 It sold poorly and was mostly ignored by contemporary critics, but later became regarded as one of the most influential albums in the history of popular music.Many subgenres of rock music and forms of alternative music were significantly informed by the album, including art rock, punk, garage, shoegazing, goth, and indie.In 1982, musician Brian Eno stated that while the album initially only sold approximately 30,000 copies, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band."