Latest news with #DavesPicks
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Grateful Dead Have Missed No. 1 By One Space Several Times This Year
The Grateful Dead returns to a number of Billboard rankings this week with yet another entry in its hugely successful Dave's Picks series — a collection that now includes more than 50 full-lengths curated by longtime archivist David Lemieux. The jam-rock veterans nearly collect another No. 1 in the U.S. this frame, missing the top spot by just one rung. That's a familiar outcome for the Grateful Dead, especially on the Top Album Sales chart, where multiple releases — including several from the Dave's Picks line — have peaked at No. 2. The latest arrival adds to a long history of close calls, and it's not even the group's first near-miss of the year. Dave's Picks Volume 54: Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD - 3/26/73 opens at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Luminate reports that the release sold a little more than 19,000 copies in its first tracking frame. That sum, while impressive, wasn't enough to pose real competition when compared to Skeleta by Ghost. That new release launches with just under 77,000 pure purchases, easily securing the No. 1 spot on Billboard's list of the top-selling full-lengths and EPs in the country. The Grateful Dead surely doesn't mind landing at No. 2. In fact, it's something the band is used to at this point. Dave's Picks Volume 54 is the second title by the Grateful Dead to stall at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart in 2025. Just a few months ago in February, Dave's Picks Volume 53: Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH - 10/2/76 also reached the same position. It spent just one frame at No. 2 before disappearing — a showing that's not uncommon for Grateful Dead releases. The band often issues these archival live sets in limited quantities that sell extremely well out of the gate and then vanish from Billboard's rosters within a matter of days. The band has now debuted three projects on the Top Album Sales chart in 2025 alone. In April, between the two Dave's Picks entries, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY - 6/14/76 also appeared on the tally. It, too, stuck around for just one frame, but it peaked at a much lower No. 27. Throughout the years, the Grateful Dead has collected 46 top 10 placements on the Top Album Sales chart, surely one of the most impressive runs of bestsellers among all acts. Just one of those sets has reached the summit. A milestone 10, including the group's latest offering, have missed the mark by a single rung.
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Grateful Dead Keep Missing No. 1, But Only Barely
The Grateful Dead scores another Billboard win with Dave's Picks, Volume 54, which debuts at No. 2 ... More on the Top Album Sales chart — the band's tenth time stalling in the runner-up spot. The Grateful Dead, 1970 (clockwise): Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Mickey Hart and Jerry Garcia during the Music File Photos - The 1970s - by Chris Walter at the Music File Photos 1970's in Various Cities, United Kingdom. (P The Grateful Dead crafted a unique business model that continues to generate revenue and produce chart wins, decades after the band stopped releasing new music. Over the years the musicians were together, the beloved jam band played countless live shows, and most of them were recorded for posterity's sake. No one could have expected all those years ago how valuable those recordings would be decades later. Now, an archival team working with the musicians delivers multiple live recordings every year. Each is offered in limited quantities, and each and every one of them becomes a commercial success. This week, the group returns to the Billboard charts with another bestselling title. While the new title opens in a lofty position, the release underlines a frustrating trend for the legendary act. Dave's Picks, Volume 54: Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD - 3/26/73 debuts on four Billboard rankings. It opens highest on the Top Album Sales chart, which ranks the bestselling full-lengths and EPs in the U.S. Thanks to nearly 19,500 pure purchases (per Luminate), the Grateful Dead starts its latest archival recording at No. 2 — just missing out on another No. 1 on the competitive tally. This latest entry marks the tenth release by the Grateful Dead to stall at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Most musical acts never collect 10 top 10 bestsellers in total—let alone see double-digit projects peak just one spot shy of the throne. The fact that the band has accumulated so many major wins is impressive, though it must also be frustrating to come so close to the summit time and again without securing the top spot. Even for musicians who aren't typically concerned with commercial metrics, this recurring outcome likely resonates. Here is a list of all of the Grateful Dead albums that have peaked at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart: Dave's Picks, Volume 54 also lands inside the top 10 on two other Billboard rankings. In addition to its runner-up showing on the Top Album Sales chart, the collection kicks off its time on the Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums lists at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively. The full-length also breaks into the top 40 on the Billboard 200, launching at No. 35. To date, the Grateful Dead has earned 130 placements on the Top Album Sales chart. Of those, 46 have reached the top 10. Remarkably, only one release has ever managed to top the tally. That long-overdue win came in February 2024, when Dave's Picks, Volume 49 became the group's first — and so far, only — chart-topper.
