By Mark Hooper

Most discussions on The Beatles and ‘World Music’ begin and end with how they helped to introduce Eastern – specifically Indian – music into the mainstream of Western popular culture.

This is largely credited to George – whose interest, received opinion has it, was more tolerated than encouraged by the rest of the band, including George Martin. But, while he may have been the instigator, it’s clear the rest also embraced Eastern philosophy to varying degrees. Musically, John’s songs show the most obvious influences – from incorporating George’s sitar playing in Norwegian Wood (the first use of the instrument on a Western ‘rock’ album), via Across the Universe, The Rishi Kesh Song (later rewritten as Jealous Guy), and his interpretation of the Tibetan Book Of The Dead for Tomorrow Never Knows.