Bono promised U2's "Who" or "guitar" record for the band's eleventh studio album. It's not that, although How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (buy it here) offers a few harder, more raw efforts ("Vertigo," "Love and Peace or Else," "All Because of You"). Instead, HTDAAB offers something for every U2 fan, from just about every U2 period.

The preachy, political U2 of the mid to late '80s resurrects itself on "Crumbs from Your Table," on which the activist Bono sings: "Where you live should not decide/Whether you live or whether you die." The opening ten seconds of "Yahweh" radiates an "A Sort of Homecoming"/"Unforgettable Fire" vibe. The listener finds Edge's echoing, chiming guitar style of Boy, October, and War (buy them here) on almost every track. You even get a poor man's "Beautiful Day" in "Vertigo."

HTDAAB is not a masterpiece like Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree, or The Unforgettable Fire. It doesn't break new ground like the '90s-era experimental albums. It does add some instant classics to the U2 oeuvre ("Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," "City of Blinding Lights"), and most importantly, it will wear out your CD player.

People still categorize U2 as a rock & roll band?

To me they were never rock 'n roll. They were quasi pop/alternative rock or whatever. IMO, the greatest band ever to emerge from the Emerald Isle was Thin Lizzy! Ya baby!

Nah. The Pogues.

The Pogues are great. But the Pogues are an English Band. Sorry.