01-08-2023, 06:08 PM
(01-08-2023, 03:53 PM)Mike Watterson Wrote: The jukeboxes that did 78s were amazing.
You never knew how long the queue was? In the café or diner for Truckers I was in in Ohio in early 1980s I never heard my selection! It was a very decrepit place compared to the fake 1950s style Eddie Rocket's in Ireland 30 years later with its similar looking wall box simulation.
One of the reasons for not hearing a selection with vintage jukeboxes, is the way the machine selects them.
Some had 100 "A sides." If a high number have been selected, it would take a while to work through them. Not in the order they were chosen, but in the order they are in the carousel. In between those selections, someone might select a, "B side," this was rare, as many were not particularly good tunes, But some records were marketed as "Double A sides" usually re-issues, with two former hit records by the same artist, they were popular with jukebox owners. But it'll still play all the "A sides" before it plays that selection.
For anyone living in the North West and are interested in jukeboxes, there's an upmarket furniture store called Arighi Bianchi, in Macclesfield. It's a huge rambling building. The owner is a vinyl jukebox enthusiast. He always has about four beautifully restored machines of different eras dotted around the store, set on "freeplay." The idea I guess is for men to play them whilst their wives spend their money around the store.
