Vinyl Me, Please has announced the release of VMP Anthology: The Story of the Grateful Dead vinyl set. The collection features official live and studio releases from throughout the band’s storied career.

Vinyl Me, Please is a monthly subscription service that mails out a record each month to its users, many of whom have requested Grateful Dead material. The service found, however, that many interested listeners didn’t know where to begin in the band’s vast catalog. The Story of the Grateful Dead is meant to be a starting point in an illustrious musical journey.

Related: Anders Osborne And Luther Dickinson Offer Acoustic Grateful Dead Singalongs On ‘Terrapin TV’ [Watch]

The eight record, 14 disc set spans 20 years of the Dead’s career, from the their early days as the soundtrack of the 1960’s psychedelic movement to filling stadiums in the late 1980s. The vinyl collection features 180-gram pressings of four studio albums: Workingman’s Dead (1970), American Beauty (1970), Wake of the Flood (1973), and Terrapin Station (1977). Additionally, The Story of the Grateful Dead features four official live releases: Live/Dead (1969), Europe ’72 Vol. 1 (1972), Reckoning (1981), and Without A Net (1990). VMP Chief Brand Officer Cameron Schaefer said of the collection,

We have heard that so many music fans have a curiosity and desire to explore the Grateful Dead, but they are overwhelmed by the depth and the grandeur that comes with their studio catalog, live recordings and the lore surrounding the culture they founded. VMP is here to take these music fans on a deep journey through the Dead and to frame the breadth of the band’s iconic career for today’s music lover.

In addition to the wealth of music, the set also features liner notes with entries from modern musicians who have drawn inspiration from the Dead. The notes include essays from Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Avey Tare (Animal Collective), Dave Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Margo Price, MC Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger), Scott Devendorf (The National), John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists), and Hunter Brown (STS9). The book also features an array of photos from such legendary concert photographers as Jay Blakesberg, Jim Marshall, and more.

Vinyl Me, Please has also shared a promotional video for the set, and who could be a better choice to introduce a box set meant get listeners into the Grateful Dead than Deadhead extraordinaire Bill Walton?

VMP Anthology: The Story of the Grateful Dead

The Story of the Grateful Dead is the sixth installment of Vinyl Me, Please’s Anthology series. Previous collections include The Story of Blue Note Records, The Women of Motown, The Story of Ghostly International, The Story of Stax Records, and The Story of Zamrock.

The Story of the Grateful Dead box set is available for pre-order now through Vinyl Me, Please, but copies are limited to 7,500.