Kate Bush has made a comeback with 22 shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London. Photo: John Carder Bush/PA Wire

Kate Bush has become the first woman in history to have eight albums in the Official Albums Chart at the same time.

The achievement comes following her return to the stage after 35 years went down a storm with critics and fans alike, who hailed her performance as “spellbinding”.

Two of Bush’s albums made it to the top 10 – The Whole Story at number six and Hounds of Love at number nine – with a total of eight Bush albums in the top 40, the Official Charts Company said.

50 Words For Snow is at number 20, The Kick Inside is at number 24, The Sensual World is at 26, The Dreaming is at 37, Never For Ever is at 38 and Lionheart is at 40.

A further three of her albums are at numbers 43, 44 and 49.

Bush is now only behind Elvis Presley, the overall record holder who managed 12 entries in the top 40 following his death in 1977, and The Beatles, who notched up 11 simultaneous top 40 entries with their 2009 album reissues.

More than 80,000 tickets for Bush’s Before the Dawn ‘tour’ – 22 shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London, the venue where she effectively retired from live performances after six weeks on the road in 1979 – sold out in less than 15 minutes after they were announced in March.

Back in 1978, Bush became the first female artiste in history to score a UK number one on the Official Singles Chart with a self-penned song: Wuthering Heights went on to top the chart for four weeks, becoming the first of Bush’s 26 top 40 hits.

Official Charts Company chief executive, Martin Talbot, said: “Her new live shows have created a huge stir, but for them to help push her catalogue to make such a significant sales impact is further evidence of the love that the British public have for her music, from generation to generation.”