Definitely don't go without!

There are a few albums in my collection where I rarely get beyond a certain number of tracks because of a personal favorite, or deeply inspirational, or just darn good track - U2's Best of 80-90 is one of those.

However, while I rarely make it past track three (the timeless, ageless, legendary "With or Without You"), it's not for a lack of quality on the album as a whole.

As a note, I'm not an expert on U2. In fact, the only other album I have is Zooropa, on cassette tape, and I haven't listened to it that much. So my knowledge of U2's history and discography is lacking, some may say woefully so, but I don't feel that this ought to disqualify me from adding my two cents about what I feel is one of the top ten albums in my collection, if not in recent memory.

While, as I said, I am often absorbed in "With or Without You", "Best of" includes some other, what I can only call classic, tunes. "Pride (in the name of love)", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "The Sweetest Thing" (a remix), "Desire", "When Love Comes to Town", "Angels of Harlem", "All I Want is You." Okay, okay, I'll confess, I named nearly the whole album, all I left off was "New Year's Day", "Bad", "Where the Streets Have No Name", "I Will Follow", and "The Unforgettable Fire." The point is, every track is high-quality and top notch.

What makes it so great? Lyrics, message, listenability, and just great song after great song. There is no weak link on this album, no track begging to be skipped, and as a dedicated channel surfer, I have little patience for mediocre tracks.

But again, I can't say it enough, "With or Without You" is without a doubt, one of the classic, near-tragic love songs of all time. It's words touch my heart and soul every single time I listen to it, and when I hear those opening guitars my whole body trembles and I can't think of anything else but that song.

My second favorite may be "All I Want is You." What can I say, I'm a sucker for the romantic tracks?

What it comes down to is this...even a listener not familiar with U2 will enjoy this CD because it is just simply great, great music (especially when you realize BB King helped out on "When Love Comes to Town.")

Buy it, cherish it, wear it out! I am.