Perry (The Travoltas)
SPB: Should more punk bands listen to Beach Boys and use their influences? And which album would you recommend to start listening?
Perry: That's an absolute yes. If you want to be schooled in songwriting and come up with great harmonies, this is it. Especially with the early records it's just back-to-the-basics: bare-bones production with great hooks and melodies. And don't limit yourself to just the Beach Boys, but pretty much the whole 60's pop scene. There's a reason why these songs are still around.
I'd start with the early Beach Boys records like Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA. Then work your way up to Pet Sounds and Smile, that's where things get more adventurous. If you go through the albums like that, you really start to get a good picture of what's going on in Brian Wilson's head, and how he's maturing as a person and as a songwriter.
