🎸1980 - First Female Solo UK Number One Album
Technically, Never for Ever is the first studio album (i.e. not a greatest hits compilation) by any solo female artist to reach number 1 in the UK as only Barbra Streisand and Connie Francis had achieved the feat prior to 1980 but with compilation albums (Diana Ross had also achieved three UK number 1 albums by then but these were also compilations and were credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes, and were therefore not solo albums).
With so many successful female artists we've had since, it's hard to believe Kate Bush had the first solo number 1 album with original material in 1980!
Here's a few tracks from that album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzlofSthVwc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xckBwPdo1c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOZDKlpybZE