It’s always good to see a band of fresh-faced youngsters getting ahead. Of course, if you can’t have that, it’s also nice to see The Grateful Dead score a win.
Which is what they did this week when their latest live album, Dave’s Picks, Vol. 40: Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN 7/18/90 & 7/19/90, debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart — their highest placement since 1987’s In the Dark peaked at No. 6, fueled by their lone top 40 hit Touch of Grey. The Dead sold 23,000 copies of Noblesville, which was issued exclusively as a four-CD set, and limited to 25,000 numbered copies. Listen in to today’s episode of Sonic Reducers as Eric Alper and I celebrate The Dead‘s triumph, explain why they continue to thrive in an era when so many bands are struggling, and tell you just who the hell Dave is anyway. Sonic Reducers. One topic. Two music nerds. Five minutes. Everything you need to know.
