The Grateful Useless have made Billboard chart historical past regardless of not being a band for practically 30 years, with the best variety of high 40 albums to ever make the Billboard 200.
In line with Billboard, the discharge of Dave’s Picks, Quantity 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA (4/27/85 & 4/28/85) debuted at quantity 25 on the charts making the overall variety of high 40 releases within the Useless’s repertoire at 59, surpassing each Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley who had been beforehand tied for the document at 58.
“Dave’s Picks” is a collection of dwell recordings of previous Grateful Useless exhibits put collectively by archivist David Lemiex, who will rejoice his 25’th 12 months of working with the band this 12 months. These albums are liable for 41 of the 59 high 40 debuts and have all been launched effectively after the 1995 loss of life of Grateful Useless frontman Jerry Garcia in 1995. The newest launch on this collection bought 21,000 of the 25,000 printed album items which had been all solely bought via Official Grateful Useless channels.
“This might be essentially the most unlikely and sudden document in music historical past, and is a testomony to a couple issues,” Lemieux mentioned in a press launch. “At first is the distinctive and constant high quality of the Grateful Useless’s greater than 2,000 dwell exhibits. On the heels of that is the loyalty and fervour of the numerous Useless Heads who’ve made this document potential. And to high it off, the Grateful Useless have a partnership with Rhino that ensures these many album releases are produced with care, love, and respect for each the band’s music and legacy, and the Useless Heads themselves.”
Even a long time after disbanding the Grateful Useless has maintained a robust presence amongst their fan base which appears to develop bigger daily. Useless-themed merchandise and merchandise stretch into each sector of the financial system, particularly among the many rising authorized hashish group. “Useless and Firm,” a Grateful Useless cowl/spin-off band shaped by three former Useless members and others together with John Mayer have been credited with spreading Grateful Useless music to a youthful viewers. Their tour final 12 months noticed over 840,000 attendees with over 120,000 on the last San Francisco present alone.
“It’s an honor and privilege to work for this group, and our goal is to maintain constructing on this document by delivering the standard of recordings Useless Heads have come to count on for a few years forward,” Lemieux mentioned. “It’s really exceptional to witness the Grateful Useless’s enduring legacy and profound affect.”
Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino, strengthened Lemieux’s sentiments in an announcement, intimating that the success of those album releases is proof of the actual, tangible affect the Useless perpetuated with their music.
“Their music and tradition transcend time, and this groundbreaking achievement is a testomony to their ongoing affect. Rhino is honored to proceed to share their significant and magical music with Useless Heads, each previous and new,” Pinkus mentioned.
Bernie Cahill, Founding Associate of Activist Artists Administration and supervisor of the Grateful Useless mentioned in an announcement that the discharge of Dave’s Picks Quantity 49 was a reminder that the Grateful Useless reinvented the best way dwell exhibits had been carried out and remembered, as is evidenced by the immense recognition of the dwell recordings amongst their fanbase.
“This exceptional achievement speaks not solely to the genius and imaginative and prescient of the Grateful Useless, additionally it is a reminder of their really epic dwell exhibits that reinterpreted their nice American songbook each single time they took the stage! Merely put, that is one other unimaginable milestone for a band who has by no means compromised, and has at all times performed all the things on their very own phrases,” Cahill mentioned.
Useless and Firm’s last tour was speculated to be in 2023 however they introduced on the finish of the tour they possible weren’t performed, shortly thereafter saying a string of 24 exhibits on the Las Vegas sphere (which at present boasts a large deadhead picture on its outer shell) from Might 16 to July 16 of 2024. Dave’s Picks Vol. 50 (Palladium, New York Metropolis – 5/3/77) is slated for launch in April.