'Time' is kind to Rod Stewart as rocker scores his first number one album since 1979

Rod Stewart has scored his first number one album since 1979 at the age of 68 (PA)

Rod Stewart has scored his first number one since 1979 with an album that marks an artistic breakthrough for the singer at the age of 68.

The rocker ended two decades of writer’s block with Time, an autobiographical collection of songs about divorce and his formative years.

Time outsold new releases by Radio 1 favourites Vampire Weekend and Gabrielle Aplin to go straight to number one in the Official UK Album Chart.

Celebrating his first chart-topper in 34 years, the revitalised Stewart said: “Well, knock me down with a feather. Just goes to show there’s still plenty of songs left in the old violin. Thank you.”

Lacking lyrical inspiration of his own, Stewart had released a lucrative series of albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.

The muse returned with Time, which features Brighton Beach, a paean to the art student who broke the teenage Rod’s heart and placed their baby daughter, born out of wedlock, up for adoption. It’s Over ruminates on the effect of divorce on the thrice-married star’s children.

Stewart reached number one with his Greatest Hits Vol 1 album in 1979, but his last studio-based chart-topper was with the album A Night On The Town in 1976.