Neil Diamond has broken a 42-year duck after topping the UK and US charts with an album of original material for the first time in his career.

The Official UK Chart Company said the crooner’s Home Before Dark album, released 42 years after his debut, The Feel of Neil Diamond, had broken a record.

Famed for hits such as Sweet Caroline, Diamond, 67, has sold 125 million records worldwide. But no other artist has taken so long to get to the top of the charts with an original work.

Diamond has been reinvented as credible singer-songwriter. Home Before Dark is produced by Rick Rubin, the rap pioneer who created a spartan sound for Johnny Cash’s later albums.

The New Yorker, who tours the UK next month, is expected to be one of the highlights at the Glastonbury Festival, where Diamond follows Dame Shirley Bassey be performing in the “legends” slot.

Diamond's record label, Columbia, also celebrated the success of a new artist. Manchester duo The Ting Tings entered the UK singles chart at number one with That's Not My Name.

Mike Smith, Columbia Managing Director, who spoke to Diamond yesterday, said: “It has been incredible to tell one of the greatest living American singer songwriters on the Columbia Roster that he has his first UK No.1 album, and then to hear him in turn congratulate one of our newest signings on their chart topping single."

Diamond topped the UK albums charts 16 years ago with a compilation, but none of his previous 45 studio albums had reached No 1 on either side of the Atlantic.

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