George H's (as opposed to George P above!) use of the sitar in the Beatles' music was very influential in 1960s western pop music and a lot of what followed owed a lot to that - the Stones, Small Faces and many of the 'psychedelic' groups were influenced by it.

Even if you don't like the 'Indian' sound, if you try to listen to the songs underlying it, they are good songs in their own right. I remember hearing Paul McCartney saying something like that about Within You, Without You.