Rico - "Midnight In Ethiopia"

[Rootsman]

Has anyone ever come across this album?

I know a fair amount of Rico`s music but have never come across this album. I believe it was on Island records.

Anyway know when and where it was recorded, who are the musicians and what is it like in terms of the music.

Thanks

Dave

[ReggaeFire]

I think this is not an album, but a 12"

http://www.popsike.com/RICO-MIDNIGHT-IN ... 59516.html

[blackarkrock]

Those tracks are also among the nine bonus tracks on the Japanese CD issue of "Man From Wareika".

[Rootsman]

Those tracks are also among the nine bonus tracks on the Japanese CD issue of "Man From Wareika".

Ok, you mean these tracks

Children of Sanchez
You Really Got Me
Midnight In Ethiopia
Free Ganja
Take Five
Far East
No Politician
Fire Stick
Ska Wars

You are probably right on the first 8 tracks but I thought Ska Wars was issued on vinyl only as a Limited Edition 12" IRP2006.

Was the album "Midnight In Ethiopia" ever issued?

[Bellyman]

"Midnight in Ethiopia" is a track that was the b-side of a 12" on Island label (matrix IPR 2030), the a-side is "Children of Sanchez".

There was and is no album of the same name.

Curious thing is though, that by 1995 Island released a compilation CD called "Roots to the Bone" (RRCD54). This set features 14 tracks in total, the first seven being taken from 12"s, omitting some, and the last seven being some of the original "Man from Wareika"- album tracks:
1.Children of Sanchez
2.Midnight in Ethiopia
3.Free Ganja
4.Take Five
5.Far East
6.No Politician
7.Firestick
8.This Day
9.Ramble
10.Lumumba
11.Africa
12.Man from Wareika
13.Over the Mountain
14.Dial Africa

Then in 2007 Island Japan reissued this release in a remastered version as "Man from Wareika"(UICY-3793). This time the tracklist went upside down plus adding the missing album tracks and completing the 12"s:
1.This Day
2.Ramble
3.Lumumba
4.Africa
5.Man from Wareika
6.Rasta
7.Over the Mountain
8.Gunga Din
9.Dial Africa
10.Children of Sanchez
11.You really got me
12.Midnight in Ethiopia
13.Free Ganja
14.Take Five
15.Far East
16.No Politician
17.Firestick
18.Ska Wars

My guess would be, that the album you are searching for is the "Roots to the Bone" compilation.

[blackarkrock]

blackarkrock wrote :Those tracks are also among the nine bonus tracks on the Japanese CD issue of "Man From Wareika".

Ok, you mean these tracks

Children of Sanchez
You Really Got Me
Midnight In Ethiopia
Free Ganja
Take Five
Far East
No Politician
Fire Stick
Ska Wars

You are probably right on the first 8 tracks but I thought Ska Wars was issued on vinyl only as a Limited Edition 12" IRP2006.

Was the album "Midnight In Ethiopia" ever issued?

Sorry if I wasn´t clear...

I meant that the 3 tracks on the 12" in the popsike link are 3 of the 9 bonus tracks on the Japanese CD.

There is no album called "Midnight In Ethiopia".

Thanks, Bellyman, for those track lists!

[jamjam]

Greetings.
From my recollection, Midnight in Ethiopia was the follow up album to Man From Warieka. For some reason the album was shelved by Island. Could have been some label politics/financial issues which was the root cause of the problem.

[Rootsman]

Greetings.
From my recollection, Midnight in Ethiopia was the follow up album to Man From Warieka. For some reason the album was shelved by Island. Could have been some label politics/financial issues which was the root cause of the problem.

You have just said what I was hoping to hear as it would support what someone was saying in a record shop I was in last week.

The guy in the shop was playing a blank label LP that I recognised as the bonus tracks from Rico`s Jap CD issue of "Man from Wareika". I said to the bloke that I never realised those tracks existed on an album.

The guy said it was an album called "Midnight In Ethiopia" and that's it was a bootleg supposedly mastered from a test pressing of an album that got shelved.

He showed me a ILPS matrix scratched on the run out. I couldn't remember what it was but have since found out that this supposed album was given a matrix number of ILPS 9516.

I thought the guy was on a wind as he said he had a few copies and I could have one for £50.00. To be honest I just laughed, bought what I had gone in for and then left.

But then it got me wondering hence this post

[blackarkrock]

Thanks, jamjam and Rootsman!