With a combined age giving The Rolling Stones a run for their money and a retired minister on lead guitar, a group of ageing Scots rockers have been rediscovered after 40 years.

Christian rock band White Light had some success in the 1970s after becoming finalists in a rock contest and releasing an LP, but the band members eventually parted and went on to pursue "more conventional careers".

Decades on, the album, Parable, has now become a rare collectors item exchanging hands for $950 in the United States, prompting record label Guerssen to re-release it.

Rockers Rev Doug McRoberts, 66, a retired Church of Scotland minister from Inverness, his brother Dave McRoberts, 62, a mortgage adviser from Newton Mearns, Alex Smith, 65, a computer programmer from Glasgow, and David Murdoch, 65, a property valuer from West Kilbride, say the surprise move is "totally weird - but in a good way".

Rev McRoberts said: "We're all retired, or close to it, and now we find ourselves on a record label’s listings right beside The Who, The Stones and Nirvana.

"It was a huge surprise. We never thought this would happen. Who would think that one of the first things to happen after we retire is for our music to be re-issued?"

In 1972, the band were finalists in music newspaper Melody Maker's national rock contest.

They went on to record an album in Paisley, with 2000 copies being issued by Scotia Records.

Those copies are now in high demand after music blogger Hans Pakora listed it as an ultra-rare collector's item, bringing it to the attention of Guerssen.

However, Rev McRoberts explained that they were never in it for the money.

"Our whole reason for existing was to get the message out," he said. "It was always about spreading the message of God’s love."

When the foursome went their own way, they never stopped playing music and rejoined in 2005 to perform at charity rock concert KeithChaosLive.

The minister said: "Three practice sessions were all it took to convince us we could do this.

"It wasn’t exactly the Scottish equivalent of Status Quo launching Live Aid and it was weird to be rocking onstage with a couple of our children who are now in their own bands out there in the audience – but it was great to play with the guys again."

The band created a limited CD for the gig which eventually sold out as orders poured in from as far afield as Australia, Finland, Russia and the USA.

Asked if the band will reform again in light of their new found success, Rev McRoberts said: "We all enjoyed coming together for that gig in Keith. If the occasion was right, we’d probably be up for it."