GRATEFUL DEAD: THE GOLDEN ROAD, Rhino's 12-disc bonanza is the definitive look at the Dead's formative years, a fantastically creative nine-year period for Warner Bros.  All of the band's nine official Warner releases (five studio discs, four live): THE GRATEFUL DEAD (1967)/ANTHEM OF THE SUN (1968)/AOXOMOXOA (1969)/ LIVE DEAD (1969)/WORKINGMAN'S DEAD (1970)/ AMERICAN BEAUTY (1970)/GRATEFUL DEAD (1971)/EUROPE '72 (1972)/HISTORY OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD VOL. 1 (BEAR'S CHOICE) (1973) have been superbly remastered and buffed with extra tracks that include unheard studio jams and outtakes, plus contemporaneous live cuts. There's also two discs' worth (one studio, one live) of rare early material, THE BIRTH OF THE DEAD, that predates their Warner Bros. debut. Each "album" comes in its own package with its own notes, while the box itself offers a 75-page booklet featuring rare photos and poster reproductions, an essay by Dennis McNally, and a complete Grateful Dead discography by Ihor Slablicky.