Silent Night (Christmas Hymn)

Crosby (opens in a new tab) recorded these two songs in February 1935 for the earliest commercially sold version, Decca 621 (opens in a new tab). The backing on the 1935 release is by Victor Young And His Orchestra and.
There are two later versions of these songs coupled together, this being the latest. For inclusion to this Master Release, matrices 4375 and 3026 must be present. An earlier release -- first numbered as Decca 18510 in the U.S.A. and first released in 1942 -- consists of the following recordings with Max Terr's Mixed Chorus (opens in a new tab) as backing singers:
Side A: "Silent Night, Holy Night"
[matrix DLA 3026] recorded 8 June 1942, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.;
Side B: "Adeste Fideles"
[matrix DLA 3025] also recorded 8 June 1942, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Nearly five years later, Crosby and John Scott Trotter's Orchestra (opens in a new tab) would again record "Silent Night," this time with The Ken Darby Singers as the backing vocal group. That matrix number is L 4375, and it was recorded 19 March 1947. It replaced the original version of "Silent Night," on subsequent releases of the record, now numbered in the U.S.A. as Decca 23777.
With side A being a completely different performance, the resulting coupling must naturally be considered a completely different release.
In summary, to belong to this Master Release a record must have matrices 4375 and 3025.
If a record has matrices 3026 and 3025 it belongs to the 1942 version's Master Release (opens in a new tab).
Please note there is an instance of Decca 23777 (opens in a new tab) which contains the earlier 3026/3025 coupling, so a thorough check of the matrices is important.