This is undoubtably the one single that most hardened Stranglers collectors are still chasing. Dreams of finding a copy languishing in a junk store, or pawn shop remain unanswered -- not surprising, as this record has been described as one of the rarest British singles of all time.

Following the release of "Euroman Cometh", JJ recorded demo versions of "Waiting for the Trees to Grow", "Goebbels, Mosley, God and Ingrams" and "Girl from the Snow Country". The first two of these can now be heard on the SIS release "Strangled from Birth and Beyond" (1994, SIS CD001). However, none of these tracks were fully completed, due to JJ's commitments with the Stranglers.

Somehow, the incomplete "Girl from the Snow Country" found its way onto vinyl (as a 7" single), without JJ's knowledge or permission. Through JJ's eventual intervention (and threat of legal action), none of the singles made it to the stores in the UK. About 20 or so are thought to have made it into general circulation. Only in Holland did copies of this single emerge in the stores, for one day only -- between 50 and 70 are thought to have been sold. These dutch copies can be distinguished by the blue-tinted picture sleeve (as opposed to the British version shown above). The catalogue number for the British version is BP361; the Dutch version is 1A-006-83016.

Happy hunting!

ADDENDUM

We have been asked by a number of you to validate the authenticity of copies of "Girl from the Snow Country" being offered for sale. While we cannot provide such validation, we should point out the existence of a bootleg version (on "Karate Records" and labeled as "Eskimo Nell" on the A-side of the disc), as shown here.