“Grosse Pointe Blank” soundtrack, London * * *

This movie music came from Hollywood Pictures rather than Miramax, but it, too, is worth attention. Besides serving as a delightful souvenir of a dark comedy with “Fargo”-like imagination and bite, the soundtrack reminds us of how records can help define a pop-rock era without ever gracing the top of the charts.

Few of these 13 recordings--including the Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail,” the English Beat’s “Mirror in the Bathroom” and the Specials’ “Pressure Drop”--ever made it into Billboard’s weekly Top 100 in this country.

But they serve as a much more evocative reminder of the sense of adventure and energy of the music scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s than such actual Billboard hits as Robert John’s “Sad Eyes,” Herb Alpert’s “Rise” or Sheena Easton’s “Morning Train”--to cite three actual No. 1 singles from the same period.

For those hooked on the hits, however, “Pointe Blank” also includes Johnny Nash’s uplifting “I Can See Clearly Now” and Guns N’ Roses’ soaring rendition of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die.” Oddly enough, they work nicely together in the context of the album and film. Smart choices.

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