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[floatboxright:
Primary Stylistic Influences:
+ PsychedelicRock, ProgressiveRock, KrautRock
]
[floatboxright:
Secondary Stylistic Influences:
+ HardRock, FolkRock, later bands often influenced by NoisePop, DreamPop and {{Shoegazing}}
]

->''Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to...''
-->-- The motto of '''Spacemen 3''', the [[TropeCodifier arguable Trope Codifiers]] for the modern incarnation of the genre

Rock... [[InSpace IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!]]

Space rock is a subgenre of RockAndRoll with stylistic similarties to PsychedelicRock and early ElectronicMusic, characterised by lengthy instrumental passages, lyrics inspired by science fiction, astronomy and space travel, [[PsychedelicRock Psychedelic]] and [[ProgressiveRock Progressive]] influences and droning or heavily reverbed guitars (well, actually, just [[EchoingAcoustics heavy reverb]] in general). In addition to the above, many other influences both on the genre and of the genre can be found in bands from subgenres such as {{Shoegazing}}, DreamPop, NoiseRock, NoisePop, {{Krautrock}}, {{Ambient}}, ElectronicMusic... pretty much anything suitably druggy.

Although the style was developed mostly in the UK underground scene in TheSixties, the earliest exponent of space rock was the British independent RecordProducer Joe Meek. Enamoured of the idea of space exploration and life on other planets, Meek produced the ConceptAlbum ''I Hear A New World'' in 1959, which he explained was intended to, "Create a picture in music of what could be up there in outer space." Meek's fascination with the subject also came through on the Tornados recording "Telstar", the first British single to reach the top of the American charts.

The sound of the genre was developed by the early recordings of Music/PinkFloyd and Music/DavidBowie's hit single "Space Oddity". Arguably the most influential space rock group was Music/{{Hawkwind}}, who became popular in TheSeventies and frequently collaborated with the science-fiction writer Creator/MichaelMoorcock.

The AlternativeRock contemporary version of space rock originated in the mid-late [[TheEighties 1980s]], when British bands like Music/{{Spacemen 3}} and ''Loop'' pioneered the sound. The droning Space Rock sound was an influence on the Shoegazing scene as well (and bands such as Music/TheVerve and {{Music/Spiritualized}} blur the lines between the genres somewhat), and gained an underground following in the [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Bands such as Radiohead (pre-''Kid A'', and especially on ''OK Computer'') helped push the genre closer to the mainstream, and more recent (and heavily Radiohead-influenced) bands such as Music/{{Muse}} and Music/{{Coldplay}} brought a more accessible form of it into the mainstream.

There is a considerable overlap between this genre and PostRock (much of which is influenced by this genre), as well as between Space Rock and other related genres such {{Shoegazing}}, DreamPop, NoisePop, NoiseRock (another influence on Space Rock) and PsychedelicRock. As well, a few bands combine it with ProgressiveRock or HeavyMetal.

!Early Space Rock bands:
[[index]]
* Music/{{Eloy}}
* Music/{{Gong}}
* Music/{{Hawkwind}}
* Music/{{Nektar}}
* Music/PinkFloyd
* Music/TangerineDream (during the late 1960s and early 1970s)

!Alternative Space Rock bands:
* Music/AcidMothersTemple
* Music/{{Amplifier}} (albeit with an obvious HardRock influence)
* Music/AnalogRebellion
* Music/AngelsAndAirwaves
* Music/AshaVida
* Music/{{Aspera}}
* Music/AuburnLull
* Music/BardoPond
* Music/{{Beabadoobee}}
* Music/CausticResin
* Music/{{Charalambides}}
* Music/{{Darkside}}
* Music/{{Doves}}
* Music/EarthlingSociety
* Music/{{Elbow}}
* Music/{{Electroscope}}
* Music/{{Failure}} (also {{Grunge}} and {{Alternative Metal}})
* Music/{{Faunts}} (overlaps with DreamPop and {{Shoegazing}}, best known for providing the ending theme to ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'')
* Music/FlyingSaucerAttack
* Music/{{Fuxa}}
* Music/{{Grandaddy}}
* Music/{{Hum}} (also PostHardcore and {{Shoegazing}})
* Music/{{Kasabian}}
* Music/KingBlackAcid
* Music/{{Kinski}}
* Music/{{Landing}}
* Music/TheLegendaryPinkDots
* Music/LesFriction
* Music/{{Light}}
* Music/{{Lilys}}
* Music/{{Loop}} (Sometimes also classified as Shoegazing)
* Music/{{Mahogany}}
* Music/ManOrAstroMan
* Music/{{Mew}} (also DreamPop)
* Music/MissBliss
* Music/{{Mogwai}} (could also be considered PostRock)
* Music/{{Mugstar}}
* Music/{{Muse}} (heavier than most, but arguably still an example)
* Music/{{Oceansize}}
* Music/OzricTentacles (though they also head into ElectronicMusic, PsychedelicRock and ProgressiveRock territory a lot)
* Music/APlaceToBuryStrangers
* Music/PorcupineTree (mainly their [[TheNineties 1990s]] material, they moved more towards ProgressiveMetal in the new millennium)
* Music/{{Quarkspace}}
* Music/{{Quickspace}}
* Music/RadialSpangle
* Music/Spacemen3 (TropeCodifier at least, possibly the TropeMaker for the AlternativeRock version)
* Music/{{Spectrum}} (Spacemen 3 offshoot led by Pete Kember)
* Music/{{Spiritualized}} (Spacemen 3 offshoot led by Jason Pierce, [[BreakupBreakout much more popular]])
* Music/UndergroundZero
* [[Music/WindyAndCarl Windy & Carl]] (though they lean heavily toward ambient music)
[[/index]]

!!Tropes
* ArtisticStimulation: In cases where drugs are actually involved. Music/Spacemen3's infamous (taking drugs to make music to take drugs to" sums up much of the aesthetic).
%%* EchoingAcoustics: Common production style.
%%* EpicRocking
%%* IndecipherableLyrics: Sometimes.
%%* OdeToIntoxication: Played straight quite often, but also subverted or averted fairly often as well.
%%* PerishingAltRockVoice
%%* WatchItStoned