Beatles ‘64 Documentary (with Review)

If you were a teenager in America in 1964, you know what it was like.  If you weren’t, the new documentary is a chance for you to learn a little more about how The Beatles quickly conquered the musical scene and culture in America..

The streaming service Disney+ has a new documentary called Beatles ‘64.  It started streaming the day after Thanksgiving, November 29th, 2024.  It includes new interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and some fans who were there.  It also has archival footage, including some that has never been seen.  The film is directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese.

What was to later become a “British Invasion” began when American radio stations started playing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” toward the end of 1963.  They had heard about Beatlemania in England, and obtained the records from overseas.  Officially, Capitol Records realeased the single (with “I Saw Her Standing There” on the flip side) on December 26th, 1963.

For teens, the combination of those two songs was like an explosion of a completely new and energetic musical sound.  That was especially true when compared with the mostly tame Pop music of the teen idols and the left over old-fashioned singers from the 40s and 50s.

But it was a lot more than one single.

(My Beatles singles from 1964)

Before “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was released by Capitol Records, three other labels had been given the rights to Beatles recordings that had been released earlier in England.  Soon, those small labels rushed-released “She Loves You”, “Please Please Me”, “Love Me Do”, “Twist And Shout”, “From Me To You” and more.

January of 1964 also gave us two albums filled with more songs.

Both of these albums were out before The Beatles came to America, so we heard even more great songs like “All My Loving” and “This Boy”.  Beatlemania was already dominating our radio stations and turntables by the time The Beatles’ Pan Am plane touched down in New York City on February 7th, 1964.

Thousands of screaming fans greeted them, and two days later, a record 73-million tuned into the Ed Sullivan Show to see The Beatles perform in the U.S. for the first time.

We finally got to see the four young men who had already captured the musical hearts of America’s teens, and the group’s popularity soared even higher.  Then on February 11th, 1964 they played their first U.S. concert in Washington D.C.  All archival footage used in the documentary has been restored in 4K, and the sound has been remixed by Giles Martin.

Beatles ‘64 only covers about three weeks of The Beatles’ first visit to America, but there were another four albums released that year in the U.S.

You can see that among the albums is A Hard Day’s Night. Somehow during all their songwriting, recording, and touring, The Beatles filmed what turned out to be a very popular movie.  It also gave us two more #1 singles “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “A Hard Day’s Night”.  In total, The Beatles had 19 Top 40 hits in 1964, and six of them made it to #1. Those are numbers very few artists have reached in their entire careers.

Review:  Beatle fans will want to watch Beatles ‘64, but there’s not much we haven’t seen before.  The vast majority of the film has been used in multiple documentaries.  One of the main reasons to watch it is that the quality of the film and audio have been digitally upgraded, and it looks and sounds great.

The historical arc they chose was that America was depressed after the November, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and that was why there was such a strong reaction in the U.S. to the joy brought by The Beatles.  I just don’t buy it.  I was 15 when The Beatles’ music started being played on U.S. radio stations and they came to New York City.  The reason The Beatles were so popular here is because the music was so excitingly good.  They also looked and acted different than any previous artists.  Beatlemania had hit England months earlier, and the reaction there was just like in the U.S. (screaming fans & huge crowds)…no assassination involved.

The only real difference between Britain and America was that it was a buildup over time in England, and it was an explosion in the U.S. as a year’s worth of Beatles’ music was dropped here all at once.

Probably the most interesting part of the new Beatles ‘64 documentary is hearing present day thoughts from some of the fans who were a part of the initial visit.  They tell how they reacted to The Beatles, and try to convey why.  Also, insiders like Ronnie Spector, Smokey Robinson, and musician/producer Jack Douglas provide important historical perspective.

The timeline of the documentary was a bit weak.  They played a portion of the Washington D.C. concert before The Beatles had even been on the Ed Sullivan Show, and there was no good reason for including it out of order.  When they did get to the D.C. concert, the sound of the new mix by Giles Martin was impressive.  It would be great if more of the concert could be released.

Despite some shortcomings, Beatles ‘64 is worth your time if you want to relive the excitement of The Beatles’ first trip to America.