The Beatles Remember Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

1. The Beatles, “Rishikesh No. 9�
In 1968, the Beatles flew to India, quit LSD, and studied transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This scratch recording — of traditionals like “Jingle Bells� and “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain� — is a horrifying taste of what they sounded like while not under the influence of mind-expanding psychedelic drugs. [Captain’s Dead]

2. John Lennon, “Happy Rishikesh Song�
Lennon parodies George Harrison’s “Blow Away,� mocking hippies, meditation, and the maharishi in one cruel swipe. It’s pretty catchy. [Across the Universe]

3. The Beatles, “Child of Nature�
Before Lennon scrapped it (and later reshaped it into “Jealous Guy�), this gorgeous acoustic ballad — about being stoned in India, as far as we can tell — was in the running for inclusion on “The White Album.� Surely it would’ve been a better choice than either of Ringo’s songs. [Captain’s Dead]

4. The Beatles, “Spiritual Regeneration�
As a birthday present to Mike Love, also a student of the maharishi, the Beatles recorded a song about meditation in the style of the Beach Boys. Man, the sixties were hilarious. [Captain’s Dead]

5. John Lennon, “India, India�
Lennon wrote this track in the seventies for a later-canceled stage musical on his and Yoko’s lives. It was resurrected in 2005 for Broadway’s Lennon, which was, regrettably, a huge flaming stinker. Song’s not bad, though. [YouTube]

Related: Meditation on the Man Who Saved the Beatles [NYT]