upper class no

The main issue here in fact is that people always feel being called middle class is some how a perjorative when in actuallity its the highest complement you can be called because basically we are great. As well as making great music, we invented the modern world, we get all the important things in life done. Middle class = civilisation.

Traditionally university/art college made it easy for bands to form, back in the day when grants were handed out rather than student loans you had money in your pocket, but more importantly you had the time to rehearse, sometimes even a place to rehearse free and a ready made audience. Plus, a bunch of like minds to bounce ideas off.

If you're living on a council estate, with not much money you could have all the time in the world, but if you can't afford your instruments or rehearsals or the means to get to gigs etc etc etc you're a bit stuffed.

A lot of 'scenes' in the UK anyhow came out of art school people: punk notably was tied up with art school pretty closely, and the Mod scene (once it stopped being a fashion), in the 60s, heading off into the psycedelic scene was filled with art school attitudes.

Only Lennon had the middle class vibe about him. The other 3 were solidly working class.

I think the middle class/art school stereotype is very London centric and really quite specific to a few key characters....

Alexis Korner, Pete Townshend, Kit Lambert, Andrew Loog-Oldham, Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, Steve Marriott, Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton.

Many other members of the bands around that circle were very working class...

Critic doesn't like album that all the other critics like and thus holds it as a representation of all that's wrong with modern music just to emphasise their point.

Bitte Orca is a very good, albeit somewhat challenging, album. The hipster scene is all about bands you "should" be listening to and it seems Dirty Projectors have struck lucky for one reason or another (see also Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear). I can't see how that says anything about class, negative or otherwise.

Ever considered that the guys in the 60's 'raised their game'.
In clothing, musical influences, where they hung out, who they hung out with, reading and even in the way they spoke (see Brian Jones, Keith, Mick) they generally tried to better themselves, even if some of it might have been put on.
Post-60's and the angle has been to be as oiky as one can possibly be. Not a good thing, in my opinion, but then I'm very proud to be middle-class!
Jagger was more astute than most and virtually changed his whole persona from well spoken intellectual (1964-1969) to barrow-boy (anytime after Altamont). His taste in everything also mirrored the decades, from sharp and exciting (60's) to rubbish (post-60's). I prefer the 60's version and mentality.
I also think that Jagger, Lennon, McCartney etc. got fantastic educations.
Post-60's and my guess is that their equivalents wouldn't have been so lucky.

there were still the art schools providing further education for the less academically inclined. If your 18-year old working class Surrey delta bluesman didn't/couldn't get into a university or polytechnic, the art schools were perfectly placed to give them an alternative to work.

The prevailing culture of the time and place was that anyone who would put together a half-way decent portfolio could get a grant and attend art school, academic achievements and exam results were often of secondary importance. The combination of generous grants, free rehearsal space and affordable musical instruments (thanks to the newly-relaxed HP rules) were a dynamite combination.

David Dundas, son of the Marquess Of Zetland, and writer of "Jeans On"
So, massive contribution from them then.

salt-of-the-earth miner's son, like.