JUMP, JIVE AN' WAIL OF A GOOD TIME.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

It was the year teen-age girls raised the Titantic.

Not only did the film break all box-office records, the ``Titantic'' soundtrack - spearheaded by the Celine Dion-sung love theme ``My Heart Will Go On'' - was the year's biggest seller.

Teen-agers also showed their clout by making the Backstreet Boys' debut a massive hit along with multimillion-selling offerings from fellow teen idols 'N Sync, Spice Girls, Brandy, Monica and Savage Garden. Meanwhile, teen and pre-teen consumers put Cleopatra, All Saints, Natalie Imbruglia and Tatyana Ali on the map.

When that all-important demographic of 7-year-olds wasn't making and breaking new stars, it was flipping the dial to Radio Disney, which played many of their favorite records.

Hip-hop continued to dominate the charts, proving that rap is now the mainstream while rock is a niche genre, with major hits from DMX, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri and Wyclef Jean. Fugees member Lauryn Hill's solo debut, ``The Miseducation of Lauryn ``Hill'' was not only a top seller but one of the most lauded discs of 1998, despite recent rumblings that perhaps Hill received a bit too much credit for its production.

The swing revival hit its juke-jivin' stride in '98, fueled by Brian Setzer, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue and a popular Gap ad featuring the original 1958 version of Louie Prima's ``Jump Jive an' Wail.''

In the post-grunge era, the once mighty alt-rock genre was reduced to a series of radio hits from such forgettable one-hit acts as Harvey Danger, Eve 6 and Marcy Playground. Lollapalooza, the format's summer caravan tour, didn't even get off the ground, its thunder quickly stolen by Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair.

Other tours that broke records included OzzFest and the money-minting Rolling Stones trek, where ticket prices reached $300.

Favorite concerts of '98 included the Carnegie Hall date of the delightful Buena Vista Social Club, a group of elderly Cuban jazz musicians plus guitarist Ry Cooder.

Also last summer, after a three-year absence, the Beastie Boys reconquered the world. The old-school trio broke new-school ground with its ``Hello Nasty'' disc, and the subsequent tour was a coast-to-coast sellout.

At the same time, heavy metal enjoyed a revival of sorts with the grass-roots success of Bakersfield noise merchants Korn, proving a band can build a large, loyal following without radio's blessing.

The year's biggest losers included Rod Stewart, Van Halen and Ace of Base, whose new albums all stiffed. Smashing Pumpkins saw their slow and sappy ``Adore'' barely break 1 million in sales.

Garth Brooks had another spectacular winter, hitting the million mark in one-week sales of his double live album, one of just 18 records to spend time atop the albums chart in '98.

Other country acts had good years. Shania Twain launched her first tour, showing cynics she really could sing in concert. LeAnn Rimes, Vince Gill, George Strait and Alan Jackson enjoyed big hits, and the Dixie Chicks were country's hottest breakthrough act.

The much-predicted '80s revival was personified by the Bauhaus reunion, which began by testing the waters with a couple of local dates and immediately turned into a national tour when ticket sales went through the roof. Depeche Mode, Culture Club and Berlin also hit the road.

In the dance world, Madonna and Gloria Estefan returned to their club roots, while local dance radio Groove 103 flipped formats to adult alternative Channel 103.1, offering Los Angeles boomers an unexpected sequel to much-missed FM 101.9.

In jazz, there were some inspired entries, including Geri Allen's ``The Gathering,'' the Dave Holland Quintet's ``Points of View'' and Joe Lovano's ``Trio Fascination.'' It was also a strong year for reissues of classic material, such as the Miles Davis ``Bitches Brew'' box and John Coltrane's ``The Classic Quartet - Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings.''

The Grim Reaper certainly didn't rest. Those missing in action include Love guitarist-singer Bryan MacLean, New Orleans r&b vocalist Johnny Adams, singer-actor Gene Autry, U.S. congressman and onetime singer Sonny Bono, country founding father Owen Bradley, blues harpist Lester Butler, jazz vocalist Betty Carter, Nashville pianist Floyd Cramer, singer Falco, jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, singer-dancer Alice Faye, rockabilly vet Charlie Feathers, songwriter Charlie Foxx, bluesman Junior Kimbrough, jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland, Chicago blues drummer S.P. Leary, bluegrass legend Rose Maddox, musician-photographer-activist Linda McCartney, ska musician-bandleader Tommy McCook, r&b arranger Gene Page, rockabilly guitarist Carl Perkins, cowboy king Roy Rogers, Bob Wills guitarist Eldon Shamblin, Frank Sinatra, musician Cliffie Stone, James Taylor drummer Carlos Vega, bluesman Junior Wells, Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson, country great Tammy Wynette and ska saxophonist Roland Alphonso.

Events to look forward to in '99 include a new album and tour from Jeff Beck, the first solo dates from Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson, and a Blondie reunion.

Finally, consolidation was the industry buzzword for '98, which will be remembered as the year the Big Six music conglomerates became the Big Five as a result of Universal's $10.4 billion takeover of PolyGram. Jobs will be shed within the next two weeks.

Here are the best albums of 1998.

1. ``Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,'' Lucinda Williams: Six years in the making - and worth the wait, this collection of soulful snapshots of Southern life removes the talented Williams from the cult category once and for all.

2. ``The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,'' Lauryn Hill: No matter who was ultimately responsible for arranging this imaginative slice of hip-hop heaven, the songs, melodies and rhythms found on such cuts as ``Doo Wop (That Thing)'' far outshine the genre's conventions.

3. ``Bring It On,'' Gomez: From the Deep South by way of the UK, the award-winning Gomez turns in a rootsy, down-home set that introduces J.J. Cale to Portishead. Amazingly, they get along fine.

4. ``Mezzanine,'' Massive Attack: The haunting Bristol trip-hop trio excavates the sinister side of dub, adding forceful guitars to suggest hope where there isn't any. Psycho-diva role filled by Cocteau Twin Liz Fraser.

5. ``Deserter's Songs,'' Mercury Rev: What a concept - enchanting orchestral indie rock from the Catskills. Guests Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of the Band add a dusty veneer.

6. Tie: ``Live 1966: The `Royal Albert Hall' Concert,'' Bob Dylan; ``The Quintet 1965-68,'' Miles Davis; ``Tracks,'' Bruce Springsteen: Three decades on, this infamous Dylan concert still holds the power to surprise and delight. Same goes for the near-telepathic Davis sessions compiled here. As for Springsteen, any of the four CDs on ``Tracks'' could stand on its own as a very satisfying album.

7. ``Hell Among the Yearlings,'' Gillian Welch: Appalachian-style country-folk complete with banjo and gripping tunes dealing with murder, morphine and mayhem.

8. ``Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-74,'' Bill Laswell: New York producer-musician Laswell was allowed to manipulate the original session tapes of Davis' gorgeous ``In a Silent Way'' with fascinating results Miles himself might've dug.

9. ``Girl Bros.,'' Girl Bros.: Wendy and Lisa from Prince's Revolution band fashioned a near-gothic semi-acoustic masterpiece of depressed mood and melody.

10. ``Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too,'' New Radicals: Owing a debt to Prefab Sprout and his dad's record collection, Radicals mastermind Gregg Alexander created the year's most refreshing, uplifting and hook-filled rock.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

PHOTO (1) Powered by Celine Dion's ``My Heart Will Go On,'' the ``Titanic'' soundtrack was the year's top-selling album.

(2) Lauryn Hill's debut LP, ``The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,'' drew much praise

(3) The power of Bob Dylan's ``Royal Albert Hall'' concert is captured on the live recording from 1966.

(4) The year's most refreshing rock came courtesy of New Radicals mastermind Gregg Alexander.