Kansas, Journey, REO Speedwagon etc. ? To *me*, the obvious answer has always been "Who's Next" simply because I don't know any earlier albums that has *that* vibe and comparing them to Zeppelin or even Bad Company doen't work for me (Key element:Blues/rock'n'roll influence in tonal language-the Who had left that behind by then, Zeppelin hadn't). Anyway, "Who's Next" SO much feels like a precursor to the type of music that prevented AC/DC going top 100 in the US prior to "Highway to hell" or even Motörhead getting a US deal until the mid-80's(basically when they were way past their prime and when other bands had caught up with their innovations)-they were an import only band before that.

Of course, I also hold "Nevermind" responsible for Nickelback etc. but the difference is that I was there at the time; with "Who's Next" I obviously heard it retroactively and I just heard lame stadium-rock...