The 25th Day of December, The Staple Singers (Riverside)

I'm including this more for historical purposes, though some of us are big on authenticity as well. The Staples were always first and foremost a gospel group, but most of us recall them for their secular hits like "I'll Take You There." Similarly, their best-known Christmas tune among us pop-rock Christmas fans would be "Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas," a more secular tune that isn't on this 1962 collection. This is a straight gospel workout featuring songs mainly taken from the gospel repertoire like the title song, "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," "No Room at the Inn" and so on. A few more popular carols like "Joy to the World," "Silent Night, and "O Little Town of Bethlehem," songs that emphasize the religious aspect, are also here. Notable for making its CD debut in 2007, and also because at least some of our readers are interested in the roots of our obsession with popular Christmas music. UPDATE: Bob Bailey notes that this album was on CD before, in 1993, as A Gospel Christmas Card, but with several additional tracks by other gospel artists added.