Each of the collaborative projects represents a departure from Shankar's more typical work as a sitarist and performer of Hindustani classical ragas, with the box set showcasing his forays into, variously, jazz and rock, Indian folk and orchestral ensembles, and devotional music.

The fourth disc of Collaborations is a DVD containing previously unissued film of a performance by the Music Festival from India, recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in September 1974.

An accompanying book contains a foreword by American composer Philip Glass, rare photographs documenting Shankar and Harrison's 35-year friendship, and commentary from both artists on the projects featured in the box set.

[3] The association immediately brought Shankar and Indian music unprecedented popularity in the West,[4][5] while Harrison's introduction of the sitar into the Beatles' sound inspired a new genre known as raga rock.

[8] These 1971 projects, all released on the Beatles' Apple record label, included the soundtrack to the documentary film Raga; Shankar's Joi Bangla EP, recorded to raise international awareness for the plight of refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War; and the live album The Concert for Bangladesh, which documented the UNICEF benefit concerts that Harrison and Shankar staged in New York that August.

[9][10][nb 1] Twenty-three years older than Harrison,[14] Shankar described their relationship as, variously, that of father and son (with each one adopting either role);[15] close friends and brothers;[16][17] and teacher and student.

[18] Author Ian Inglis has commented on the various differences between the two musicians, in terms of age, culture and social status: "And yet, in another sense, those contrasting factors helped to prevent any personal or professional rivalries, produced spaces and separations that their music could fill, and ultimately created … a partnership that was never competitive, but perfectly complementary.

[58][nb 3] Shankar wrote the pieces in a variety of traditional Indian folk and classical styles,[59] often composing on his way to Henley from his London hotel, while travelling along the M4 motorway.

[61] The contributors ranged from American jazz proponents Tom Scott and Emil Richards to Indian players such as Rakha, Sharma, Chaurasia, Subramaniam, sarodiya Aashish Khan and, a former student and longtime associate of Shankar's, multi-instrumentalist Harihar Rao.

[68] Other participants included guitarist David Bromberg,[69] members of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra,[61] and electronic music artists Paul Beaver and Robert Margouleff.

[61] Harrison arranged the latter track in a rock-music setting,[57] with backing from Western musicians such as Scott, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner;[38][70] sung by Lakshmi Shankar,[citation needed] this version of "I Am Missing You" was the first single released on Dark Horse Records, in September 1974.

[80] Author Simon Leng recognises the Music Festival from India as the first Indian orchestra to have played in Europe,[81][nb 4] while Harrison's widow Olivia, in her role as producer of the compilation,[84] notes singer and mridangam player T.V.

[84] Housed in a hinged box, the four discs sit on cardboard bases inside album covers measuring 8½ by 8½ inches, with the enlargement from CD and DVD dimensions allowing for a closer replication of the original LP jackets.

[91] Collaborations coincided with East Meets West Music's Shankar reissues such as the Nine Decades series[23] and the DVD release of the long-unavailable Raga,[92][93] which features 1968 footage of Harrison as well as the soundtrack he produced and originally issued on Apple.

[28] In a five-star review for Goldmine magazine, Gillian Gaar considered that Collaborations "succeeded on crossover appeal" and had praise for the "mesmerizing" Music Festival album and concert DVD.

[100] Reviewing the box set for Uncut, John Lewis found Harrison "a little too respectful" in his deference to Shankar on the 1970s projects, although he admired Chants of India, saying: "there is a heaviness and intensity to each performance that makes this seemingly austere collection quite compelling to rock ears.

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.

"[96] 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.

[25] 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 man of such esteemed stature".

Mital concludes of the partnership: "The diligence of Harrison brought Ravi Shankar, Indian music and Eastern spirituality soundly into Western collective consciousness.