Two bands really changed the way I KNOW about music: Genesis (after Peter Gabriel left but before Phil Collins turned it into a pop group) and Talking Heads.
Genesis' Wind and Wuthering (1976) is the first progressive rock band that I really like; I was actually introduced to something way much more sophisticated than my weekly ritual with Casey Kasem's American Top 40. I then went on to Yes, ELP (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) and Pink Floyd, etc.
Then came Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980). As I had been listening to more serious music (from Mussorgsky to Stravinksy, and from Herbie Hancock to Miles Davis) for quite some time then, I very much look down on dance music, and esp. hated people dancing to e.g. Pink Floyd. LOL! Then these guys showed me what music should be: to dance to. It's vocals in particular were also relatively sophisticated. (Of course, don't compare it to any Beethoven's symphony for structural complexity.)