MIXED MEDIA

A periodic survey of pop-related laser discs, books and videocassettes. Ratings are on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic). “THE HAUNTED FISH TANK”----** Love and Rockets Pioneer Artists laser disc ($29.95)

This British trio could be one of the giants of rock if it ever gets around to defining itself, something the band has failed to do on record, on stage . . . and now on screen. At its best, Love and Rockets’ music is an enticing, post-psychedelic mix of the seductive pop-rock of T. Rex and the darker artistic impulses of the Jesus and Mary Chain. But there’s an aimless, ultimately shallow edge to the band; it doesn’t assert any commanding presence or point of view. In this 46-minute video compilation that follows the band from “Ball of Confusion” through “So Alive,” the trio alternates between studied aloofness and dopey hi-jinks, including the pointless antics of the cartoon-like Bubblemen characters. Rather than helping clarify the band’s somewhat ill-focused image, the video only spotlights it.