Eela Craig was a band from Linz in Austria, formed in early 1970 at the initiative of keyboard virtuoso Hubert Bognermayr. The other members were Harald Zuschrader (g, org, fl, sax), Heinz Gerstmair (g, org), Wil Orthofer (voc, sax), Gerhard Englisch (b) and Horst Waber (dr, perc). Their self-titled debut album was the only release on the little-bitty Austrian label Pro Disc, recorded in the summer of 1971 at Pro Disc’s own studio.

They presented a unique blend of pure progressive rock, psychedelic, classical music, electronica, jazz and blues of a high artistic standard. It is thanks to the outstanding skills of the individual musicians that this blend of different styles works so brilliantly, something their LP demonstrates impressively. Heavy keyboard sounds sit side by side on equal footing with jazz-tinged flute passages, before transitioning into guitar-heavy blues and psychedelic rock following extensive solo interludes.

Although the debut album was a commercial flop, it was lavishly praised by critics and compared to British contemporaries such as Colosseum and King Crimson. Only 1,500 copies of this impressive debut were pressed and all of them have long ago vanished into private collections.