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The reason Sgt. Pepper was so impressive had nothing to do with what came later; it had everything to do with what had come before. It was the first "theme-album" (the Beach Boys later stated that Sgt. Pepper influenced Pet Sounds). The music and lyrics all hit themes that had not been done successfully before. It introduced new instrumentation and different scores for rock. It took technology to the limit of what was (then) possible.
Most importantly, it freed a bunch of other musicians to break loose from boundaries and go in new directions. Kurt Cobain probably was referring to this.
It is not constructive to only determine the impact of a work by comparing it to what came after. It must first be compared to what came before.
llk
