AMG Review of Decline and Fall of the Upper Crust

Adam Bregman
All Music Guide

As grand a time as a night of abandon in the brothels of Barcelona is an evening spent with the Upper Crust, the wigged, aristocratic ensemble from Boston that "rocques" quite hard in both a live setting and on its fabled, but few records. With The Decline and Fall of the Upper Crust, these rosy-cheeked noblemen have taken their AC/DC obsession and amplified that fine act's greatness and ridiculousness to a level of near perfection thoroughly undeserved by the common rock rabble. Lord Bendover sings most of the songs; Lord Rockingham left the band to become a speechwriter for President Clinton just after the recording of this record. Bendover is also complemented by the fine vocals of guitarist Duc D'istortion on the Battle of Austerlitz-like "Highfalutin'." On "Rabble Rouser," Bendover implores a young troublemaker to dare not upset the status quo, while on "Ne'er-Do-Well" he boasts, "I'm a dandy/I don't eat nothing buy candy/Well, I ruin young ladies everywhere I go/And all their mommas shake their heads and say I told you so." Also, there's the lovely ditty "Boudoir," where Bendover skillfully attempts to entice a shy chambermaid into his room, and the lonely and sad "Persona Non Grata" where, despite being a brilliant personage, Lord Bendover is sent packing by a cold-hearted shrew. When listening to a record as magnificent as The Decline and Fall of the Upper Crust, one wonders why other bands persist with their wretched existences.