performance that makes this seemingly austere collection quite compelling to rock ears." Terry Staunton of Record Collector commented that had John Lennon and Paul McCartney ceded more of their creative control in the Beatles to Harrison, "there might today be a stronger case for Ravi Shankar's claim to the fiercely-debated position of fifth Beatle." Staunton described Collaborations as an "intriguing series of East–West summits" and concluded: "It may have limited appeal … but this box set is a strong testament to two friends' mutual respect and their desire to push musical boundaries." In an article for Time Out New York on the various Beatles-related reissues of late 2010, Sophie Harris wrote: "You might not think that Vedic chanting is your thing, but as Philip Glass notes in the introduction to this gorgeous set, there's scarcely a musician in the world who hasn't been touched by the musical partnership [between Shankar and Harrison] … Contained herein: awesome, spooky-sounding chanting, a live DVD, a glossy book and much more to rejoice about." While also comparing the collection to the more highly publicised reissues by Lennon and McCartney, Joe Marchese of The Second Disc praised Collaborations for its adventurous music, as well as the lavishness of the packaging. Of the three studio albums, he described Shankar Family & Friends as the "most commercial" and Music Festival from India as "exotic, but immediately transporting", and wrote that "joy and a celebratory feel exudes from [Chants of India]". Marchese added: "[The] albums illuminate an important aspect of the career of George Harrison, for sure. But they also remind one of the immense musical influence of Ravi Shankar ... These once hard-to-find LPs are presented with great integrity here." Writing for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger qualifies the joint credit afforded Shankar and Harrison, saying: "Without downplaying the closeness of the two musicians' friendship and Harrison's genuine participation in all of these projects, it should be stated up front that this is much more Shankar's music than Harrison's, and much more Indian music than the rock for which Harrison was most famed." Unterberger describes the box set as "a bountiful gathering of some of Shankar's more accessible recordings" and highlights Chants of India as the most effective collaboration between the two artists. PopMatters contributor Sachyn Mital described the box set as "a special gift for [Shankar's] fans" on the occasion of his 90th birthday, and "worthy of a