The Fantastic Baggys -- Ride The Wild Surf LP

Original 1966 South African mono release on Liberty Records (SOUTH AFRICA) (catalog # IRL-374, Made by Teal Records), with laminated flipback sleeve.

Extremely rare South African-only pressing, this unusual album is the second LP by LA surf band The Fantastic Baggys (P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri), except for the fact that it was released without the band's knowledge, only in South Africa, by Teal Records S.A., and it only contains five tracks (outtakes and rarities) by the real Baggys.

The other 7 tracks are actually by the South African surf/garage band The Falling Leaves! Not to worry, though, the Falling Leaves tracks are just as interesting, and given that this surf LP was from late 1966 (and not the early 60s), there's plenty of garage-rock grit and proto-psych guitar distortion in a Baggys-Leaves track like "Ride The Wild Surf" as you can hear here:

Download an mp3 of The Fantastic Baggys -- Ride The Wild Surf

...sounds a lot more like The Mystic Tide than Jan + Dean! (No, this is not a cover of the Jan + Dean song by the same name, it appears to be a Falling Leaves original, as writing credits are Magnus/Martin, and the song was published in South Africa by Acuff/Rose (S.A.) This mp3 was ripped directly from the LP, with no editing or audio processing whatsoever.

from The South African Rock Encyclopedia (www.rock.co.za): The Fantastic Baggys were a LA studio project by PF Sloan and Steve Barri. The duo recorded one album for Imperial in 1964 Tell 'em I'm surfin', as well as three singles. Although there were four Fantastic Baggys pictured on the album cover of Tell em' I'm surfin', only Steve and Phil were band members. While the exact reasons for the commercial failure of the Tell 'em I'm Surfin' album are a mystery, there is no doubt that mid 1964 was a little late for a surf album in the US. By then the British Invasion was in full swing and surf music had lost its magic

The one place where Tell 'em I'm Surfin' did extremely well was in South Africa where it was a big seller. The single peaked at no 2 on the Springbok charts in Aug 1966. Upon the album's success, TEAL Record Company in South Africa was so eager to issue new Baggys' albums that, when none were forthcoming, they created their own indigenous version of The Fantastic Baggys. They subsequently signed one of their own bands, The Falling Leaves, to do the job. Their first single release was "Papa Do Ro Ron" with "Anywhere The Girls Are" by the US Baggys on the b side. "Papa Do Ron Ron" peaked at no 10 on the Springbok charts in November 1966.

Sloan explained in an interview that ..." Dunhill felt that they owned the name P.F. Sloan, and could put out material as they liked under that name, as they did with The Fantastic Baggys. Today it would be unthinkable. They had the brand name of The Fantastic Baggys, and therefore they could sell the name wherever they wanted to, without caring about the material, the production or the work. I had written a letter to the South African Fantastic Baggys asking them if they would like any help with what they were doing, but Dunhill forbade me to have any contact with them at all. Their songs are not bad, but they are obviously different from the stuff we were doing. "

Two additional Fantastic Baggys albums were released in South Africa, consisting mostly of songs by the like-named South African group, with a few leftover cuts by the real Baggys. The second album, Ride The Wild Surf, was released in November 1966. Although five tracks, drawn from singles and out-takes, did feature Sloan and Barri, more than half the set featured the Falling Leaves themselves.

Tracks:

A1: Papa Do Ron Ron (New Girl In Town) (2:30) A2: It Was I (2:36) A3: Let Him Run Wild (2:25) A4: Ride The Wild Surf (1:55) A5: Surfer Girl (2:32) A6: You're So Good To Me (2:03) B1: Anywhere The Girls Are (2:04) B2: (Goes To Show You Just) How Wrong You Can Be (2:25) B3: Soft As The Dawn (2:15) B4: Breakaway (2:16) B5: Debbie Be True (2:10) B6: Hot Rod U.S.A. (2:23)

CONDITION: Cover VG / Vinyl G+ to G++   sleeve has general wear; vinyl has a lot of playwear and surface scuffing, with some surface scratches, plays a little better than it looks, it plays with some surface noise and tics in some places but it still plays and you can enjoy these rare tunes -- other selers might grade this VG- or even VG based on how it sounds, but I'm grading it more conservatively based on the visible amount of playwer and scuffing -- check the mp3 above to get an idea of the sound quality of this record, it was ripped directly from the LP and not cleaned up or declicked at all.

Graded conservatively using Goldmine standards [G / G+ / VG / VG+ / NM / ]
grade only used if record is brand new.
Bid with confidence -- over 16000 positive feedbacks selling vinyl on eBay since 1998, with a total 15-year average of 100% positive.

Shipping And Payment Info

Vinyl can be shipped worldwide via any method.
I will combine shipping. Winners of multiple items save substantially on shipping costs.

Within the US: Media Mail shipping is calculated automatically based on weight. NOTE: Media Mail can be S-L-O-W sometimes, especially to the West Coast. Media Mail delivery time is usually anywhere from 4 to 10 days, but occasionally it takes 2 weeks or even longer to reach the West Coast from here. Please consider this potential delay before you decide to go with Media Mail instead of Priority Mail.

Priority Mail is a highly recommended option for all vinyl, it's a lot faster and much more secure -- I double-box (and sometimes triple-box) all LP's shipped via Priority Mail. Cost is reasonable and calculated based on your zip code.

Shipping costs include delivery confirmation for all US orders.

Combine shipping with other items: The cost of each extra item is calculated automatically based on weight: if you want to add a record or CD to your order the cost is less than $1, usually around 50 cents per extra item depending on total weight.

Outside the US: shipping is calculated automatically based on your country and the weight of the record. IMPORTANT: Priority Mail International and Express Mail International are the only services which provide tracking. First Class Mail International is normally a very reliable service, but it does not provide tracking so if you choose First Class Mail International you agree not to hold me responsible in the unlikely event of loss or damage to the package -- please review my 14+ years of 16000+ positive feedbacks if you have any concerns, and contact me for more details.

Combine shipping with other items: If you want to add a normal-weight record (7", 12", or LP) or CD to your order the cost is reasonable, usually not more than $3.99 per extra item, often less, depending on total weight.

All records are packaged securely, protected by both stiff and cushion packaging, with vinyl (in original innersleeve) removed from cover and placed safely in poly sleeve to help prevent seam splitting during transit.

I can usually accommodate special shipping requests or special payment requirements, just ask.