COULD you be sitting on a goldmine?

A long lost album by Bournemouth prog rock band Elias Hulk has been valued at a whopping £450 in mint condition by this month’s Classic Rock magazine.

Unchained, the 1970 rarity on Youngblood Records, was the only release by the band who formed in 1969 and split up two years later after failing to secure the financial backing for a follow up and is now something of a holy grail for record collectors with a sleeve that must rank as one of the crudest of its time.

The band, who recorded demos with future 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart, won critical praise for the album but failed to sell sufficient quantities.

After years in the wilderness, last year Bernie put a new Elias Hulk line up together with original bassist James Haines, guitarist Gren Fraser and singer Philip Clough.

“We thought that as there was so much interest around the world in Elias and the Unchained album, it would be a nice idea to get back together again after 38 years and record some new stuff,” says Bernie.

“We booked three days in a great little studio in deepest Dorset, using no computers or automated desk, wrote and arranged three new songs from ideas by Phil, recorded and mixed, and then said goodbye again. We promised to meet up again in another 38 years time!”

The three new tracks – Beneath My Disguise, Rock ‘N’ Roll Life and Heroes – have been collated as the Unfinished Business EP and can be heard at the band’s MySpace page.

“The review in Classic Rock was a big help and we had people contact us from as far away as Chile. The sales of Unfinished Business, have been far better than we expected as Unchained was recorded 38 years ago. We’ve had good reviews in Japan, USA, Canada, Scotland, Spain, all over. At present we’re working on new songs for an album for 2010. I suppose we are lucky to still be alive!”

In time-honoured fashion, the band met in 1970 after James and Gren put an ad in the window of Don Strike’s music shop in Westbourne Arcade.

“They’d done some gigs in France and fancied the muso life, which I answered,” says Bernie. “I knew (original singer) Pete Thorpe, and roped him in. (Guitarist) Neil Tatum answered an ad in Melody Maker and moved down from Derby.”

They played gigs all over the UK, supporting Manfred Mann, Ginger Baker and Marmalade.