POP/SNEAK PEEK : SPIN EDITOR'S BOOK A TRIBUTE TO RAVES.

Byline: - Fred Shuster

Looking at TV coverage of crowds mourning Princess Diana last year, British music author Simon Reynolds could only think of one analogy - a ``negative rave'' of people across the country all feeling the same emotion.

Reynolds, a senior editor at Spin magazine in New York, wrote the fascinating ``Generation Ecstasy'' (Little, Brown; $25), which traces the history of the rave scene and, by extension, electronic music forms such as techno, drum 'n' bass, trip-hop and jungle, as well as pirate radio and the illegal speed-based drug Ecstasy.

``You can't help making it seem like a wonderful thing, but I did put in stuff about the dark side,'' Reynolds said. ``The scene has definitely lost some of its idyllic luster.''

According to Reynolds, the first Ecstasy-related dance music scene erupted in Dallas and Austin, Texas, in the '80s, before the drug, once used in group therapy sessions, was placed on the controlled substances list.

``There was this famous club that was legendary where you could buy it over the counter - and it wasn't considered a drug in that sense, since it was legal,'' Reynolds said. ``It seemed like an ordinary pill. It arrived in England from people who brought it over from the States not realizing it was illegal in Britain. The dance connection was made in Ibiza, where it became this enormous thing.''

Reynolds, who says he became ``an active raver'' in 1991, began work on ``Generation Ecstasy'' in 1996 after traveling to raves in the States and throughout Europe. He also bought loads of records to track the evolution of electronic dance music from soul and disco to jungle.

``There's a strong American rave scene,'' he said. ``But the thing about jungle is, it's so unique to London, which is so full of different cultures and races. It's hard to imagine the music having the same impact here. It's becomes an exotic import in the States.''

Another American band

We've endured the return of disco, new wave, jazz-fusion and kid groups. Now get ready for metal's revenge.

Such '80s hair bands as Poison, Motley Crue and Cinderella are on the road. And Atlanta's Jackyl - once infamous for on-stage chain-saw abuse - last week scored a stunning 75 adds at rock radio across the nation for its new cover of Grand Funk Railroad's ``We're an American Band.''

Jackyl singer Jesse James Dupree isn't surprised: ``I think it's obvious the public is ready to jam again.''

Now the extremely hairy quintet, formed in 1991, is aiming to set a world record by playing 100 shows in 50 days throughout the South and Midwest on the back of a 48-foot tractor-trailer rig.

``All the gear will be permanently attached to the flatbed,'' Dupree says.

The group's 15-song hits package, ``Choice Cuts'' (Geffen), containing the Grand Funk cover and a remake of the Beatles' ``I Am the Walrus,'' was issued last week.

Alanis resurfacing

Alanis Morissette's new disc, ``Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' (Maverick), won't be released until Nov. 3, but she's decided to return to the road starting Oct. 11. Tickets go on sale Oct. 3 for her Oct. 14 date at the Hollywood Palladium.

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Photo: REYNOLDS