressive music}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Space Rock}}
[[Category:Space rock| ]]
[[Category:Progressive rock]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rock]]
[[Category:English styles of music]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]

[[tr:Space metal]]