Mary MacGregor - Torn Between Two Lovers

I have three copies, all vinyl and each one from a different Capitol pressing plant. Listed times are all (3:40); catalog number is 7638. Deadwax info: (stereo side for the DJ 45)

1) DJ 45, Los Angeles: S45-180159-25    Actual time is (3:44)

2) Stock, Jacksonville: 180159   7638   G5#1    MASTERED BY CAPITOL    Actual time is (3:43)

3) Stock, Winchester: S45-180159-23 #2    Actual time is (3:44)

A speed difference accounts for the one-second timing difference.

Capitol's deadwax pressing plant symbols:

Los Angeles = *
Jacksonville = 0
Winchester = |>----   (resembling a Winchester rifle)

(The label copy layouts and fonts are the same on the L.A. and Jacksonville pressings, but differ on the Winchester label.)

Styrene copies of "Torn Between Two Lovers" are probably pressings from the end of the record's chart run or later. Ariola America's manufacturing and distribution deal with Capitol had already ended by the time of Mary MacGregor's follow-up single, "This Girl (Has Turned Into A Woman)". My vinyl DJ copy of that 45 was mastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed by Columbia's Santa Maria plant.

Edited by Yah Shure

MMathews wrote: ...wouldn't be an indication the styrene pressing were also concurrent since they also specify "Mastered By Capitol"?

"MASTERED BY CAPITOL" is the deadwax logo of Capitol Studios, not its corporate sister, Capitol Records, Inc. Although the logo appears most often on records mastered for and pressed by Capitol Records, it has also appeared on masterings for many non-Capitol Records clients, including CBS Records, which pressed and issued the "MASTERED BY CAPITOL" Boston 45s and LPs on Epic beginning in 1976.

Capitol Records was not manufacturing styrene 45s at any of its plants as early as 1976-77, therefore the styrene "Torn Between Two Lovers" singles would have been manufactured after Ariola America and Capitol parted ways.

"Torn Between Two Pressers". It coulda been a hit. :)     

davidclark,

This song was a home demo which Ariola liked so well, they chose to issue it as is. It's not the best sounding recording ever made, but loved warts and all.

The first CD to include "Torn Between Two Lovers" is Time-Life's 2-CD Heart Rock (1988), which fades about 20 or 25 seconds early. Avoid this CD set; most songs are faded early.

The first non-awful CD to include "Torn Between Two Lovers" is Warner Special Products/Sessions' 2-CD Everlasting Love (1989). Here, it runs 3:51, which is the LP length, used on later pressings of the 45. It sounds pretty good here - good dynamic range, decent EQ, no noise reduction, although maybe not the lowest-generation source tapes. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Echoes Of Love (1991; digitally exactly 2 dB louder)
• Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 9 #1 Hits (1991; about 6 dB louder and clips a bit)

Bill Inglot did a new analog transfer for Rhino's Have A Nice Day Vol. 19 (1993). It runs 3:44, which is the 45 length, used on the promo 45 and early pressings of the commercial 45. Here, it sounds about as good as this song can probably sound - excellent dynamic range, nice EQ, very low-generation source tapes, but a little hum that's noticeable on the fade. These discs are digital clones of Have A Nice Day Vol. 19:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 12 By Candlelight (1997; digitally exactly 1.56 dB quieter)
• Simitar's Number Ones Lovin' Feelings (1998; digitally exactly same level)
• Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 30 #1 Hits Of The '70s '75-'79 (2000; digitally exactly 0.5 dB quieter)

The Time-Life CD Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 35 AM Nuggets (1993) uses the same analog transfer as Have A Nice Day Vol. 19, but shaves a few seconds off the tail of the fade and reverses the left and right channels. (I rue the day this CD was released - many of the tracks are based on earlier masterings but with the fade shortened and reversing the left and right channels. Sadly, there are lots of downstream CDs that base their masterings on this disc.) The same analog transfer is used on these discs (all of which have their fades shortened and left and right channels reversed):

• Warner Special Products/Heartland's 2-CD Night Songs (1994)
• Madacy's Rock On 1977 (1996; digitally exactly 1 dB louder than Night Songs)

The Time-Life 2-CD set Singers And Songwriters Vol. 10 The Late '70s (2000) seems to use the same source tape as Have A Nice Day Vol. 19, but (somehow) extending out to the full LP length of 3:49, and having a small amount of noise reduction to mask the hum. This disc uses the same analog transfer:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Seventies Music Explosion Vol. 3 Miracles (2005; digitally exactly 0.9 dB louder)

My recommendations:

For the 3:51 LP length, go with Warner Special Products/Sessions' 2-CD Everlasting Love (1989).

For the 3:44 45 length, go with Rhino's Have A Nice Day Vol. 19 (1993).

Edited by crapfromthepast