Just leading on a bit from the themes of Soho, caffs etc. jukeboxes were everywhere when I was growing up in the 60s. One of the best was at the local swimming baths: Jimmy Ruffin singing 'What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?' and Freda Payne's 'Band Of Gold', which I heard on the radio a couple of weeks ago. A bit later, you'd go to pubs that offered a good selection and play the same ones, over and over again. There was nothing better then than leaning over that glass bubble with some bird you happened to fancy.
Pinball machines were found in caffs, too, and I used to spend all my pocket money and paper round earnings circa 1974 on playing the one in the back room of the caff near where I lived. Nick, the owner, was a bodybuilder and had married a much younger girl, Julie, who was a bona fide slapper. We used to go and eye her up a bit and I very nearly had a beating off Nick around the time I left school because he thought I'd had my way with her.
So when did jukeboxes begin to disappear? When CDs came in, I suppose. I don't really remember the last time I saw a pinball machine.
My old boss at Boy John Krivine wrote a nice coffee table juke box book...