Grateful Dead records sales growth of over 5,700% for this album

With their 1974 album “Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel,” the Bay Area band Grateful Dead reached a milestone that lasted for years.

The expanded version of Dead’s seventh studio album, re-released on June 21, debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s vinyl album chart, marking the group’s 20th top 10 on the list. (The group first reached the chart’s top 10 in 2012 with “Winterland: May 30th, 1971.”) The recent comeback also helped propel “Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel” back into the Billboard 200, where it now sits at No. 58.

The Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel reissue celebrates the 50th anniversary of the original record, but has been enhanced to include a new concert recording of the band’s 1974 performance at the University of Nevada-Reno, as well as demos of “China Doll” and “Wave That Flag (US Blues).” The additional features boosted the album’s sales by more than 5,700%, with sales increasing from fewer than 250 to 14,000 in one week, entertainment analytics firm Lumiate said in a Forbes report.

Although the Grateful Dead split decades ago and guitarist and co-founder Jerry Garcia died in 1995, their legacy remains relevant. For five years, Deadheads gathered in Ventura for Skulls & Roses, a Grateful Dead tribute festival that was canceled for the first time this year due to financial constraints, and this summer, Major League Baseball is dedicating a series of tribute nights to Garcia, whose fans continue to honor him each August on Jerry Garcia Day. (This year it falls on August 3)