This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
It was 40 years ago today … OK, tomorrow. But you get the drift.
On Feb. 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York for the first time to play on The Ed Sullivan Show. Little did they know that what they were really about to do was change the world. Music, fashion, youth culture, fame and society in general were never quite the same again after The Fab Four performed; indeed, it’s hard to argue with those who claim this was the weekend when the ’60s truly began.
To commemorate this watershed moment in cultural history, Apple and EMI have reissued 1991’s The First U.S. Visit on DVD. Filmed by famed documentarians Albert and David Maysles (who went on to make Gimme Shelter), The First U.S. Visit follows John, Paul, George and Ringo on those first heady days of Beatlemania and superstardom: The arrival at JFK, the limo rides, the perplexed press, the hotel rooms, the backstages, the nights on the town, and the endless hordes of screaming teenage girls. And naturally, you get the music from all three Sullivan appearances, along with some footage of their first U.S. concert in Washington.
Of course, if you a Beatles fan — especially one who owns Anthology on video — you’ve already seen most if not all this stuff. But this version of The First U.S. Visit also includes something you haven’t seen: Nearly an hour of non-performance footage that didn’t make the final cut, along with a fascinating interview with director Albert Maysles. Truly, it’s a magical history tour.
