POP CHARTS

This should be the year of U2. The band’s new album, “The Joshua Tree,” debuted dramatically at No. 7 on the latest Billboard magazine pop chart. It could be the only album with enough clout to roust the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill” out of the No. 1 position it’s held for the last five weeks. Get ready for the U2 media blitz that’s just beginning. And “Trio,” that country album by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, is another instant hit. After just two weeks, it’s already charting at No. 20. And the debut solo album by Foreigner’s Lou Gramm, “Ready or Not,” is gathering steam; it’s at No. 33. Simply Red’s sophomore album, “Men and Women,” (No. 51) looks like it may be as big a hit as the band’s debut album. Starship’s “Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now” is the new No. 1 single, while Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita” is the fastest rising new single; it’s at No. 25 this week.