The Dukes Of Dixieland

Remember the PT Cruiser? Favourite question, I asked people, would you buy one? I don’t think anyone ever said yes, though they were very popular for a while.

Retro. There’s always a fascination, but for my money, why pay new money for an old looking car. See, it would be glib of me to suggest that if one wants an old-style car, then go buy an old-style car, glib because the cost of an authentic Ford Resto-Rod is prohibitive. Still though, if I’m buying a new car, I want it to look new, style and all.

This is all a lead-up, and a bit of an awkward one, to The Dukes Of Dixieland. They were a jazz band, formed in 1948, whose style harkened back to the early days of jazz, that’s the early 20th century. The Stray Cats did something similar with rockabilly, though try as they might they couldn’t help but modernize the sound, and Sha Na Na did the same for 50s rock and roll, but at least they had camp going for them. The Dukes reproduce the original Dixieland style note for note, and I don’t see the point, though they had plenty of fans. Seems to me that if you want this, go to Amazon and The Original Dixieland Jazz Band; get the real deal, and it's very affordable.

I got The Best Of The Dukes Of Dixieland, and More Best Of The Dukes Of Dixieland, from Pyramid Records, but I only kept part of the second volume, enough to fill up as much empty space as I needed to fill.

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The Dukes Of Dixieland:

• South Rampart Street Parade
• Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie
• Georgia Camp Meeting
• Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
• Dixie
• Muskrat Ramble
• When The Saints Go Marching In
• Bourbon Street Parade
• Eyes Of Texas
• South
• Down By The Riverside
• Bill Bailey
• High Society
• Trombonium
• Dill Pickles