It was 44 years ago that...

Many great albums that influenced other artists and the direction of music have come out, but I can't remember any one of them having the impact of Sgt. Pepper. I remember when it came out. Even if you didn't sit around and listen to it, it was everywhere and you knew all the words to all the songs, it was that ubiquitous. It came out the windows and doors, in the hallways, in the car, everywhere you went.
I was more a Stones fan (you were either a Stones fan or a Beatle fan), but Sgt. Pepper was the s**t! Sgt. Pepper changed the course of pop music then and forever. It was a singularity that no record has achieved before or since.

Well if it IS 44 years ago today that "it WAS 20 years ago today", does that mean we have a Sgt Peppers Reunion on the Isle of Wight? Vera? Chuck? Dave? Are you there?

Bright moments footnote: in the early seventies between classes, the carillon atop Memorial Hall on the University of Delaware campus blasted Sgt. Pepper's far and wide through speakers installed to preserve the original chimes.

I love Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, but there is no album that has had anywhere near the impact on popular music that Sgt Peppers had, not even close.

It could be argued that without Sgt Peppers, some of those great albums mentioned above would never have been made. The impact was that huge.

That said, I like Abbey Road and Revolver better.

Will someone please explain how Sgt. Pepper "altered the direction of a music genre"? What did we get after SP that we did not have before that was directly influenced by SP? I was alive and listening to music back then, but apparently unaware of its "impact". I do know I did not care for it then. Never have, until recently. Once I got the CD mono box set and played on my vastly improved (vs. back then) rig, so I do like it now, but don't see its signifigance.