One of two albums released exclusively in South Africa in 1966 and 1967, this Fantastic Baggys album features five unreleased P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri compositions (think ‘Secret Agent Man’), as well as seven others performed by a local S.A. group, called the Falling Leaves under the name "Fantastic Baggys". Included are some super rare covers of Jan & Dean’s ‘New Girl In School,’ the Beach Boys’ ‘Let Him Run Wild,’ ‘Surfer Girl,’ and ‘You’re So Good to Me.’ 

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The differences between the Falling Leaves and the Sloan and Barri tracks are monumental. The change in the quality of  'Papa Do Ron Ron' and the original Baggys' 'It Was I' are worlds apart. As much as the Falling Leaves try to emulate their cross-Atlantic counterparts, they are no match for the clean, excellently produced P.F. Sloan recordings. That said, once you get past that, there is a lot to enjoy about the South African material on here. The Beach Boys' 'Let Him Run Wild,' and Jan and Dean's 'New Girl In School' ('Papa Do Ron Ron' on this release) are handled well. 'Surfer Girl' suffers from some poor harmonization, albeit the parts are correctly transcribed. 'You're So Good To Me' is a passable cover, but where the Leaves sound most comfortable is on the non-surf track 'Soft as the Dawn.' The two instrumentals included here are some of the best in the whole genre; ‘Ride the Wild Surf’ is essential, ‘Baja’ with some extra instrumentation, and ‘Breakaway’ is a completely original composition with reverb-drenched guitars all over.

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None of the five American Baggys recordings had none had appeared on the Baggys' original Tell 'Em I'm Surfin' album. 'Debbie Be True' and 'Anywhere the Girls Are' are just about perfect California anthems, and 'Hot Rod U.S.A.' could've easily been released as a single in the States. Later Baggys' numbers 'It Was I' and '(Goes to Show Just) How Wrong You Can Be' are also welcome additions.