Customer Reviews

Torn Between Two Lovers

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That there isn't a whole lot available on Mary MacGregor (born May 6, 1945 in St. Paul, Minnesota) in terms of CD compilations becomes evident through a simple search, with this version of her 1976 vinyl album for Ariola America being the only one to turn up.

More or less discovered by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary while singing with different bands on tour, she started doing backup work for Yarrow, including his album Love Songs, before inking a contract with the German -based Ariola Records' U.S. subsidiary Ariola America, launched in 1975 in L.A. Late in 1976 she released the Yarrow-penned Torn Between Two Lovers on Ariola America 7638, and by December it had neared its zenith of # 1 on both the Billboard Pop Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary (AC) charts, as well as # 3 Country, spending some 22 weeks on the charts well into 1977. The flip, a decent song in itself, was I Just Want To Love You, but rarely, if ever, was it flipped by the DJs or juke box players.

The album then followed and from that there were two more singles, each written by Yarrow, with This Girl (Has Turned Into A Woman) making it to # 27 AC, # 36 Country and # 46 Hot 100 in May 1977 on Ariola America 7662 b/w Good Together, and For A While topping out at # 38 AC, # 86 Country and # 90 Hot 100 in August on Ariola America 7667. She clearly had appeal across the spectrum of popular music but the problem was, many stations (and juke box players) were still in love with Torn Between Lovers which related the tale of a married woman who has owned up to having an affair but is begging her husband to stick by her! Apparently, Mary wasn't exactly enthralled with the premise.

All six sides of these three hits are in this compilation from Max Cat Records which, unfortunately, didn't expand with bonus tracks (as many of the vinyl reissues on CD have done elsewhere), and so you don't get her last two hits with her first label, I've Never Been To Me (# 29 AC in April 1978 on Ariola America 7677 b/w In Your Eyes), and The Wedding Song (There Is Love), penned by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary (# 23 AC and # 81 Hot 100 in December 1978 on Ariola America 7726 b/w Benjamin.

She returned to the Pop Top 40 in late summer 1979 with Robert Stigwood's London-based RSO Records (Robert Stigwood Organization) - distributed in the U.S. by Atlantic Records - doing Good Friend from Bill Murray's 1979 comedy romp Meatballs, taking it to # 11 AC and # 39 Hot 100 on RSO 938 b/w Rudy And Tripper. Her final hit then came in May 1980 when Dancin' Like Lovers peaked at # 31 AC and # 72 Hot 100 on RSO 1025 b/w I Can't Hold On. That same year, performing one of her own compositions, What's The Use?, she won both the best song and best performance awards at the Tokyo World Popular Song Festival, cementing her popularity in Japan, and that led to her writing and performing two pieces, Sayonara and Love Light, for the 1981 Anime film Adieu Galaxy Express 999.

What we need is a proper "best of" for Mary, or perhaps a re-issue of this CD with bonus tracks to take into account those missing hits and maybe even those other songs mentioned above. In the meantime, this is the only CD available covering her music. On it you will also hear Pete Carr on acoustic/lead guitar (Ken Bell and Larry Byron on track 3), Jimmy Johnson on rhythm guitar, Stu Basore on pedal steel guitar, David Hood on bass, drummer Roger Hawkins, Charles Rose, Ronnie Eades, Harvey Thompson and Harrison Calloway on horns, percussionist Tom Roady, Moog synthesizer by Barry Beckett, and backing vocals by Ginger Holladay, Lisa Silver, and Sheri Kramer.

I just ordered this CD-R. It took a long time for me wait for her CD.
"Torn between two lovers" appeared so many times on many compilations.
Yet there seemed no way to buy the "best of" or "greatest Hits" from Mary Macgregor. So I'm totally agreed with the review by AvidOldiesCollector. Mary Macgregor's greatest hits from Ariola is one of my wish list and is worthwhile to re-issue it. It includes "Good friend", & "I've never been to me" which I really think that she sang much better than Charlene did.

I have been waiting for a more comprehensive Mary Macgregor's songs on CDs to
include the following tracks in addition to the songs available on this one.
- I Have Never Been to Me
- Sayonara
- Good Friend
- Dancing Like Lovers
- Love, What Took You So Long
- There Is Love (The Wedding Song)

It will be really nice to have a CD which includes all of these songs.
It will be like a dream come true to me!
I hope more viewers would agree with me!