No, it isn't. This is confirmed on the podcast When They Was Fab with Tedeschi as their guest and he confirms the pronunciation as "Tah-Des-ki": podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/2024-51-director-david-tedeschi-beatles-64/id1063469747?i=1000680476142 There are secondary sources in recent interviews where he is introduced as Tah-Des-ki, like here on Good Morning America: ruclips.net/video/GEUHLRSal5s/видео.html Sorry Phil.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Sorry Pop. I thought for sure I heard that name pronounced the other way. But who in their right mind would use Good Morning America as a source? Hahahaha! Here's definitely one you and everyone else missed: It's pronounced "MAY-els, the first "S" is silent. And that's from seeing them interviewed 25 years ago about their film What's Happening, I don't care what Wiki says. Oh, and the folks who knew the Maysles brother who lived in Camden, Maine always pronounced it like that. So we're even, LOL! Please don't think I'm trying to be an ass, I'm really only trying to help. I really LOVE your podcast, wasn't trying to be mean at all.
@@philkaiser6025 No problem. Many youtubers pronounced it wrong and I did some quick research to double check. Glad I did. I didn't know that about the Maysles, so thank you for that. I appreciate the feedback Phil.
I chuckled when you mentioned contemporary Paul's groundbreaking new insight about the early Beatles singing directly to their fans. I love the Maysles brothers documentary and am (now even more) confident that I will never see this latest product. Thanks for doing the dirty work for us! In light of recent events in each of our lives, I appreciate your videos even more and consider you a virtual pal. 🙏
Spot on review, Matt. My mother greatly admired JFK and was devasted when he was assassinated. I was 10 and my brother Matt was 12 on February 9, 1964. That night truly changed our lives. We became aware of rock 'n' roll as something exciting and meaningful. Our love of the Beatles had absolutely nothing to do with JFK's assassination. Yes, we were sad, but we had moved on by February. The next day at school everyone was talking about The Beatles. I don't recall a single mention of how our gloom over JFK was now lifted. Matt and I became life-long Beatles fans. At Matt's memorial service the first song on my mix tape was I Want to Hold Your Hand. Everyone there knew why. I also agree with your take on recent Apple products. The deluxe box sets are nice, but Giles' remixes are underwhelming and unnecessary. I buy them for the outtakes, demos and alternative takes, which are increasingly fewer in number. Revolver and Let It Be were big disappointments in this respect. Terry
I have heard that people were complaining that Terence Trent D’Arby was interviewed. They said he was only two years old when the Beatles came to America in 1964. What the hell would he know firsthand about the visit?
The only Beatles connection I can recall is back in the 80's when D'arby claimed his debut album is better than the Beatles' debut album. Of course, his career then tanked. 😁
@michaelrochester48 With all the people connected to the Beatles still around, that's such a random artist for them to come up with. I guess Howard Jones wouldn't return their calls. 😂
@@drummer78 that video does NOT contain all of the Maysles Bros footage. To get all of it you need to find "What's Happening; The Beatles in the USA" which is the ORIGINAL documentary the Bros did back in '64. IT is OUTSTANDING, but it is very hard to find now. My copy is on VHS and is horribly bass-heavy.
Wow! Thanks, Matt, for your review of Beatles '64. I had been looking forward to this release, but based on your review (and other critical reviews I've seen), I think I'll skip this one. I was 10 years old when the popular president John F. Kennedy was killed, and I remember it well. Around 2 PM on Nov. 22, my 5th grade teacher walked into our classroom with tears in her eyes, announcing that President Kennedy had died, and sent us home. What followed was 4 days of mourning. The downbeat mood of the country lingered for weeks. However, by early February 1964 we'd mourned enough, and the country needed to move on. As luck would have it, this roughly corresponded with the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, and for many people (including myself) this was the antidote (or excuse) we needed. Seeing the Beatles perform on TV for the first time was a memorable moment for me -- akin to watching astronauts walking on the moon some years later! I remember the whole family (including my father who didn't even like the Beatles) huddled around our black-and-white TV set watching "the four mop-tops" perform. Priceless!
A good interview subject would’ve been George Harrison’s sister who was actually in New York at the time helping her brother who was suffering from a cold or pneumonia. But she died two years ago. The big problem is going to be this Matt, many of the principles from that time are deceased now. There’s no way getting around it.
Thanks for your review, Matt. I was expecting this to be like the "Get Back" documentary where we just see day by day footage of The Beatles during their 64 Amercia tour. I don't care much of hearing from a bunch of nobodies that had nothing to do with The Beatles in 1964 telling me about how much of a fan they are.
A lot of Beatles films understandably focus on the music. Having lived through that period, it's impossible to understate how much they changed the culture. This film really captures that. I was pleasantly surprised.
Did the Beatles change the culture or was it already changing, and they were just at the forefront? I think putting all this change on the Beatles is unfair to them, especially considering how much has gone downhill since then. I get some things that changed were great, but the West is not in a good place right now and that catalyst for it all was the 60s and the Beatles
Ha. Hahaha. You think the 50s was better? You're nuts. Racism, sexism, free speech, technology, the draft, poverty, even the threat of war -- today has obvious problems but the 50s were far far worse.
All I remember about Terence Trent D'Arby was an interview he gave around the time of his only hit, in which he proclaimed he would be "bigger" than the Beatles.
I followed his career for a bit into the 90s, playing his next 2 releases quite a bit. He overreached. He believed he was the greatest artist around, even comparing himself to Michael Jackson and Prince. That turns American audiences off, which is most likely why he moved to Europe where they're more receptive to grandiosity like that.
A restored and possibly re-edited Maysles documentary would have been far better. As a bonus a restored Sullivan/DC concert could have made this a great project. Of the little bit we got to hear, I was blown away by the restored sound.
George Harrison said in 1994 after the anthology that everthing else would be called "scraping the barrel" and he was RIGHT. Also, by contrast with these mere mortals involved in the projects , when the Beatles had to rush a project out, they'd do so with such riff raff as, say, Rubber Soul (just kidding about riff raff). They were just on a whole different level of creativity, productivity, and quality.
Hadn't positively condidered passing on this, but you convinced me. I guess I'll wait for "The Rutles, As It Happened". 😉 It's good (for you & all of us) that you are keeping busy. Hope you're well. 🤗
They could've made a documentary of all the footage from the 1964 visit. They could've made a documentary of people talking about what the arrival of the Beatles meant to them. They could've made a documentary of Paul and Ringo going through 1964 artifacts from their archives. Instead they made a documentary that was less than the sum of its parts. The silver lining is that the peeks at unseen Anthology footage suggests a huge new Anthology anniversary project next year
It’s good to have you back and you’re officially back with a Beatles’ project review. It sounds like something that we don’t need to be in a rush to see.
Thanks Matt and as usual an outstanding critique on the Beatles’64 documentary! Wishing you a most happy New Year and looking forward to more exciting programs from you in 2025.
Magical Mystery Tour is a better film. Hopefully we will get a physical release of the Remastered/Remixed complete version of the DC and Sullivan shows from this missed opportunity. GREAT to see you back at work Matt!
I agree with your review but I did think there were some bright spots with the interviews. I really enjoyed Ronnie Spector's stories about hanging out with the Beatles, I don't know if she's spoken about it before but it was new to me. I also enjoyed Smokey Robinson, including talking about how pleased he was that the Beatles covered one of his songs.
Some were passable. Ronnie's was older but I was shocked that they used part of Smokey's where he said he saw the Beatles in Liverpool "before they were the Beatles" in the cavern. The Miracles first went to the UK in 1965 so this was horribly wrong. Maybe Smokey mis-remembered it but as a film maker, I never would have used something so blatantly wrong.
@@popgoesthe60s52 How do you know he didn't visit England on his own? We shouldn't assume we know everything about stars' lives. Appreciate your review, tho. I was a teen back then & I can tell you from experience that the idea that everyone was over JFK being murdered in a mere 2.5 months is ludicrous. My large extended family certainly wasn't as we all loved the Kennedys. That Christmas was the worst I can recall. The Beatles definitely gave us something to be happy about. Even my parents who were into country music were glad to see a spark of joy in their kids again. My mom remembered that well in her later years. This revisionist history by folks who weren't even there is more than annoying.
I really wish they mostly just had footage of them in the US. This is basically the Beatles version of the beach boys documentary that came out on disney plus earlier this year. Where 80% of it is other people talking lol
So true, Matt; I was on the playground when a classmate came running out, saying "Kennedy's been shot!!" There was a teacher at our 1thru 12 school named Kennedy. "The teacher?!!" .... "No, the president"... "Oh, that's good, it wasn't the teacher!" We never connected the magic of The Beatles with Kennedy in any way! I had just turned nine that November. Thanks for this analysis!
I sincerely hope you are doing well sir, and God bless you 🙏! I have been subscribed 2 years , and thoroughly enjoy your channel. God bless you sir 🙏. Joey in Cleveland
Just finished watching it just to comment on your comments. Spot on. Apple signed a deal to churn out content to Disney not unlike a band from the 60s would sign a multi-year contract to put albums despite having any creative juice left.
With the pre-release hype on this project wasn't enough to make me want to see the actual documentary. For me, this era was covered completely well in the ANTHOLOGY series from 1995.
It seems to be the nature of historiography, that a previously unconsidered narrative can take hold and everyone treats it as though it has always been there. The whole 'JFK assassination black cloud being lifted by The Beatles arrival 11 weeks later' thing was never really mentioned years ago (in either JFK assassination documentaries nor Beatles ones). It's the same when Pet Sounds was gaining a lot of (re-evaluation) attention from the 90's onwards and it was seen as part of this furious rivalry between the Beach Boys and Beatles, and that was definitely an overblown, trumped up narrative that was never really mentioned before. Anyway, rant over, good to see you back Matt and hope you had as good a Christmas as can be expected.👍
Brian Wilson has LONG said that he was competing with the Beatles. Brian said that Rubber Soul (US version) inspired him to make what became Pet Sounds. Although Brian can be an unreliable historian, he has stuck with this narrative for decades. Who would know better?
Exactly, my advice is to find a copy of “The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit”. It perfectly captures the excitement of that visit in February of 1964. No need for talking heads and a narrative being crammed in.
Interesting perspective on Apple in general, and boy I must’ve been sucked in by all the old footage, because I totally missed how bad the rest of it was. Looking back now, you’re so right! Happy and healthy new year, Matt.
I agree with most of your criticisms and I think you summed it up best by saying it was a rushed job. I lot of wasted time with fan testimonials we don't care about. After viewing the Washington DC show multiple times I was struck by The Beatles professionalism under extremely stressful circumstances.The microphones that didn't work. Ringo's rotating drum platform. Weak security. If the fans wanted to storm the stage , there wouldn't be much to stop them. If I were directing I would find as many people as possible who are still alive who were there to get a behind the scenes look. That would be interesting!! Glad your back Matt.👍
Your candid and complete comments ring very true . All those same thoughts rattled around in my own head but you manage to organize them into a cohesive video . Very well done, mate !
Leonard Bernstein's daughter did have a small but important part in the appreciation of the Beatles' music in that she brought their music to the attention of her father, repeatedly as they progressed, and he mentions that in one of his music analysis TV shows. His comments on his own show go a long way to explaining the continued popularity of the Fab's music, sixty years later. So this new film could have run with that idea, but I guess not. Some of my friends who are also fans have liked the film, but I've decided not to bother.
I joined Disney for the Jackson stuff but won't be doing so for this. It might all be updated quality wise but you can see the original material on RUclips. Interestingly, having recently watched The Sopranos I came across Stevie Van Zandt's Beatles interviews. He is a total fan, is 74 and was around then and would have been a great interviewee! Thanks for the review Matt and best for 2025.
BINGO!!! You nailed it Matt-Scraping the bottom of the barrel is right with your review of Beatles 64, and once again Apple drops it big time with this trite documentary, it has NONE of the excitement captured on the Maysley brothers film The Beatles First U.S. Visit - Hopefully now that Jeff Jones (Apple CEO) gone, and someone new steps in with fresh ideas instead of same stale product that Apple has been releasing lately . As for this documentary the only good interviews were from Ronnnie Spector and Smokey Robinson-other than that its ALL Blah,Blah,Blah. This Beatles 64 makes Ron Howard's movie Eight Days A Week far superior (and I for one hated all those talking heads) - All that was needed for this Beatles 64 was a complete remastered Washington Concert and Ed Sullivan show performances, and this movie would have been sooooo much better, in the end its all about the music - Great review Matt, take care - cheers 🍻
With no new product other than a few singles made from a cassette of Lennon's out takes over the years (decades), it makes it hard to tell / sell the same story to fans again and again and again. Peter Jackson gave us new (unseen) footage and sounds but even George Martin said that they had scraped the bottom of the barrel with what there is to release while making Anthology.
I agree with you Matt about everything regarding Beatles 64. I was almost 6 when JFK was shot and I remember crying, but 2 months later when The Beatles hit big I don't remember anyone being so down and out. Also the interviews were all a waste of time and I wish they provided more concert footage. Overall I somewhat enjoyed it but I'll never watch it again.
Your review of Beatles '64 was spot on with my assessment of it after watching it. You said basically everything I want to say. One future Beatles project Id love to see, in the Peter Jackson style, Id call "Beatles '66". How they morphed from the beginning of the year (playing teeny bopper atadium shows) to the end ("Strawbwrry Fields and laying foundation for "Sgt Pepper"). Hope your doing ok. Wishing a happy holiday and happy new year!
Spot on, Matt, about the Beatles - JFK assassination trope. I'm now 70 years, so I was 9 at the time, and you are right: We kids had some vague sense of the gravity of the JFK shooting, but, as you said, by three weeks later our little sensibilities had moved beyond JFK. At that time, I was especially fired up that Santa would be bringing me a passel of Beatles 45s. In my mind there was never a connection between the two, and there never has been.
It's probably a few years too late to make this doc properly. Too many figures have passed away by this point without having been properly interviewed. The actors from Hard Days Night, Sid Bernstein, George Martin, the record executives, Ronnie Spector (I wish that story was told), Cynthia Lennon etc. That said, it would have been easy to at least create a doc with some authenticity. Jimmie Nicol is out there somewhere. Mal's daughter must have photos and some stories. Mark Lippidos probably has some video footage from the various people he brought into Beatlefest. Maybe John's half brothers have some undiscovered info on Alf Lennon's trip to see John. I'm sure some of the flight attendants are alive from their flight into JFK. Jackie DeShannon, Tommy Roe, Bill Medley... they are all alive and opened for them in 1964. That was just off the top of my head in a few minutes. Who's running that network?
The documentary didn’t need any modern interviews. The Maysles footage and the live performances from Sullivan and DC would have been enough. They tell the story better than any modern interview ever could.
@mjanovec I don't disagree, but clearly they felt the need for fresh content. I'm just saying they could have spent 15 minutes and come up with better ideas.
Another great episode on the Beatles and I was born in October of 1964 so a lot of great stuff happened during 1964 thank you and have a great upcoming New Year Matt.🎶🎶📻🎶🎶
Excellent review, Matt. I was with my girlfriend and was excited to have her see it, so my review sucked, ha ha. I agree with everything you said. It could have been better and we needed more live footage from Washington and the Ed Sullivan Show.
While some of the interviewees were oddly chosen/featured, overall I enjoyed the "film." I did, connect with the interview with Joe Queenan's "Like a light went on" comments. And, I think you'd hear that comment from thousands that experienced that Ed Sullivan performance first hand. It had nothing to do with JFK, though the country did feel a real darkness immediately after the assassination. The dark which the Beatles extinguished was a musical darkness. And the change in attitudes toward music between pre and post Beatles was transformative, at least for us Teens. I turned 14 shortly after the Ed Sullivan Show. I got an electric guitar, that I still have, for that March '64 birthday. This was a 100% by product of the Beatles in 1964.
Thanx, Matt. You've spared me from signing up for a month of Disney+ to watch the thing. 🙂 And in return, I'll tell you that the recent Brian Epstein biopic was *terrible*. Let's start with how they pronounced his name wrong throughout it! But their Beatles - with a 6'4" George and a 5'1" John - were at least amusing in their badness. But if you haven't seen it, don't rush to do so.
Actually, Apple is a four-way democracy and all have to agree. It's not set up to be ruled by a solitary entity. My guess is Apple comes up with all these half baked ideas and the 4 estates just give a stamp of approval. It's getting late in the game for either Paul or Ringo to give a shit about the actual product.
@@popgoesthe60s52Agreed. Paul and Ringo didn’t even give dedicated interviews for this documentary. The filmmakers had to use table scraps from interviews both gave for their vanity book projects.
Thank You Matt ! Great review of Beatles '64. I agree with every word. I'm old enough to remember the unbelievable excitement of the Beatles arrival in '64 and this film does not capture the times at all. The JFK footage with "All My Loving" sung dirge like at the beginning of the film had me rolling my eyes and it was mostly downhill from there. Huge disappointment for me. Watched "The First U.S. Visit" DVD after to cleanse my palate and experience Beatlemania '64.
Matt, this was amazing. Thank you for calling out the ridiculousness of these quotes. Do these people not know that if John Lennon were alive and hearing these things he'd be rolling his eyes and trying not to be embarrassed for them. Never mind George. A grown man knocks his own dad to make a rock-n-roll band seem his saviors. By the way, I have heard Paul dropping the "F" bomb for some weird reason lately? Thank you so much for this real and honest review. Being a Beatles fan since 1964, I will probably watch it, but I will wait for the free re-run. Not spending $ on this. God bless you and your family, Matt.
THANK YOU MATT! THANK YOU!! This is why you are THE MAN!! History is not lineal... events happen that are disconnected, or only connected temporally... I am so tired of hearing how "The Beatles got us over JFK"... I wasn't there but I'm sure the two events had nothing to do with one another... its just like how "The Miracle on Ice" got us over Vietnam... NO IT DIDN'T... the same feelings about Vietnam and inflation and the hostages were there the day after the US Hockey team won the gold... and that Star Wars somehow "made us feel better because of Vietnam and the 70s"... "Star Wars" was good because the world was hungry for an epic and George Lucas hit on the magic of the post-modern pastiche, a gold mine which Tarantino has been tapping into his whole career
Early comment, but older stars and celebs would have been interesting, I am thinking of Teri Garr. She actually went to England to meet with them in person, I would have loved to hear from her, and I'm sure there is some interviews of her around. I would also like to hear something from Micky Dolenz as he met with them as well (edit) Great job Matt, finished watching last night.
You articulated all the thoughts I was keeping suppressed in the back of my mind. I was focused on all the stuff I did like while watching it. I was bored at times, and I think I was looking at my phone through most of the contemporary yakking. But I was generally grateful for the documentary showing me all the Mayseles footage, which I hadn't seen except for what might have been in Anthology. Overall though, you're right, it was a poor assemblage, and I wondered (though forgave at the time) all the non-64 stuff being in there. They should have just titled it Beatles in America.
Ok, I will ponder your work here a little bit more. There are, in addition to film criticism, many reasons which explain the success of the Beatles in their time. Some young people may just like the music, but I can understand how they could totally miss what was important about them and how we felt about their emergence. Maybe I’ll lay those ideas out on a channel someday. Good luck.
Matt, I would like to object to your saying that adults didn’t like the Beatles. My mother was 22 when the Beatles first came to America. She said that she really enjoyed the music. She was just not one of the “screamers”…, in other words I think fans over the age of 20 to maybe 25 admired the music and thought they were talented if they enjoyed them, they may have thought the haircuts were silly, but they really did like the music they just were not part of the mania section of the fan.
In Matt's defense he did acknowledge that some adults liked the Beatles, but said they were "very much in the minority." I believe he is correct there. My father was a musician from the big band era of the 30's and he had many complimentary things to say about the Beatles and often defended them. But, in my personal experience, he was in the minority. Most of my parent's friends did not like the Beatles or understand why I (as an 11-year-old at the time) liked them.
Nothing is 100%, but Matt is basically correct. I still remember James Bond (Sean Connery) saying in "Goldfinger" that listening to the Beatles without earmuffs should not be done. And that's self-described hip London/Hollywood talking
@@wyliesmith4244 many people over 35 let’s say didn’t like rock ‘n’ roll in general. Not just the Beatles. They even thought the clean cut beach boys were subversive.
Apple Corporate. A very secretive organization. Great to see you back in the saddle Matt after all the challenges and difficulties of the past several weeks.
Well I rather enjoyed it. Looking forward to next years "Beatles 65. The Shea Stadium Years". Narrated by Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
I saw too many mediocre reviews to even watch Beatles '64. And since I don't have a turntable, I only have the CDs of the Capitol albums from 2004 & 2006. Still, I consider myself the biggest Beatles fan in the cul-de-sac. Thanks for your words of wisdom Matt!!!
I guess I bought into the "Beatles saved the US from the gloom of JFK's assassination" myth. Thank you for putting this into perspective. I can't say what young kids might have thought about the assassination or for how long. My closest experience was Nixon's resignation in the early '70s, but it had nothing to do with music. I think you're right that The Beatles would have been just as popular with or without the assassination. You also raised a good point that adults generally didn't like The Beatles. At this point in '64, their music was still aimed at the teen/young teen market--what would later be called "bubblegum music." As The Beatles grew, the music grew in sophistication, and adult appreciation followed.
I was also under-whelmed by the project, that had been hyped-up for a few months before release. I guess if you had never seen any of the other Beatle documentaries about their first US visit, this may have been more enjoyable. The remastered/remixed soundtrack did sound good, so that is something. Great review, and thanks for sharing.
Everything, EVERYTHING, you said in this video is SPOT ON! When I was a kid in the sixties, there were Beatles cards, Beatles cotton candy, Beatles dolls, Beatles ice-cream, Beatles wigs, Beatles this, Beatles that! That's basically what Disney (and its fall guys) are trying to hit people over the head with... Beatles paraphernalia... and for the same reason that entrepreneurs of the 60s were doing so... EASY MONEY!
Matt, I'm glad you enjoyed the dopes who talked about the "Let there be light" quality of Beatlemania for them as much as I did. Man, I can't imagine being that vacuous. I just had a look at the Billboard Hot 100 for 1963. I questioned the absence of one recording, but it's possible that either I missed it or it came out in 1962. It's a fascinating list, and confirms my memories ( I was eleven in 1963 ) that the radio was filled with great stuff in that pre - Beatles year. And remember, most of this is "kids'" music. I'm sure the chart for "easy listening/adult/contemporary" was at least as distinguished. ( Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Broadway, and so on. ) But on the "kids" chart, there are all sorts of treats, Motown and Motown influenced stuff being most noticeable. That was when the folk music vogue was at its peak and about to plummet ( Dylan ), and there are a significant number of folkie recordings. Burt Bacharach was gearing up to be a melody juggernaut in 1963. It's horsesh*t that there was no rock. There was a good bit of it, guys like Dion and Roy Orbison. I remember that at Christmas in 1963 my church had had a particularly beautiful service. Early in 1964, I was reading H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man," and smarting over Vicki K.'s lack of interest in me, something I thought might change when we were grown up. ( It did. ) But the idea that the Earth was without form and void and would have remained that way without The Beatles? Pathetic.
Well put, Bob. The legacy building has become and exercise in self aggrandizing for the generation who "were there." They have over stepped their bounds and have offered us a vacuous (to use your excellent term) narrative which undercuts the credibility of greatest music catalog of the 20th century.
hi matt - very happy to see you again - thanks for the review - please also accept my sincerest condolences on the recent death of your wife - which i was unable to offer until now. d
As ever, nailed it Matt. Sometimes barrel scraping can deliver some interesting bits and pieces but with so many contemporaries having moved on, we’re almost guaranteed schlock. Apple are in danger of screwing the legacy up. The bad feeling surrounding Apple over the Lewisohn magnum opus is probably symptomatic of the mess things are getting into.
Apple is the exact antithesis of Lewisohn. My guess is that Beatles 64 will be quickly forgotten and designated to the scrap pile of Beatles projects to avoid, where as Lewisohn's work....
Thanks for this review, saving us the trouble to watch! I'm a fan of the Maysles First US Visit and somehow I doubted that this new project would be up to scratch, so your verdict provides expert confirmation. My one question of this period surrounds the story (told by Paul?) that they would only tour the USA if they had a number one hit, yet surely it would've required weeks of planning to get a spot on the Sullivan show?
As a Canadian I couldn't understand the whole JFK thing. We got to hear a few Beatles songs early on as unlike the pinheads at Capital USA, Capital Canada had Love me Do and the rest from the start. Have to agree with you on your review. I would rather have had a remastered Washington concert.
So true about the Kennedy assination in the life of a child. I was 8 . The way some people act , if the assination had not had happened , The Beatles would've just bombed and the whole British Invasion would've never happened !! I've yet to see the documentary because I haven't heard anything good about. There's ton of boots out there already of this show. I prefer the two disc dvd of the first American visit. It sounds like they had a good idea for a great documentary , they could've done the whole year , but they didn't follow through. Another great interview.
I think you hit upon what wasn't working: many of the interviews. I watched it. And something felt....off. I couldn't pinpoint it. The documentary just didn't feel like a legit part of the Beatles lore. Just like with Doctor Who, I wish the Beatles could get a rest. We don't need a continuous rollout of products. There's more than enough to tide people over for years until some love and care could be put into something new and fresh--whatever that may be. On a side note, it's good to see you posting again. Welcome back after what I'm sure was a very emotional holiday season.
I would have preferred some kind of background as to how “I want to hold your hand” became a hit record. In spite of opposition by people like Dave Dexter at capital records blocking it. Plus they could have shown George Harrison’s visit to see his sister in September 1963. And his experience in America would have been an interesting prelude to the documentary.
There was such a great opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles taking over the world but it has been missed. As an Aussie The US album boxset has been a joy as these albums aren’t really seen here. Think of what could have been done and then look at what we got.
We don't need one frame of anything other than what was filmed at the time. There is *plenty* of such contemporaneous material from which to edit a two-volume film that would be as funny, entertaining and would stand up to repeat viewings on par with A Hard Day's Night.
I didn’t care for this doc either. It’s cool to reminisce and see a few new things. It’s worth one viewing half awake… which is how I watched it. I’ve been less than thrilled with Apple releases lately too. I agree the Yellow submarine soundtrack sounded great remixed. Why try to mimic the original mix to get a cleaner sound? Just remix it to today’s standards. Let It Be Naked was excellent in that regard.
Matt, good to see you back with another PGT60s video. I was 8 years old when Kennedy was assassinated, and the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. I agree that the Beatles and Kennedy were completely coincidental. I had three aunts who were teenagers at the time and they were crazy about the Beatles. They would probably have been better interview subjects for this project. Anyway, it sounds like I can be satisfied with my own memories of the Beatles in 1964 without having to watch a cobbled together bunch of dreck from people who want to wring the last bit of cash from the Beatles legacy.
Your review is reminding me of a documentary on Apple TV about Charlie Brown. It was disappointing because the interviews were of Hollywood celebrities standing in front of these artsy hipster backgrounds. Not only that, but their interviews sounded very scripted and wooden. They seemed extremely phony . Now had they interviewed other comic strip artists or something like that, it would’ve came off as far more genuine.
Speaking of Jack Douglas, what do we make of his quotes fairly recently that "John and Paul were....talking" around the time that JL was recording Double Fantasy? I do believe he also said that John said they had plans to write and record together again in '81.
The perspective of how the arrival of the Beatles to America affected people and the culture is a good idea, but this was a scattered, unfocused film. I would have thought a basic examination of events told in a timeline, with more performance clips, and more of film examples from the two weeks, and more interviews with people who recall their reaction to that first arrival would be more focused.
“…Every Baby Boomer’s Wet Dream…” Seriously? Otherwise, an excellent review. I especially liked Ronnie Spector’s Stories with The Beatles; which also appear in her autobiography “Be My Baby.” In my experience, most adults were ambivalent about The Beatles or were won over by the songs from 1964-1965. Adults weren't a homogenous demographic, 21+, 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+. There was a negative shift by 1966 as The Beatles had evolved and America splintered. Matt, Happy Holidays! 🎁
His name is pronounced Tah-DESH-e
No, it isn't. This is confirmed on the podcast When They Was Fab with Tedeschi as their guest and he confirms the pronunciation as "Tah-Des-ki": podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/2024-51-director-david-tedeschi-beatles-64/id1063469747?i=1000680476142
There are secondary sources in recent interviews where he is introduced as Tah-Des-ki, like here on Good Morning America: ruclips.net/video/GEUHLRSal5s/видео.html
Sorry Phil.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Sorry Pop. I thought for sure I heard that name pronounced the other way. But who in their right mind would use Good Morning America as a source? Hahahaha!
Here's definitely one you and everyone else missed: It's pronounced "MAY-els, the first "S" is silent. And that's from seeing them interviewed 25 years ago about their film What's Happening, I don't care what Wiki says. Oh, and the folks who knew the Maysles brother who lived in Camden, Maine always pronounced it like that. So we're even, LOL!
Please don't think I'm trying to be an ass, I'm really only trying to help. I really LOVE your podcast, wasn't trying to be mean at all.
@@philkaiser6025 No problem. Many youtubers pronounced it wrong and I did some quick research to double check. Glad I did. I didn't know that about the Maysles, so thank you for that. I appreciate the feedback Phil.
I chuckled when you mentioned contemporary Paul's groundbreaking new insight about the early Beatles singing directly to their fans. I love the Maysles brothers documentary and am (now even more) confident that I will never see this latest product. Thanks for doing the dirty work for us!
In light of recent events in each of our lives, I appreciate your videos even more and consider you a virtual pal. 🙏
Thank you Geoffroy - don't mind rolling up my sleeves and getting a little dirty.
This is the review I was waiting on above all others.
Ditto.
Me too.
Spot on review, Matt. My mother greatly admired JFK and was devasted when he was assassinated. I was 10 and my brother Matt was 12 on February 9, 1964. That night truly changed our lives. We became aware of rock 'n' roll as something exciting and meaningful. Our love of the Beatles had absolutely nothing to do with JFK's assassination. Yes, we were sad, but we had moved on by February. The next day at school everyone was talking about The Beatles. I don't recall a single mention of how our gloom over JFK was now lifted. Matt and I became life-long Beatles fans. At Matt's memorial service the first song on my mix tape was I Want to Hold Your Hand. Everyone there knew why.
I also agree with your take on recent Apple products. The deluxe box sets are nice, but Giles' remixes are underwhelming and unnecessary. I buy them for the outtakes, demos and alternative takes, which are increasingly fewer in number. Revolver and Let It Be were big disappointments in this respect.
Terry
Perfectly said, Terry! I'm the same age as you and had largely the same experiences you describe, so I don't think there's much more I need to say. 😅
I appreciate the comments, Terry.
I have heard that people were complaining that Terence Trent D’Arby was interviewed. They said he was only two years old when the Beatles came to America in 1964. What the hell would he know firsthand about the visit?
The only Beatles connection I can recall is back in the 80's when D'arby claimed his debut album is better than the Beatles' debut album. Of course, his career then tanked. 😁
I don't even remember who he is.
@@MrKeychange he had a number one hit in the 80s called wishing well I remember it very well
@michaelrochester48 With all the people connected to the Beatles still around, that's such a random artist for them to come up with.
I guess Howard Jones wouldn't return their calls. 😂
@@michaelrochester48 - My favorite was his follow-up single called "Sign Your Name". I actually thought it was one of the best singles of that year.
I had a feeling this was going to be recycled garbage and celebs lamenting on blah, blah, blah.
Great review as always.
I’d like to see the original documentary with both the Sullivan and the DC concerts restored in their entirety. That would have been worth watching.
It’s available..it’s called “The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit”. You can probably get an old DVD copy of it.
@@drummer78I have a VHS copy of it. Bought it years ago.
@@drummer78 that video does NOT contain all of the Maysles Bros footage. To get all of it you need to find "What's Happening; The Beatles in the USA" which is the ORIGINAL documentary the Bros did back in '64. IT is OUTSTANDING, but it is very hard to find now. My copy is on VHS and is horribly bass-heavy.
Nice to see you Matt.
Apple should employ you to give these projects some serious credibility.
Keep on Shining mate
Apple couldn't afford me.
Wow! Thanks, Matt, for your review of Beatles '64. I had been looking forward to this release, but based on your review (and other critical reviews I've seen), I think I'll skip this one. I was 10 years old when the popular president John F. Kennedy was killed, and I remember it well. Around 2 PM on Nov. 22, my 5th grade teacher walked into our classroom with tears in her eyes, announcing that President Kennedy had died, and sent us home. What followed was 4 days of mourning. The downbeat mood of the country lingered for weeks. However, by early February 1964 we'd mourned enough, and the country needed to move on. As luck would have it, this roughly corresponded with the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, and for many people (including myself) this was the antidote (or excuse) we needed. Seeing the Beatles perform on TV for the first time was a memorable moment for me -- akin to watching astronauts walking on the moon some years later! I remember the whole family (including my father who didn't even like the Beatles) huddled around our black-and-white TV set watching "the four mop-tops" perform. Priceless!
A good interview subject would’ve been George Harrison’s sister who was actually in New York at the time helping her brother who was suffering from a cold or pneumonia. But she died two years ago. The big problem is going to be this Matt, many of the principles from that time are deceased now. There’s no way getting around it.
Which leads to the conclusion that it's best left undone.
Gotta milk it $$$$
Thanks for your review, Matt. I was expecting this to be like the "Get Back" documentary where we just see day by day footage of The Beatles during their 64 Amercia tour. I don't care much of hearing from a bunch of nobodies that had nothing to do with The Beatles in 1964 telling me about how much of a fan they are.
A lot of Beatles films understandably focus on the music. Having lived through that period, it's impossible to understate how much they changed the culture. This film really captures that. I was pleasantly surprised.
Did the Beatles change the mood of the country from the Kennedy assassination? I was 6 months old in February 1964. I doubt Matt was even born.
Did the Beatles change the culture or was it already changing, and they were just at the forefront? I think putting all this change on the Beatles is unfair to them, especially considering how much has gone downhill since then. I get some things that changed were great, but the West is not in a good place right now and that catalyst for it all was the 60s and the Beatles
Ha. Hahaha. You think the 50s was better? You're nuts. Racism, sexism, free speech, technology, the draft, poverty, even the threat of war -- today has obvious problems but the 50s were far far worse.
All I remember about Terence Trent D'Arby was an interview he gave around the time of his only hit, in which he proclaimed he would be "bigger" than the Beatles.
I followed his career for a bit into the 90s, playing his next 2 releases quite a bit. He overreached. He believed he was the greatest artist around, even comparing himself to Michael Jackson and Prince. That turns American audiences off, which is most likely why he moved to Europe where they're more receptive to grandiosity like that.
I didn't know about that interview. The nerve to have that guy in this documentary!
Whycouldn't they just release the cleaned up footage of the Washington Concert?
That makes sense to me!
A restored and possibly re-edited Maysles documentary would have been far better. As a bonus a restored Sullivan/DC concert could have made this a great project. Of the little bit we got to hear, I was blown away by the restored sound.
George Harrison said in 1994 after the anthology that everthing else would be called "scraping the barrel" and he was RIGHT. Also, by contrast with these mere mortals involved in the projects , when the Beatles had to rush a project out, they'd do so with such riff raff as, say, Rubber Soul (just kidding about riff raff). They were just on a whole different level of creativity, productivity, and quality.
Hadn't positively condidered passing on this, but you convinced me. I guess I'll wait for "The Rutles, As It Happened". 😉 It's good (for you & all of us) that you are keeping busy. Hope you're well. 🤗
Thank you Bob!
Well I enjoyed it. Looking forward to Beatles 65. The Shea Stadium years. Narrated by Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
They could've made a documentary of all the footage from the 1964 visit. They could've made a documentary of people talking about what the arrival of the Beatles meant to them. They could've made a documentary of Paul and Ringo going through 1964 artifacts from their archives. Instead they made a documentary that was less than the sum of its parts. The silver lining is that the peeks at unseen Anthology footage suggests a huge new Anthology anniversary project next year
Well said, Nick.
It’s good to have you back and you’re officially back with a Beatles’ project review. It sounds like something that we don’t need to be in a rush to see.
I would just check out The Beatles 1st US Visit instead.
@ Thank you for the recommendation and have a Happy New Year.
I say make up your own mind.
Thanks Matt and as usual an outstanding critique on the Beatles’64 documentary! Wishing you a most happy New Year and looking forward to more exciting programs from you in 2025.
Magical Mystery Tour is a better film. Hopefully we will get a physical release of the Remastered/Remixed complete version of the DC and Sullivan shows from this missed opportunity. GREAT to see you back at work Matt!
Excellent analysis, Matt. I felt like I was watching a different movie than those RUclipsrs who praised it. Hope you're doing well.
Thank you, Craig. That is a chronic problem with most Beatle youtubers, everything is awesome!
They might just be bots created by the movie company to fluff it up.
I agree with your review but I did think there were some bright spots with the interviews. I really enjoyed Ronnie Spector's stories about hanging out with the Beatles, I don't know if she's spoken about it before but it was new to me. I also enjoyed Smokey Robinson, including talking about how pleased he was that the Beatles covered one of his songs.
Some were passable. Ronnie's was older but I was shocked that they used part of Smokey's where he said he saw the Beatles in Liverpool "before they were the Beatles" in the cavern. The Miracles first went to the UK in 1965 so this was horribly wrong. Maybe Smokey mis-remembered it but as a film maker, I never would have used something so blatantly wrong.
@@popgoesthe60s52 How do you know he didn't visit England on his own? We shouldn't assume we know everything about stars' lives. Appreciate your review, tho. I was a teen back then & I can tell you from experience that the idea that everyone was over JFK being murdered in a mere 2.5 months is ludicrous. My large extended family certainly wasn't as we all loved the Kennedys. That Christmas was the worst I can recall. The Beatles definitely gave us something to be happy about. Even my parents who were into country music were glad to see a spark of joy in their kids again. My mom remembered that well in her later years. This revisionist history by folks who weren't even there is more than annoying.
I really wish they mostly just had footage of them in the US. This is basically the Beatles version of the beach boys documentary that came out on disney plus earlier this year. Where 80% of it is other people talking lol
So true, Matt; I was on the playground when a classmate came running out, saying "Kennedy's been shot!!" There was a teacher at our 1thru 12 school named Kennedy. "The teacher?!!" .... "No, the president"... "Oh, that's good, it wasn't the teacher!" We never connected the magic of The Beatles with Kennedy in any way! I had just turned nine that November. Thanks for this analysis!
Hey, Matt! Glad you've put the kibosh on that JFK/Beatles nonsense. That will likely become accepted "wisdom" when it just ain't so!
Another great review. Thanks,! I was 10 years old in 1964 and remember watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.
I was 10 also and our family watched Ed Sullivan every Sunday night, but I don't remember this event . 😢
@@josephblue4135 The reason I remember is that my older sister, age 15, was very interested in watching that Sunday night.
I sincerely hope you are doing well sir, and God bless you 🙏! I have been subscribed 2 years , and thoroughly enjoy your channel. God bless you sir 🙏. Joey in Cleveland
Thanks for the support, Joey!
Just finished watching it just to comment on your comments. Spot on. Apple signed a deal to churn out content to Disney not unlike a band from the 60s would sign a multi-year contract to put albums despite having any creative juice left.
With the pre-release hype on this project wasn't enough to make me want to see the actual documentary. For me, this era was covered completely well in the ANTHOLOGY series from 1995.
It seems to be the nature of historiography, that a previously unconsidered narrative can take hold and everyone treats it as though it has always been there. The whole 'JFK assassination black cloud being lifted by The Beatles arrival 11 weeks later' thing was never really mentioned years ago (in either JFK assassination documentaries nor Beatles ones). It's the same when Pet Sounds was gaining a lot of (re-evaluation) attention from the 90's onwards and it was seen as part of this furious rivalry between the Beach Boys and Beatles, and that was definitely an overblown, trumped up narrative that was never really mentioned before.
Anyway, rant over, good to see you back Matt and hope you had as good a Christmas as can be expected.👍
You put it very well Benjamin. It's good to be back and Christmas was tough but still plenty of high moments with my family.
Brian Wilson has LONG said that he was competing with the Beatles. Brian said that Rubber Soul (US version) inspired him to make what became Pet Sounds. Although Brian can be an unreliable historian, he has stuck with this narrative for decades. Who would know better?
Exactly, my advice is to find a copy of “The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit”. It perfectly captures the excitement of that visit in February of 1964. No need for talking heads and a narrative being crammed in.
Interesting perspective on Apple in general, and boy I must’ve been sucked in by all the old footage, because I totally missed how bad the rest of it was. Looking back now, you’re so right! Happy and healthy new year, Matt.
I agree with most of your criticisms and I think you summed it up best by saying it was a rushed job. I lot of wasted time with fan testimonials we don't care about. After viewing the Washington DC show multiple times I was struck by The Beatles professionalism under extremely stressful circumstances.The microphones that didn't work. Ringo's rotating drum platform. Weak security. If the fans wanted to storm the stage , there wouldn't be much to stop them. If I were directing I would find as many people as possible who are still alive who were there to get a behind the scenes look. That would be interesting!! Glad your back Matt.👍
Your candid and complete comments ring very true .
All those same thoughts rattled around in my own head but you manage to organize them into a cohesive video .
Very well done, mate !
I kept saying "YES! THANK YOU!" again and again as I watched this review. 100% spot-on all points. Thank you, Matt!
Thank YOU!
Leonard Bernstein's daughter did have a small but important part in the appreciation of the Beatles' music in that she brought their music to the attention of her father, repeatedly as they progressed, and he mentions that in one of his music analysis TV shows. His comments on his own show go a long way to explaining the continued popularity of the Fab's music, sixty years later. So this new film could have run with that idea, but I guess not. Some of my friends who are also fans have liked the film, but I've decided not to bother.
Thanx for an honest review. No documentary or movie can really explain Beatlemania. I say that because I lived it. Good to see you back Matt.
I joined Disney for the Jackson stuff but won't be doing so for this. It might all be updated quality wise but you can see the original material on RUclips. Interestingly, having recently watched The Sopranos I came across Stevie Van Zandt's Beatles interviews. He is a total fan, is 74 and was around then and would have been a great interviewee! Thanks for the review Matt and best for 2025.
BINGO!!! You nailed it Matt-Scraping the bottom of the barrel is right with your review of Beatles 64, and once again Apple drops it big time with this trite documentary, it has NONE of the excitement captured on the Maysley brothers film The Beatles First U.S. Visit - Hopefully now that Jeff Jones (Apple CEO) gone, and someone new steps in with fresh ideas instead of same stale product that Apple has been releasing lately . As for this documentary the only good interviews were from Ronnnie Spector and Smokey Robinson-other than that its ALL Blah,Blah,Blah. This Beatles 64 makes Ron Howard's movie Eight Days A Week far superior (and I for one hated all those talking heads) - All that was needed for this Beatles 64 was a complete remastered Washington Concert and Ed Sullivan show performances, and this movie would have been sooooo much better, in the end its all about the music - Great review Matt, take care - cheers 🍻
Thank you, Ernie!
With no new product other than a few singles made from a cassette of Lennon's out takes over the years (decades), it makes it hard to tell / sell the same story to fans again and again and again. Peter Jackson gave us new (unseen) footage and sounds but even George Martin said that they had scraped the bottom of the barrel with what there is to release while making Anthology.
I agree with you Matt about everything regarding Beatles 64. I was almost 6 when JFK was shot and I remember crying, but 2 months later when The Beatles hit big I don't remember anyone being so down and out. Also the interviews were all a waste of time and I wish they provided more concert footage. Overall I somewhat enjoyed it but I'll never watch it again.
Your review of Beatles '64 was spot on with my assessment of it after watching it. You said basically everything I want to say.
One future Beatles project Id love to see, in the Peter Jackson style, Id call "Beatles '66". How they morphed from the beginning of the year (playing teeny bopper atadium shows) to the end ("Strawbwrry Fields and laying foundation for "Sgt Pepper").
Hope your doing ok. Wishing a happy holiday and happy new year!
Spot on, Matt, about the Beatles - JFK assassination trope. I'm now 70 years, so I was 9 at the time, and you are right: We kids had some vague sense of the gravity of the JFK shooting, but, as you said, by three weeks later our little sensibilities had moved beyond JFK. At that time, I was especially fired up that Santa would be bringing me a passel of Beatles 45s. In my mind there was never a connection between the two, and there never has been.
It's probably a few years too late to make this doc properly. Too many figures have passed away by this point without having been properly interviewed. The actors from Hard Days Night, Sid Bernstein, George Martin, the record executives, Ronnie Spector (I wish that story was told), Cynthia Lennon etc.
That said, it would have been easy to at least create a doc with some authenticity. Jimmie Nicol is out there somewhere. Mal's daughter must have photos and some stories. Mark Lippidos probably has some video footage from the various people he brought into Beatlefest. Maybe John's half brothers have some undiscovered info on Alf Lennon's trip to see John. I'm sure some of the flight attendants are alive from their flight into JFK. Jackie DeShannon, Tommy Roe, Bill Medley... they are all alive and opened for them in 1964.
That was just off the top of my head in a few minutes. Who's running that network?
The documentary didn’t need any modern interviews. The Maysles footage and the live performances from Sullivan and DC would have been enough. They tell the story better than any modern interview ever could.
@mjanovec I don't disagree, but clearly they felt the need for fresh content. I'm just saying they could have spent 15 minutes and come up with better ideas.
Another great episode on the Beatles and I was born in October of 1964 so a lot of great stuff happened during 1964 thank you and
have a great upcoming New Year Matt.🎶🎶📻🎶🎶
Thank you Matt. You're video's are always so interesting and educating. Glad to see you're back. Hope you and your dog are doing a bit better.
I appreciate that! Thank you.
Thanks Matt. Glad to see this. Hoping you have a happy new year.
Excellent review, Matt. I was with my girlfriend and was excited to have her see it, so my review sucked, ha ha. I agree with everything you said. It could have been better and we needed more live footage from Washington and the Ed Sullivan Show.
Thanks Larry!
Spot-on review.
Always spot on! Thank you Matt.
While some of the interviewees were oddly chosen/featured, overall I enjoyed the "film." I did, connect with the interview with Joe Queenan's "Like a light went on" comments. And, I think you'd hear that comment from thousands that experienced that Ed Sullivan performance first hand. It had nothing to do with JFK, though the country did feel a real darkness immediately after the assassination. The dark which the Beatles extinguished was a musical darkness. And the change in attitudes toward music between pre and post Beatles was transformative, at least for us Teens. I turned 14 shortly after the Ed Sullivan Show. I got an electric guitar, that I still have, for that March '64 birthday. This was a 100% by product of the Beatles in 1964.
Thanks for the comments, Paul. Much appreciated.
So glad to see you are back :)
Thanx, Matt. You've spared me from signing up for a month of Disney+ to watch the thing. 🙂 And in return, I'll tell you that the recent Brian Epstein biopic was *terrible*. Let's start with how they pronounced his name wrong throughout it! But their Beatles - with a 6'4" George and a 5'1" John - were at least amusing in their badness. But if you haven't seen it, don't rush to do so.
I will be skipping that one. Thanks Pete!
The problem with Apple today can be traced back to the person at its highest level: Paul McCartney.
Actually, Apple is a four-way democracy and all have to agree. It's not set up to be ruled by a solitary entity. My guess is Apple comes up with all these half baked ideas and the 4 estates just give a stamp of approval. It's getting late in the game for either Paul or Ringo to give a shit about the actual product.
He's in charge?
@@popgoesthe60s52Agreed. Paul and Ringo didn’t even give dedicated interviews for this documentary. The filmmakers had to use table scraps from interviews both gave for their vanity book projects.
Thank You Matt ! Great review of Beatles '64. I agree with every word. I'm old enough to remember the unbelievable excitement of the Beatles arrival in '64 and this film does not capture the times at all. The JFK footage with "All My Loving" sung dirge like at the beginning of the film had me rolling my eyes and it was mostly downhill from there. Huge disappointment for me. Watched "The First U.S. Visit" DVD after to cleanse my palate and experience Beatlemania '64.
That is a good palette cleanser!
Matt, this was amazing. Thank you for calling out the ridiculousness of these quotes. Do these people not know that if John Lennon were alive and hearing these things he'd be rolling his eyes and trying not to be embarrassed for them. Never mind George. A grown man knocks his own dad to make a rock-n-roll band seem his saviors. By the way, I have heard Paul dropping the "F" bomb for some weird reason lately? Thank you so much for this real and honest review. Being a Beatles fan since 1964, I will probably watch it, but I will wait for the free re-run. Not spending $ on this.
God bless you and your family, Matt.
THANK YOU MATT! THANK YOU!! This is why you are THE MAN!! History is not lineal... events happen that are disconnected, or only connected temporally... I am so tired of hearing how "The Beatles got us over JFK"... I wasn't there but I'm sure the two events had nothing to do with one another... its just like how "The Miracle on Ice" got us over Vietnam... NO IT DIDN'T... the same feelings about Vietnam and inflation and the hostages were there the day after the US Hockey team won the gold... and that Star Wars somehow "made us feel better because of Vietnam and the 70s"... "Star Wars" was good because the world was hungry for an epic and George Lucas hit on the magic of the post-modern pastiche, a gold mine which Tarantino has been tapping into his whole career
Early comment, but older stars and celebs would have been interesting, I am thinking of Teri Garr. She actually went to England to meet with them in person, I would have loved to hear from her, and I'm sure there is some interviews of her around. I would also like to hear something from Micky Dolenz as he met with them as well (edit) Great job Matt, finished watching last night.
Those are good options.
Good to see you back in shape again, Matt!
You articulated all the thoughts I was keeping suppressed in the back of my mind. I was focused on all the stuff I did like while watching it. I was bored at times, and I think I was looking at my phone through most of the contemporary yakking. But I was generally grateful for the documentary showing me all the Mayseles footage, which I hadn't seen except for what might have been in Anthology. Overall though, you're right, it was a poor assemblage, and I wondered (though forgave at the time) all the non-64 stuff being in there. They should have just titled it Beatles in America.
Thanks Michael!
Awesome work! Thank you.
Totally agree with your take. Well, we got 17 minutes of unseen Maysles footage. It's sadly scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Ok, I will ponder your work here a little bit more. There are, in addition to film criticism, many reasons which explain the success of the Beatles in their time. Some young people may just like the music, but I can understand how they could totally miss what was important about them and how we felt about their emergence. Maybe I’ll lay those ideas out on a channel someday. Good luck.
Matt, I would like to object to your saying that adults didn’t like the Beatles. My mother was 22 when the Beatles first came to America. She said that she really enjoyed the music. She was just not one of the “screamers”…, in other words I think fans over the age of 20 to maybe 25 admired the music and thought they were talented if they enjoyed them, they may have thought the haircuts were silly, but they really did like the music they just were not part of the mania section of the fan.
Yes, but she would have been in the minority. The Beatles certainly won people over time as well.
In Matt's defense he did acknowledge that some adults liked the Beatles, but said they were "very much in the minority." I believe he is correct there. My father was a musician from the big band era of the 30's and he had many complimentary things to say about the Beatles and often defended them. But, in my personal experience, he was in the minority. Most of my parent's friends did not like the Beatles or understand why I (as an 11-year-old at the time) liked them.
Nothing is 100%, but Matt is basically correct. I still remember James Bond (Sean Connery) saying in "Goldfinger" that listening to the Beatles without earmuffs should not be done. And that's self-described hip London/Hollywood talking
@@wyliesmith4244 many people over 35 let’s say didn’t like rock ‘n’ roll in general. Not just the Beatles. They even thought the clean cut beach boys were subversive.
Apple Corporate. A very secretive organization. Great to see you back in the saddle Matt after all the challenges and difficulties of the past several weeks.
Thanks Spyder. Good to be back.
Well I rather enjoyed it. Looking forward to next years "Beatles 65. The Shea Stadium Years". Narrated by Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
I saw too many mediocre reviews to even watch Beatles '64. And since I don't have a turntable, I only have the CDs of the Capitol albums from 2004 & 2006. Still, I consider myself the biggest Beatles fan in the cul-de-sac. Thanks for your words of wisdom Matt!!!
My pleasure, Rick!
I guess I bought into the "Beatles saved the US from the gloom of JFK's assassination" myth. Thank you for putting this into perspective. I can't say what young kids might have thought about the assassination or for how long. My closest experience was Nixon's resignation in the early '70s, but it had nothing to do with music. I think you're right that The Beatles would have been just as popular with or without the assassination.
You also raised a good point that adults generally didn't like The Beatles. At this point in '64, their music was still aimed at the teen/young teen market--what would later be called "bubblegum music." As The Beatles grew, the music grew in sophistication, and adult appreciation followed.
I appreciate the comments, Greg.
I was also under-whelmed by the project, that had been hyped-up for a few months before release. I guess if you had never seen any of the other Beatle documentaries about their first US visit, this may have been more enjoyable. The remastered/remixed soundtrack did sound good, so that is something. Great review, and thanks for sharing.
Clearly off the Scope. I'll stick to the Music of the Beatles. I'll leave it there.
Your point about Apple is thought provoking.
Maybe they are rushing projects because of copyright?
Very good video Matt.
Good to see you back doing reviews/videos. 👍 Your review is spot on. All that hype for this? 😢
Excellent honest review
Spot on, totally agree.
Thank you. Spot on review. For me even the title 'Beatles '64' is incorrect. 1964 had so many Beatle events.. not just 2 weeks.
Everything, EVERYTHING, you said in this video is SPOT ON!
When I was a kid in the sixties, there were Beatles cards, Beatles cotton candy, Beatles dolls, Beatles ice-cream, Beatles wigs, Beatles this, Beatles that!
That's basically what Disney (and its fall guys) are trying to hit people over the head with... Beatles paraphernalia... and for the same reason that entrepreneurs of the 60s were doing so... EASY MONEY!
Apple has become Seltaeb!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Ha! Nailed it.
Matt, I'm glad you enjoyed the dopes who talked about the "Let there be light" quality of Beatlemania for them as much as I did. Man, I can't imagine being that vacuous.
I just had a look at the Billboard Hot 100 for 1963. I questioned the absence of one recording, but it's possible that either I missed it or it came out in 1962. It's a fascinating list, and confirms my memories ( I was eleven in 1963 ) that the radio was filled with great stuff in that pre - Beatles year. And remember, most of this is "kids'" music. I'm sure the chart for "easy listening/adult/contemporary" was at least as distinguished. ( Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Broadway, and so on. )
But on the "kids" chart, there are all sorts of treats, Motown and Motown influenced stuff being most noticeable. That was when the folk music vogue was at its peak and about to plummet ( Dylan ), and there are a significant number of folkie recordings. Burt Bacharach was gearing up to be a melody juggernaut in 1963. It's horsesh*t that there was no rock. There was a good bit of it, guys like Dion and Roy Orbison.
I remember that at Christmas in 1963 my church had had a particularly beautiful service. Early in 1964, I was reading H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man," and smarting over Vicki K.'s lack of interest in me, something I thought might change when we were grown up. ( It did. )
But the idea that the Earth was without form and void and would have remained that way without The Beatles? Pathetic.
Well put, Bob. The legacy building has become and exercise in self aggrandizing for the generation who "were there." They have over stepped their bounds and have offered us a vacuous (to use your excellent term) narrative which undercuts the credibility of greatest music catalog of the 20th century.
hi matt - very happy to see you again - thanks for the review - please also accept my sincerest condolences on the recent death of your wife - which i was unable to offer until now. d
Intelligent and thoughtful commentary.
As ever, nailed it Matt. Sometimes barrel scraping can deliver some interesting bits and pieces but with so many contemporaries having moved on, we’re almost guaranteed schlock. Apple are in danger of screwing the legacy up. The bad feeling surrounding Apple over the Lewisohn magnum opus is probably symptomatic of the mess things are getting into.
Apple is the exact antithesis of Lewisohn. My guess is that Beatles 64 will be quickly forgotten and designated to the scrap pile of Beatles projects to avoid, where as Lewisohn's work....
Thanks for this review, saving us the trouble to watch! I'm a fan of the Maysles First US Visit and somehow I doubted that this new project would be up to scratch, so your verdict provides expert confirmation. My one question of this period surrounds the story (told by Paul?) that they would only tour the USA if they had a number one hit, yet surely it would've required weeks of planning to get a spot on the Sullivan show?
As a Canadian I couldn't understand the whole JFK thing. We got to hear a few Beatles songs early on as unlike the pinheads at Capital USA, Capital Canada had Love me Do and the rest from the start. Have to agree with you on your review. I would rather have had a remastered Washington concert.
So true about the Kennedy assination in the life of a child. I was 8 .
The way some people act , if the assination had not had happened , The Beatles would've just bombed and the whole British Invasion would've never happened !!
I've yet to see the documentary because I haven't heard anything good about. There's ton of boots out there already of this show.
I prefer the two disc dvd of the first American visit.
It sounds like they had a good idea for a great documentary , they could've done the whole year , but they didn't follow through.
Another great interview.
I think you hit upon what wasn't working: many of the interviews. I watched it. And something felt....off. I couldn't pinpoint it. The documentary just didn't feel like a legit part of the Beatles lore. Just like with Doctor Who, I wish the Beatles could get a rest. We don't need a continuous rollout of products. There's more than enough to tide people over for years until some love and care could be put into something new and fresh--whatever that may be.
On a side note, it's good to see you posting again. Welcome back after what I'm sure was a very emotional holiday season.
Thank you, Kenneth.
I would have preferred some kind of background as to how “I want to hold your hand” became a hit record. In spite of opposition by people like Dave Dexter at capital records blocking it. Plus they could have shown George Harrison’s visit to see his sister in September 1963. And his experience in America would have been an interesting prelude to the documentary.
excellent points, Matt. I'll go look for the original or the First Visit.
The series finale of What We Do in the Shadows had a little homage to the Maysles.
There was such a great opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles taking over the world but it has been missed. As an Aussie The US album boxset has been a joy as these albums aren’t really seen here.
Think of what could have been done and then look at what we got.
We don't need one frame of anything other than what was filmed at the time. There is *plenty* of such contemporaneous material from which to edit a two-volume film that would be as funny, entertaining and would stand up to repeat viewings on par with A Hard Day's Night.
Excellent review.
I didn’t care for this doc either. It’s cool to reminisce and see a few new things. It’s worth one viewing half awake… which is how I watched it.
I’ve been less than thrilled with Apple releases lately too. I agree the Yellow submarine soundtrack sounded great remixed. Why try to mimic the original mix to get a cleaner sound? Just remix it to today’s standards. Let It Be Naked was excellent in that regard.
Matt, good to see you back with another PGT60s video. I was 8 years old when Kennedy was assassinated, and the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. I agree that the Beatles and Kennedy were completely coincidental. I had three aunts who were teenagers at the time and they were crazy about the Beatles. They would probably have been better interview subjects for this project. Anyway, it sounds like I can be satisfied with my own memories of the Beatles in 1964 without having to watch a cobbled together bunch of dreck from people who want to wring the last bit of cash from the Beatles legacy.
Your review is reminding me of a documentary on Apple TV about Charlie Brown. It was disappointing because the interviews were of Hollywood celebrities standing in front of these artsy hipster backgrounds. Not only that, but their interviews sounded very scripted and wooden. They seemed extremely phony . Now had they interviewed other comic strip artists or something like that, it would’ve came off as far more genuine.
Speaking of Jack Douglas, what do we make of his quotes fairly recently that "John and Paul were....talking" around the time that JL was recording Double Fantasy? I do believe he also said that John said they had plans to write and record together again in '81.
Couldn’t agree more. Actually I bailed half-way through and I’ve been a Beatles fan for 50+ years.
The perspective of how the arrival of the Beatles to America affected people and the culture is a good idea, but this was a scattered, unfocused film. I would have thought a basic examination of events told in a timeline, with more performance clips, and more of film examples from the two weeks, and more interviews with people who recall their reaction to that first arrival would be more focused.
“…Every Baby Boomer’s Wet Dream…” Seriously?
Otherwise, an excellent review. I especially liked Ronnie Spector’s Stories with The Beatles; which also appear in her autobiography “Be My Baby.”
In my experience, most adults were ambivalent about The Beatles or were won over by the songs from 1964-1965. Adults weren't a homogenous demographic, 21+, 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+. There was a negative shift by 1966 as The Beatles had evolved and America splintered.
Matt, Happy Holidays! 🎁
Happy New Year!!!