Rare Footage of Beatles' Debut U.S. Tour

Feb. 2 -- Most of what we remember about the Beatles' first trip to America is what appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964.

But from the moment the Beatles touched down in the States, they were followed by documentary filmmakers David and Albert Maysles.

"I didn't know a thing about them," Albert Maysles said. "As I filmed them, I discovered in a very pure and open fashion who they were and what they had to contribute."

The Maysles brothers filmed the Beatles doing the mundane — hanging out in their hotel rooms, listening to themselves on the radio, Ringo tapping out a beat with a steak knife, and George calling home, almost incredulous at their popularity. While musically versatile, the Beatles were just regular guys, the filmmakers found.

The Beatles became so familiar with the Maysleses, they started doing slates for the film reels, something a crew technician would normally handle.

Notably, in the original documentary, the Beatles's performance in Washington while on their 1964 American debut tour, was drowned out by screaming fans. It was, after all, the height of Beatlemania.

Albert Maysles remembers the time fondly.

"Looking back on the film, you realize that you got a significant moment in history," he said.

The documentary may have only been moments caught on tape, but it chronicles the way the Beatles changed the landscape of American music.