Grateful Dead Keep Missing No. 1, But Only Barely

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 Debuts at No. 2

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.

The Grateful Dead Keeps Hitting No. 2

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:

1. Dave’s Picks, Volume 29: Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA, 2/26/77
2. Dave’s Picks, Volume 34: Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, FL – 06/23/74
3. Dave’s Picks, Volume 37: College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA – 4/15/78
4. Dave’s Picks, Volume 38: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY – 9/8/73
5. Dave’s Picks, Volume 40: Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN – 7/18/90
6. Dave’s Picks, Volume 41: Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD – 5/26/77
7. Dave’s Picks, Volume 45: Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR – 10/1/77 & 10/2/77
8. Dave’s Picks, Volume 50: The Palladium, New York, NY – 5/3/77
9. Dave’s Picks, Volume 53: Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH – 10/2/76
10. Dave’s Picks, Volume 54: Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD – 3/26/73

Dave’s Picks, Volume 54 Opens Inside the Top 10

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.

The Grateful Dead’s Only No. 1

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.