Dylan goes No.1 in the UK

The album entered the Irish charts at No.2 and was the leading international seller – held off the top spot by the new Christy Moore album, Listen.

Remarkably this is Dylan's first UK No.1 album since 1970's New Morning, all of 38 years and five months ago – the longest gap in chart history between two number one albums by the same artist. The record had previously been held by Tom Jones, for whom a 31 year gap had separated Delilah (1968) from Reload (1999). New Morning was released in October 1970 and took until November to hit the top spot, whereas Together Through Life went straight to No.1.

There has also been huge renewed interest in Dylan's vast back-catalogue of recordings, with audiences in their late teens and 20s discovering his music for the first time.

"Dylan is arguably our greatest cultural icon, and his words and music remain as relevant and as powerful today as they did five decades ago," HMV's Gannaro Castaldo comments. "His albums always sell consistently well, but with demand for his catalogue of recordings up significantly in recent months, it's evident that Dylan is going through one of his zeitgeist moments, as a new generation of fans join his more-established followers in appreciating his musical legacy."

Dylan, who is currently Artist Of The Month at HMV stores and on hmv.com, has seen sales of his most notable recordings, including the seminal Blood On The Tracks, Blonde On Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited, nearly treble at the retailer during March and April.

For a list of HMV's top 5-selling Bob Dylan catalogue recordings, click here.