"So ya thought ya might like to go to the show"

Yesterday, I was talking with Sarah about "The Wall". I had a song from the album in my head and couldn't remember which one it was. It turned out to be the first track of the album In the Flesh? The ablum was released before I was born so I don't really remember the first time I listened to the whole album, and learned it more by hearing the songs as singles. So my question is... when "The Wall" came out did people listening know how good the songs were? Did they hear them and think... "this song will be played on rock radio stations for years to come", or "someday my kids will know the words to these songs"? This is just one example of an influential album that I was thinking about. What about the the first time people "Sgt. Pepper's" or the "White Album" did they know?

So the question for you dear readers is, what album have you had this experience with or have you ever had it? A time when you remember where you were the first time you heard a CD and knew during that first listen that you were listening to something that would transcend generations and genres. I can remember getting a sense of that feeling with "Nevermind." I can think of a few other times too, but I'd like to hear your comments on the matter, even if you've never really had that sense or felt an initial listen to an album was going to be huge. Also when I say huge, that doesn't have to mean commercially successful. I'm more interested in the influence of the album either on other artists or even just on you as a person.