20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection reissues all but one song from the recordings for the Supremes' 1965 holiday record, Merry Christmas, the group's only contribution to the seasonal market. Though none of these tracks were recorded at Motown's studios (only the vocals were), Merry Christmas was one of the label's best Christmas records; Diana Ross' charming innocence brought across the novelties ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me") as well as the sacred tunes ("Born of Mary," "Children's Christmas Song"), and the harmony backing of Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard made the Supremes' version of "White Christmas" the best ever by a rock group. The four bonus tracks bring together Christmas songs from several Motown compilations (Christmas in the City, Never Before Released Masters) as well as the previously unreleased "Noel."
~Review by John Bush