I find it interesting to see how music fans from the US and from the UK differ in their opinions and the “custom chart” tool at RateYourMusic.com makes it easy to make these kind of comparisons. What I did was sort the top 10 albums of all time first only using the ratings of people in the US and then only using the ratings of people in the UK so I could make the comparison you find below.

US Opinion

#01 The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
#02 The Beatles – Revolver (1966)
#03 Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
#04 Wu Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
#05 Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)
#06 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
#07 Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
#08 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (1965)
#09 The Beatles – The White Album (1968)
#10 Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)

UK Opinion

#01 The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
#02 Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)
#03 The Beatles – Revolver (1966)
#04 Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
#05 Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
#06 The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead (1986)
#07 David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust… (1972)
#08 Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (1975)
#09 David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971)
#10 Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979)

Comparison

Revolver, OK Computer, Highway 61 Revisited, & Bringing It Back Home are on both charts. Overall The Beatles actually appear to be more popular in the States than in their home country which I find interesting. I also find it interesting how jazz is much more popular in the US and David Bowie, Joy Division, & The Smiths are much more popular in the UK. I’m surprised that the Wu Tang Clan album is at #4 in the US. It’s at #30 in the UK.

I think the biggest discrepancies in taste are that David Bowie’s Hunky Dory is #9 in the UK and #57 in the US, The Smith’s The Queen Is Dead is #6 in the UK and #64 in the US, and Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures is #10 in the UK and #78 in the US.

It’s also a bit neat that the #1 albums on each chart don’t make the top ten on the other country’s chart. Abbey Road is #1 in the US but #13 in the UK. The Velvet Underground & Nico is #1 in the UK but #11 in the US.