The UK's biggest studio albums of all time

It says UK albums my friend. Hope this helps

Yes, the UK is very weird in its musical tastes: I cannot forgive them Brexit or the fact they gave a lap dancer (J-) more #1s than MARIAH!!!

It's not just UK. All Europe countries have very different taste in music from US and the ones with a taste closer to US are UK and Ireland (so just imagine much different the charts are in the other big markets like Germany, France, Italy or Spain)

Mariah had a big problem in European charts. In US she got to #01 many times selling cd-singles at $0.49 and using payola that increases her radio airplay. Sometimes even with both things she stalled at Billboard Hot 100 #02.

UK charts (and all European charts) were always pure sales so her airplay increase (that also existed) wouldn't be refflected in the charts directly but would certainly help singles and albums to sell. Also if new released singles were selling for less than £1,99 they would not be elligible to chart so all songs would be priced at least that (and most were even selling for £2.99 or more). Despite always having her singles at bottom price and having lots of airplay she was not always able to have good chart places. What she achieved was already incredible when you think about it. She was never the European cup of tea vibe as during the 90's Europe was much more into Techo, Dance Music or Pop Ballads and not so much into R&B or Hip Hop vibes (sure some things of all genres did good but looking at the charts during the 90's you can really see that).

We can see that since the start her carreer. Her first single "Vision of Love" was already #02 in European airplay chart (its peak position) and none knew who she was or her song but the single was not even a TOP 40 Hit yet (Payola was certainly involved here). It did eventually helped the single climb and peak #14 in Eurochart Hot 100 ( but still only peaked #09 in UK after 7 weeks climbing and being one of the most played songs in the radio - without such a huge radio support the song would most probably not even peak TOP 20). Still UK is Mariah better market in Europe chartswise and bigger market when it comes to record sales as well.

Wow. How very technical and lengthy reply, thank you! Yes I get that, that MARIAH wasn't promoted properly in Europe in the beginning of her career, that is why it took her until the 3rd album MUSIC BOX to break through. I on the other hand, (despite still living in Austria at the time) would listen to Kasey Kasem on a Sunday evening when they repeated the US Billboard Top 40 and or Adult Contemporary Charts (a genre that has almost died out by now). When I heard VISION OF LOVE for the very first time, I knew instantly (just like when I heard ADELE singing CHASING PAVEMENTS) knew that this was a pivotal moment in my life. This was going to be a MASSIVE global superstar just like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, etc......and time proved me right. What really irritates me is that most people say she cannot sing (anymore) or that her music is boring, when she clearly has been setting the bar exceptionally high ever since 1990. The Golden Trilogy of female pop singers (in the 90ies) was WHITNEY, MARIAH, CELINE for a reason.......

Perhaps sales of Thriller25 were excluded this time.

They are just not as popular in the UK, as they are in the US. Their highest selling album in the UK is IV, which is probably about the 70th to 80th best selling studio album with around 2m sales and around the 95th to 105th best selling album overall. In total, they have probably shifted around 11m albums in the UK, that's less than what Houses of the Holy (12m), Led Zeppelin II (13m) Led Zeppelin IV (23m) have sold alone in the US.