With the release of the 49th edition in the long-running ‘Dick’s Picks’ live album series (Dick’s Picks Volume 49), The Grateful Dead has now reached the record as the artist with the most top 40 albums of all time in the U.S.
Volume 49 charted at 25 on the Billboard 200, which means they have now had a total of 59 albums enter the top 40 albums chart. As Far Out Magazine points out, in achieving this, the group has beaten Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, who were previously tied at 58.
Many of the band’s entries charted long after the band initially disbanded following the passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995. In fact, 41 out of their 59 charting albums were released in 2012, courtesy of the Dicks Picks series, a range of albums that contain recordings of live gigs.
At the same time, the band has prepared a special vinyl release of their late ’70s studio albums – Terrapin Station (1977). While the late ’70s was not exactly the peak of The Grateful Dead’s studio releases, it is said that this remastered vinyl release has quite an enhanced sound quality.
