This two-disc set divides between the score for the film, The Beatles and India, and nearly twenty new versions, performed by contemporary Indian artists, of Beatles songs that were written mostly for and around the ‘White Album’ period in 1968.  It’s a double album serving as both a soundtrack and a tribute.  Devoted fans of the legendary group that want everything bearing the name will be intrigued by this curious twist; marking the Indian influence in Beatles music by reflecting it through modern Indian musicians, and one more way to appreciate the Liverpool quartet and their growth as writers and musicians, and their enduring relevance and versatility.  Not to mention the second disc score of the film, composed by Benji Merrison, that in and of itself stands as an enjoyably transcending trip.

What jumps out listening to the disc of Beatles numbers is how ingrained those songs have become in the collective conscience of world culture, as well as how their immortal melodies and arrangements work as blueprints for interesting interpretation.  And that’s maybe the highest compliment that one could bestow on this set; as a very interesting interpretation of the Beatles’ work.  None of these are likely to replace those of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but whose renditions do?

So many covers of The Beatles have cluttered around the edges of the originals, with none really ever supplanting them.  And for good reason: The Beatles were exceptional.  But, the versions here are never asking to be compared to their originals.  Instead, they are a respectful homage to the period of time the four spent in India decades ago, and the lasting impact of that experience.  Taken as a love letter to that era, the two discs are stimulating, sometimes meditative, sometimes nostalgic additions to anyone’s Beatles collection.