Wonderland By Night/Twilight Time/By The Light Of The Silvery Moon/Moonlight Becomes You/The Night Is Young (And You’re So Beautiful)/Moonlight In Vermont/I Want Some Lovin’/I Could Have Danced All Night/Polka Dots & Moonbeams/You & The Night & The Music/A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening/Goodnight My Love
Critics claimed that the move of trumpeter Louis Prima to Dot Records resulted in a bland offering compared to his Capitol releases. Nevertheless, Wonderland By Night became his highest charting album. (US:9)
“Wonderland By Night is a far cry from the boisterous, good-time Italian swing of Louis Prima's popular Capitol recordings. This comprises orchestral pop instrumentals, some of which incorporate a wordless vocal chorus. Night time is the theme of the album, with Prima's trumpet out in front to carry the melody. A fine, atmospheric album that sets an evening mood any time of the day, but is completely unlike the music for which Prima is best known.”
“Though it has some pretty solos in it, and the music is all well put together, it lacks the lustre which adds to Prima's appeal. Why anyone would strip Prima of his main boys in their prime is beyond me, but if you're looking for the usual Prima, don't look here. The songs conform exactly to the standard written arrangements, with some crooners in the background, but there are no vocals.”
“One supposes that, after Louis signed with Dot Records upon leaving Capitol, part of the deal was he would do an album along the style already well-established there by Billy Vaughn, who arranged all the selections presented. Unfortunately, that was like having Lawrence Welk arrange Little Richard and have him do 'sparkling champagne' versions of the Liechtenstein Polka. The results would be predictably bland, and this is very much the case here.”
“This was a bunch of studio musicians who came in, played the music and marketed it under Louis Prima. It doesn't sound like the Louis Prima everyone knows, but it's still a nice listen.”
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