I always thought that song had one of the most unusual lead guitar lines I've ever heard in a "Top 40" song. Definitely influenced by the mid '60s San Francisco sound with a little Indian raga/sitar coloration mixed in, and punctuated by a British invasion backbeat.
Of all the R&R music I’ve heard in my 55 of 60 years of listening to it, the intro to this one is THE best, imo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJR_KGZO4U0
The Music Machine - Talk Talk