So is the female of the species more deadly than the male? Well, ‘The Ballad of Tom Jones’ went a long way to answering the eternal question as Cerys Matthews pitted her venomous tongue against the matey demeanor of Tommy Scott from the Liverpudlians Space. The encounter led to a crafty sing-along laced with sparkling (!) black humour that had cult hit written all over it. Space were responsible for a slew of engaging songs and Matthews blazed a trail with Catatonia and with ‘The Ballad of Tom Jones’ coming at the peak of both their powers it was always going to be a delightful prospect. The song tells the tale of tainted lovers whose unabashed hatred is tempered by the magic of Tom Jones music. While the vocal interplay is undoubtedly the tune’s central gift it’s hard not to be taken in by the Spacemen’s signature oddball atmospherics. KD

Space with Cerys Matthews - The Ballad of Tom Jones

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Space Info: Official
Buy Album: [UK] Spiders [US] Spiders
Year: 1996

Cerys Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Never Said Goodbye [US] Never Said Goodbye
Year: 2007

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