Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed Abd the Early Years of Rock & Roll [Paperback]

John A Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2000

This is the riveting story of how one deejay—Alan Freed—brought the fresh sounds of rock and roll to the airwaves, introducing teenagers in New York and across America to the sounds of a generation. It is also the darker tale of the payola scandals of the late 50s that exposed the links between radio airplay, record promotion, and the mob. With 45 photos.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thorough and impressive... Jackson approaches his subject with intelligence and underlying passion."— -- The Los Angeles Times

About the Author

John A. Jackson is author of "American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire" (1997) and of numerous articles on 1950s rock 'n' roll.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Trade Books (December 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825671647
• ISBN-13: 978-0825671647
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The DEFINITIVE Alan Freed bio, August 21, 2002

By 

"crazycjh" (Cookstown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed Abd the Early Years of Rock & Roll (Paperback)

Legends take on a life on their own, and that is as true with Alan Freed as with anyone in the early rock years. Much of the mis-information, hype, lies and distortions have surfaced from his ardent fans and his vitriolic enemies, and some of the mis-information (i.e. hype) came from Freed himself.
But, then, he WAS a showman, after all. This book cuts through much of the haze, hype and harangues and gets to the real Freed. Interviewing many family members and close friends, this is a thoroughly interesting and readable story, even for those who THINK they know what the story is.
From the early days in Ohio on to the "heyday" at WINS and then, all too quickly to the debacle in Boston, which caused all the "rats" within the industry to bail out on Freed, this is a story all true music fans should read.

But, regardless of the money and favors that changed hands during the birth of rock and roll, it seems likely that Freed never played anything that he didn't have faith in musically. Much as Lenny Bruce became the "fall guy" for un-censored social commentary, Freed paid the price for a new kind of music, and also paid the price because that music was a key factor in bring ing the races together.
When Alan's death came just a few scant years after his fame was ripped from him by the rock-n-roll foes, it was undoubtedly his heavy drinking and a weakened liver that was the actual cause of death. Emotionally, a broken man at the young age of 43, Alan Freed was actually far more influential than he could have ever imagined himself. In those incendiary moments at the live shows that he so artfully orchestrated, and in the telephone book-pounding and sing-along fervor of his radio shows,it is doubtful that even he could have known how far his ground-breaking work would influence and change the world of music in the ensuing decades.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Original Rock 'N Roll DJ!, November 5, 2004

By 

Joseph P. Reel (Pacific Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed Abd the Early Years of Rock & Roll (Paperback)

I share the enthusiasm of the previous reviewers for this definitive biography of the man who introduced Rhythm and Blues to a young white audience as Rock 'N Roll.

As a teenager, I remember standing in long lines outside the Brooklyn and Times Square Paramount theaters waiting for those electrifying 12 to 15 act shows to begin. Little did I realize that the musical foundation for my kids and grandkids was being constructed on those stages between 1954 and 1959. It is not hyperbole to say that Alan Freed and the music he supported made a major impact on many social and cultural levels world wide.

John A. Jackson approaches his subject with both passion and compassion for a man who's life ended prematurely and tragically at age 43. He neither sensationalizes nor glamorizes the dark side of the music business in the process. His fascinating behind-the-scenes account of this champion of American music is well deserving of the Rolling Stone/BMI Ralph J. Gleason Award for Rock & Roll Journalism it received. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched - Impressive - Informative, July 26, 2004

By 

M Kozlowski (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed Abd the Early Years of Rock & Roll (Paperback)

This is one of the most impressive Rock histories that I've ever read, and I've read quite a few. Clearly based on painstaking research, John Jackson achieves the tricky balancing act of documenting Alan Freed's career without trying to either idolise him or destroy his reputation (two of the most popular approaches for Rock history books to take). That's not to say that Jackson is dispassionate; he isn't. He recalls enjoying Freed's broadcasts in his youth, and such a detailed book as this one is clearly a labour of love.

However, Jackson does not let his love of the subject blind him to Freed's quirky personality, his egotisitical clashes with his bosses, and his lack of business awareness. Despite having been interested in Freed and early Rock'n'Roll for the past 25 years, this book provided me with many fresh insights, exploded classic myths, and ultimately revealed a picture of Alan Freed that really surprised me. I'd love to talk about that, but that would spoil the pleasure of reading this excellent book, and I won't do that.

If you really want to know about Alan Freed, the birth of Rock'n'Roll, and the forces that fought against it, you can do no better than buy this well-researched, well-written book. It is the definitive story. I love this book, and I'm so happy that Alan's story has finally been told so well. Many thanks, John Jackson, from one Alan Freed fan to another!