By Mike Farragher

The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means — donning shoulder pads and helmet to fight the throngs of shoppers trying to get that same iPod Nano that you have your eye on.

Why bother? With a few clicks of the mouse, Off the Record can guide you to two sites that have everything you need for that Irish music fan on your list.

Stressing over what to stuff the stocking of that music lover? It’s Bono to the rescue.

This time last year, Bono and the boys were trying to separate you from $40 for their online fan club on U2.com. Back then, there was the promise of primo seats for the hottest ticket of the year, their “Vertigo” tour.

But now, with no American tour coming up and many fan club dues up for renewal, the band will try to hook you once again. Enter U2.Communication, a nice collection of live tracks and U2 cyber goodies that comes in a package designed to fit inside a stocking.

U2.Communication is a two CD package (audio and CD-Rom) featuring eight live U2 tracks from the current tour and a host of exclusive visual and interactive content, is a keeper. “The Fly,” “Vertigo,” “Elevation,” and “City of Blinding Lights” are collected from a Chicago tour stop last May, while “Miss Sarajevo” and “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” come by way of a summer stint in Milan.

“Miss Sarajevo” finds Bono in fine voice, with the singer taking the operatic parts in the song that Pavarotti performed on the original Passengers CD.

Ever the savvy technology band, the CD Rom allows you to come up with your own playlist, with an interactive audio player and unique wallpapers and screensavers created for the “Vertigo” tour. Some of the screensavers include the Declaration of Human Rights, the heart, dove and DNA animations, and a new “Vertigo” animation that you might have seen if you attended any of the shows this year.

For more information, log onto www.u2.com.