Jukebox heroes

More and more bars are going digital, but a few old-fashioned machines are still pumping out a great mix of music.

Stroll into your neighborhood pub these days and you'll probably find something more akin to a giant iPod on the wall than a real live jukebox playing 45s or CDs. These digital units are usually connected to the Internet, often via satellite, with touch screens offering access to nearly every popular song imaginable. There are no buttons sounding a familiar "clunk," no mechanisms to watch as a chosen disc is guided into place. Just MP3s from some remote databank accessible at the swipe of a credit card; for a little extra, you can even trump another person's spot in line.

The new boxes cop out by trying to be all music to all people, robbing us of the pleasures of grazing through the idiosyncrasies of a well-curated jukebox. Old-school boxes allow for chance discoveries, showing us how a taste for punk could be linked to country, funk, standards, doo-wop, whatever.

Club and diner owners say old-school jukeboxes are too expensive to maintain and take up too much space. But there are a few stalwart standouts to be found in the area, jukeboxes that entertain while offering snapshots of the music tastes particular to a hangout and its patrons. We suggest you go drop a few quarters in the slots while you still can.

Charlie's Kitchen: A well-stocked jukebox reflects the style of the people around it, and this divey rock 'n'roll diner's CD flipbook model seems to have been curated by the punk-chic waitresses themselves. You'll find plenty of the Damned, the Cramps, Minor Threat, and the Descendents, alongside nods toward modern indie with the White Stripes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and - our personal preference - mopey '80s rock a la the Smiths. Charlie's has a pretty discerning crowd, so your choices are either going to win you high fives or set off plenty of eye rolling. 10 Eliot St., Cambridge. 617-492-9646. www.restaurant.com/charlieskitchen

Casablanca: The antiquated jukebox here (at right) is about as real as it gets if you're looking for character. Likewise the music: Otis Redding, the Jackson Five, Elvis, the Moody Blues, David Bowie, the Bee Gees. It feels like stepping into a time warp - to Awesome Town. We recommend selecting Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" and bumming out everyone at the bar - dictating the mood of strangers being one of the big pluses that a crisp dollar bill can still buy you at some places. 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617-876-0999. www.casablanca-restaurant.com

Zuzu: The Middle East is known for its eclectic live performances, so it makes sense that the jukebox at its sister bar would reflect that. The Stone Roses, Television, Tom Waits, and the Velvet Underground are enough to hold the attention of your average hipster, but a variety of soul and Motown platters keeps things interesting (makes sense - Zuzu throws a weekly soul dance party). Unfortunately the box, which is free, was on the fritz when we stopped by because some of the discs were skipping. That's about as retro as it gets. 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-492-1886. www.mideast club.com

Model Cafe: The rockers, students, and grizzled locals who rub elbows at this Allston watering hole regard its CD album jukebox as a punk treat, broadly satisfying yet also imposing its own aesthetic. Kyuss might be followed by T. Rex, Dictators, Jet, Velvet Underground, Queens of the Stone Age, Ramones, the Who, a Nuggets blast from the 1960s, and the Stones' "Exile on Main Street." Best are albums by the Cramps, Sonics, Morphine, Misfits, and other artists you're not likely to find elsewhere - though one patron intoned that she considered the Misfits "a boy band." 7 North Beacon St., Allston. 617-254-9365.

Highland Kitchen: Which came first: the music or the menu? Chef/owner Mark Romano used his own collection to put together a jukebox that's as satisfying as his garlic mashed potatoes. There's jazz, country, rock, and soul, with obscure CDs from Nina Simone, Treat Her Right, Booker T & the MG's, and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Flipping the pages and seeing the original CD covers - there's Dylan as a kid in tight jeans - feels like thumbing through your old high school yearbook: "Oh, I remember him." Without Romano's esoteric collection, this could be another neighborhood gastropub aching to be hip. Instead, it just is. 150 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617-625-1131. www.highland kitchen.com

Sacco's Bowl Haven: You know digital jukeboxes have truly taken over if even the Davis Square dive bar Sligo has installed one of the sleek, soulless boxes. Thankfully, Davis Square's candlepin bowling alley still has an old-fashioned machine cranking out everything from Bocelli and Pavarotti to Ludacris and Ozzy. On a recent Sunday night, the jukebox was playing "What a Wonderful World" and "Good Vibrations" as pins clanked in the next room. It doesn't get any cozier than that. 45 Day St., Somerville. www.saccos bowlhaven.com/front.htm

Regina Pizzeria: Hidden behind a booth and beneath a beer sign in this North End staple, a treasure-trove stocked with the perfect soundtrack for an Italian neighborhood hangs on the wall. Think Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis, Louis Prima, the Four Seasons, and the requisite Mob Hits collections. For those with a more modern preference, there's U2, Pink Floyd, and the inexplicably popular Carrie Underwood. 11 ½ Thacher St., Boston. 617-227-0765. www.pizzeriaregina.com

Mr. Dooley's Boston Tavern: No jukebox in Boston can beat Mr. Dooley's selection of Irish music. It has the obvious - the Chieftains, with and without Van Morrison, the Irish Tenors, the Corrs - as well as the older and more obscure stuff like the Wolf Tones and Damien Dempsey. It's probably also the only place you'll find Westlife, Creed, and Death Cab for Cutie on the same box, with Johnny Cash and Brad Paisley thrown in for good measure. 77 Broad St., Boston. 617-338-5656. www.somerspubs.com

Copperfield's Bar: This jukebox aims to please a wide variety of patrons who wander in from Fenway. It's packed with compilations - funk, disco, '80s, and more - everything from Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" to Against Me!'s "New Wave." And, since Aerosmith's old bar Mama Kin was once around the corner, it's only fitting that you can choose from the group's greatest hits compilation, "Big Ones," and 1975 classic, "Toys in the Attic." Copperfield's Bar, 98 Brookline Ave, Boston. 617-247-8605. www.copperfields boston.com

McGreevy's: Not surprisingly, the jukebox at the Back Bay bar owned by the Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey includes a few Dropkick discs. But there's plenty here besides "I'm Shipping Up to Boston." The modern-rock box at Casey's re-creation of America's first sports bar includes plenty of Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and David Bowie. Some of the most frequently played albums are "Red Roses for Me" by the Pogues, "High Voltage" by AC/DC, and "Devil's Night Out" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. 911 Boylston St., Boston.

617-262-0911. mcgreevysboston.com

Flann O'Briens: It's not always on, but when it is, the jukebox at this Mission Hall bar is a real gem. There's no rhyme or reason to how the music is displayed, no CD covers or system of organization for the tunes. On page one alone you'll find Moby, Pete Yorn, Blur, Depeche Mode, Thievery Corporation, Remy Zero, Stereophonics, TV on the Radio, Flogging Molly, and Bone Thugs and Harmony. Each song is scribbled by hand, so you feel like you're peeking into someone's personal record collection. Just no Enya on a Saturday night, please. 1619 Tremont St., Roxbury, 617-566-7744. www.flanns.com