Formed in Detroit, U.S.A. in early 1967, The Up were close to MC5, and lived with members of the MC5 on John Sinclair's commune, home to the White Panther Party, and along with fellow proto-punks MC5, and the Stooges, were one of the house bands at the Grande Ballroom. In May, 1968, Sinclair moved to a commune in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and both bands followed. The Up served as support act for the MC5 at a show in September of 1968, at Ann the University of Michigan's Union Ballroom in Ann Arbor. The show was attended by Elektra Records president Jack Holzman, and was impressed with the MC5, as well as the Stooges, (who were opening as well) and offered both bands recording contracts. The Up never got signed to Elektra, and never secured a major label's interest.
The Up continued to play the Grande Ballroom and other local venues. In 1969, the MC5 ended their association with John Sinclair, and the White Panther Party, and the Up moved into place as the main musical outlet of the party's propaganda.
The band disbanded in 1973, and faded into deeper obscurity. In 1995, a retrospective album was issued titled "Killer Up!" and contained all of the Up's recordings. Including all of the band's singles, and songs from a recording session at Head Sound studios.
John Sinclair notes in the liner notes: "It's common to name the MC5 and the Stooges as the forefathers of what they call punk-rock, but it was their associates in a third band The Up, who could more accurately be identified as the real precursors of Punk"
Another Detroit trio predictably hailed as "The American Cream"in the endless roster of bands touted s such. Truth is, what band wasn't compared to Cream back in the day? Having said that, this release is no where short on it's own merit. The band's 1968 debut 45 (included as bonus tracks on the reissued CD) saw them in a much more psychedelic phase than what's collected in this , their sole L.P.
One can imagine the excitement to the band brought on by being signed to the Vanguard label, but upon it's release, the label felt the material was "too hard" for is listening public and subsequently failed to invest any backing at all, effectively making The Third Power's debut full length it's swan song. Despite regular exposure as support acts for other Detroit area acts such as Bob Seger, and the MC5, the band disbanded shortly after the failure of their Album. The only member that achieved any success was guitar player Drew Abbot, who secured a gig with Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.
In 2009, The Third Power reformed to play the Grande Ballroom's 40 year reunion with Arthur Brown, Big Brother & the Holding Company, and Canned Heat.
