Credit for the main sitar part on " Love You To " has traditionally been the subject of debate among commentators . While MacDonald says that , rather than Harrison , it was the sitarist from the AMC who played this part , Rodriguez writes that " others point to Harrison 's single-minded diligence in mastering the instrument , as well as his study through private lessons , proximity to accomplished musicians , and close listening to pertinent records . " In his official history of the Beatles ' recording career , '' The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions '' , Lewisohn states : " George played the sitar but an outside musician , Anil Bhagwat , was recruited to play the tabla . " Musicologist Walter Everett also identifies Harrison as the main sitar player on the recording , as does Peter Lavezzoli , author of '' The Dawn of Indian Music in the West '' . Leng comments that , as on " Norwegian Wood " , Harrison " is still playing the sitar like a guitar player on the recording , using blues and rock 'n' roll bends rather than the intensely intricate Indian equivalents " . Speaking to author Steve Turner , Bhagwat has dismissed the idea that the sitarist was not Harrison , saying : " I can tell you here and now – 100 percent it was George on sitar throughout . " Final mixing for the song took place on 21 June as the Beatles rushed to complete '' Revolver '' before beginning the first leg of their 1966 world tour . Harrison discussed " Love You To " with Shankar when the two musicians met that month , at a social event hosted by the Angadi family . Although he was unaware of the band 's popularity and had yet to hear " Norwegian Wood " , Shankar was impressed with Harrison 's humility as the guitarist downplayed his sitar recordings with the Beatles as merely " experiments " . Soon after this meeting , Shankar gave Harrison his first sitar lesson at Kinfauns , his and Boyd 's home in Surrey , and later , with tablist Alla Rakha , performed a private recital there for Harrison , Lennon and Starr . Harrison subsequently recalled of his first lesson with Shankar : " I felt I wanted to walk out of my home that day and take a one-way ticket to Calcutta . I would even have left Pattie behind in that moment . " '' Revolver '' was released on 5 August 1966 , with " Love You To " sequenced as the fourth track . In advance of the release , EMI had issued the songs to radio stations throughout July , in increments , to prepare the Beatles ' audience for the progression the band had made with their latest work . According to cultural historian Simon Philo , the album represented " pop 's most sustained deployment of Indian instruments , musical form and even religious philosophy thus far – which all came together most notably on ' Love You To ' " . By that point , the Beatles ' association with Indian music had been firmly established , after , at Harrison 's suggestion , the band stopped over in Delhi on the return flight from their concerts in the Far East . During the highly publicised visit , all four members of the group bought musical instruments from Rikhi Ram & Sons in Connaught Place . Bhagwat 's name appeared on the LP 's back cover , one of the few times that an outside musician received an official credit on a Beatles album
first leg of their 1966 world tour
The Beatles' 1966 tour of Germany, Japan and the Philippines
Love You To