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Sitar in popular music

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121: 24: 353:", known as the "Coral Electric Sitar". This instrument was an electric guitar with a distinctive sitar-like sound, rather than an acoustic sitar of the type traditionally made in India. As the electric sitar was much easier to play than the traditional version, it quickly became the preferred choice of many rock musicians. Guitarists such as Harrison, Jones, 520:, combining folk, psychedelia with eastern influences in the songs "The Song Has No Ending Parts 1–9", "The Mad Hatter's Song" and "The Iron Stone". Steve Miller Band used sitar in their song "Wild Mountain Honey". 344:
Shankar credited Harrison with inspiring "the great sitar explosion" in the West, as many rock guitarists similarly adopted the instrument. A fad for sitars in pop songs soon developed, facilitated by the
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Although his period of dedicated sitar study ended in 1968, Harrison continued to champion Indian classical music. In addition to producing recordings by Shankar, Harrison included sitar in "
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Harrison is recognised as having introduced the sitar to pop music due to the Beatles' popularity and cultural influence. He first picked up a sitar on the set of the Beatles' 1965 film
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played the instrument in the songs "Winds of Change", "No Self Pity", "Orange and Red Beams", "All Is One", "We Love You Lil" and "Monterey". The
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soundtrack album, in an instrumental piece titled "Another Hard Day's Night". These parts were played by British-based Indian session musicians.
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From 1966 onwards, hundreds of songs by pop artists featured sitar. The late 1960s saw the release of songs featuring the sitar that included
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included the sitar on tracks such as "People Like Us", "Snowqueen Of Texas', "Lady Genevieve", "I Wanna Be a Star" and "Grasshopper", and
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used the sitar in many of their songs, most prominently in "Love Buzz", "Acka Raga", "Water Boy", "Hot Sand" and "I'm A Woman".
965: 670: 401: 324: 200:", but the group subsequently re-recorded the track without a sitar part. The first pop release to feature sitar was instead " 67: 45: 830: 649: 575:" used a tambura, which can also be heard on songs such as "Sunny South Kensington", "Breezes of Patchouli", "Celeste", " 784: 635: 74: 322:, and after consulting Harrison about the part. Jones also used sitar on some tracks on the Rolling Stones' 1967 album 529: 497: 1303: 517: 479: 56: 685:, on songs such as "Once I Had a Sweetheart", "House Carpenter", "Cruel Sister", "Rain and Snow" and "The Snows". 709: 625:
Although the sitar craze had died down by 1970, its distinctive sound had become an indelible part of pop music.
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was first used on a Western pop recording, the instrument's drone had been imitated on electric guitar by the
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in their songs since the addition of guitarist and sitarist Kamran Alan Shikoh to their line-up in 2009
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World Music: The Rough Guide (Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific)
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were more dedicated in their approach as sitarists, however. Author Peter Lavezzoli also highlights
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became the first Western musician to play an Indian instrument on a commercial recording.
215: 127:, a master of the instrument, was the first to make inroads into Western culture with the 599:", as well as the electric sitar on "Open up said the world at the door". The Dutch band 1005: 915: 673:
used a guitar fitted with a harpsichord-device to simulate a sitar for their 1985 hit "
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Sitar and other Indian instrumentation had appeared on the US release of the Beatles'
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had several recordings that feature the electric sitar. These include a 1967 cover of
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The sitar is featured prominently in the music of the Japanese neo-psychedelic band
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used the sitar on "Fat Man" and "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day", and
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played the instrument on "You'll Think of Me" and "Stranger in My Own Home Town".
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use the sitar in songs such as "An Angry Young Man", "Black Butter-Present" and "
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Although the sitar is not a regular staple in country music, it can be heard in
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used sitar in the song "Face in the Cloud", released on the band's 1969 album
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briefly used the sitar on the 1980 track 'Pretty Green', from the album
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made extensive use of the sitar in the title track of his second album,
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and subsequently studied in India with Shankar and the latter's protégé
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used the instrument prominently during his time with the folk band
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used both sitar and tabla in their song "Babji (Twilight Raga)".
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as a guitarist who displayed an obvious skill as a sitar player.
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Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop
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performed his Sitar Concerto No.1 at the BBC Proms in 2013
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Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
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in August 1965. Harrison went on to write and record "
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included the instrument on many of their recordings.
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also featured the instrument on a few tracks, as did
444:'s "Real Life Permanent Dream", July's "The Way" and 48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 889:Slumdog Millionaire: Music from the Motion Picture 689:used a sitar during the intro of their 1991 song " 332:, as well as tambura on the Stones' 1968 single " 755:would play sitar on King Gizzard's 2013 album 214:album in December 1965. With this sitar part, 949:Transdermal Celebration and Tried and True – 527:used the sitar on a few albums, particularly 143:, it was from the 1960s onwards that various 8: 1250:Hunt, Ken (2000). "Meetings by the River". 647:used an electric sitar on the band's album 151:began to experiment with incorporating the 770:Examples of sitar in songs of other genres 396:' "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things", 349:Company's 1967 introduction of the first " 253:as an Indian-style track featuring sitar, 1144: 1095: 1083: 1071: 135:While the sitar had earlier been used in 108:Learn how and when to remove this message 192:, hired a sitar player to play the main 1064: 937:Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours – 436:' "Green Tambourine" (electric sitar), 1235:. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books. 1156: 1132: 631:I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) 440:'s "Paper Sun" and "Hole In My Shoe" 272:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 7: 1271:The Dawn of Indian Music in the West 1120: 753:King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard 751:of Australian psychedelic rock band 202:Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 46:adding citations to reliable sources 975:Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) 697:also used a sitar on his 1993 hit ' 14: 1011:Blackbird - Bosco and Peck - 2012 1254:. London: Rough Guides/Penguin. 1216:. Lebanon, New Hampshire: UPNE. 466:'s "You'll Think of Me" (1969), 340:Widespread popularity, 1966–1968 261:. The following year, he wrote " 166:Early uses in Western pop music 22: 887:Mausam and Escape – Asad Khan ( 671:Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 402:Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) 325:Their Satanic Majesties Request 33:needs additional citations for 675:Don't Come Around Here No More 494:Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66 269:for inclusion on the Beatles' 247:" for the Beatles' 1966 album 1: 757:Float Along – Fill Your Lungs 162:, within their compositions. 636:Selling England by the Pound 629:used the electric sitar on " 1273:. New York, NY: Continuum. 1214:The Exotic in Western Music 530:In Search of the Lost Chord 498:Eric Burdon and the Animals 1325: 1212:Bellman, Jonathan (1998). 766:, played by Ryu Kurosawa. 712:off his 1981 studio album 633:", from their fifth album 591:" using the same riffs as 518:The Incredible String Band 496:used it on “Chove Chuva”. 169: 1269:Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). 710:A Country Boy Can Survive 490:The Mamas & The Papas 188:". Another English band, 943:The Devil's Been Busy - 813:Reparata and the Delrons 422:The Chocolate Watch Band 400:and His Playboy Band's " 376:'s "Marshmallow Skies", 57:"Sitar in popular music" 993:Love Will Lead You Back 523:Art-rock bands such as 872:Hooked On a Feeling – 845:Every Time You Go Away 502:Strawberry Alarm Clock 424:'s "In the Past", The 263:Within You Without You 229:Indian classical music 184:on their 1965 single " 132: 879:Living on the Ceiling 780:Red Hot Chili Peppers 737:The Devil's Been Busy 123: 1231:Brend, Mark (2005). 809:Captain of Your Ship 610:Something Else Again 562:Family Entertainment 458:'s R&B classic " 432:" (electric sitar), 285:Tomorrow Never Knows 42:improve this article 691:Wherever I May Roam 334:Street Fighting Man 291:". In August 1966, 289:Across the Universe 160:stringed instrument 1074:, pp. 154–55. 945:Traveling Wilburys 894:Legendary lovers- 733:Traveling Wilburys 716:and was played by 714:The Pressure Is On 267:Asian Music Circle 198:Heart Full of Soul 133: 1304:Psychedelic music 1033:Psychedelic music 883:Blancmange (band) 820:The 5th Dimension 802:Can't Lose You – 706:Hank Williams Jr. 650:Close to the Edge 587:played sitar on " 535:The Pretty Things 506:Sit with the Guru 314:played sitar on " 297:Sunshine Superman 141:Indian film music 118: 117: 110: 92: 1316: 1284: 1265: 1246: 1227: 1198: 1189: 1183: 1182: 1175: 1169: 1166: 1160: 1154: 1148: 1142: 1136: 1130: 1124: 1118: 1112: 1105: 1099: 1093: 1087: 1081: 1075: 1069: 1038:Psychedelic rock 953:(electric sitar) 841:(electric sitar) 815:(electric sitar) 621:Subsequent usage 514:Robin Williamson 460:Hi-Heel Sneakers 434:The Lemon Pipers 410:The Stone Poneys 408:"Sound Asleep", 355:Big Jim Sullivan 157:classical Indian 113: 106: 102: 99: 93: 91: 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Thomas 864:Holiday Inn 831:Do It Again 743:Nishat Khan 725:Be Here Now 657:Paul Weller 593:Tchaikovsky 553:the Strawbs 549:Jethro Tull 540:S.F. 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"Sitar in popular music"
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Ravi Shankar
sitar
jazz
Indian film music
pop
Western world
sitar
classical Indian
stringed instrument
Raga rock
sitar
Kinks
See My Friends
the Yardbirds
riff
Heart Full of Soul
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
the Beatles

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