"White Christmas," The Drifters (Atlantic)

Clyde McPhatter leads the way on this 1954 rendition of the Hollywood classic, the version on which Elvis Presley based his rendition. Which makes it historic on two counts, since this arrangement is the one that got Irving Berlin angry enough to try and get Elvis' version banned. On its own merits, of course, it's wonderful, adding a languid rhythm to a song typically crooned a little too reverently. The flip side is a ballad version of "The Bells of St. Mary's." The Drifters, a later iteration anyway, returned in 1964 with "The Christmas Song," available on Atlantic's Soul Christmas.