U 2 will love this CD

I'm going to go with the cliched but timely premise of being stranded on a desert island. In that situation, separated from any form of music other than any that I myself could make (which would probably be scary), narrowing the wide field of CDs down to just one that I absolutely couldn't live without would be incredibly difficult.

To me, the overriding criteria would be which CD spoke to every mood; one that offered enough variety to be one that I would enjoy for the rest of my life. After a lot of thought on the subject, the CD case that would be laying on the sand beside me would be U2-The Best of 1980 to 1990.

First, U2 itself is a group with staying power; this band's swagger has stood the test of time, with over two decades of amazing music. They've continually reinvented their sound without abandoning their style. Despite criticism from some that they have veered into the mainstream, I think the evolving nature of their music just reflects the musicians' nature to constantly grow and change. And that change over the decades is also another thing that makes this a great desert island disc; this CD has a decade worth of different styles.

You'll find everything from the raw, early track of I Will Follow to 1998's The Sweetest Thing. There are defining U2 classics like New Year's Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Pride. The perfection of 1987's The Joshua Tree is heavily represented with the velvet intensity of With or Without You, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and one of my favorites, Where the Streets Have No Name, which for some reason leaves my heart racing.

Rounding out the disc, you've got Desire(hard-edged and rocking), All I Want Is You (perfect when you want to cry),and the easygoing Angel of Harlem. Oh, and how could I possibly forget When Love Comes to Town, which pairs the Edge's distinctive guitar with that of the legendary B.B. King? I think the only song on the entire CD I don't really love is The Unforgettable Fire.

Basically, I'm not sure there could be a better CD in the world, much less on a desert island. I can happily imagine myself stranded with this CD, dancing along a desert island shore, singing to the sky.