How Much Longer could Milli Vanilli have lasted? How big were the rumors?

I wasn't a fan of Milli Vanilli or much music at all during the years when they were popular or even when the scam came out. By the time I discovered music, the rumors were obviously confirmed by Frank Farian, when he spilled the beans. But suppose he hadn't done that, could the boys have kept up the lie with another album and more singles?

Were there lots of rumors going around that they didn't sing?
Did people still believe they were singing?

I remember awhile back watching a YouTube clip of them performing on
some awards show, and someone like Little Richard throwing his hand
in the air and cheering for them. Did people want to believe they were
the singers? Were they really crushed when they found out when they weren't?
Why else would so many people destroy tapes? I mean, maybe my view of entertainment is jaded, but these guys entertained their fans all the same,
so I don't get why the fans turned away. They got a raw deal. And just because they weren't singing doesn't take away for the music being good pop songs, and from the memories the fans probably have of the songs.

Thoughts?

I remember when the song "Girl You Know It's True" came out. I went to the store to buy the 12" single. When I saw the cover I thought 'These don't look like guys that would sing this song!' My instincts were correct.

DannyD5050 is right. There was something odd about the voices and the faces, but most people just liked the music. MV were wildly popular. The lycra outfits, the jumping around, their exotic look, their dreadlocks or braids....it was all very iconic. The songs were great too. Whether they were lip syncing or whatever, SOMEONE had to be singing those songs, and whoever it was did a good job.

Frank Farian was a weird character. He spilled the beans, but was also the first one there to pick up the pieces in the aftermath, and help the guys out. Rob and Fab both recorded a record on their own (as a duo), and they could sing. They weren't exactly belting out songs like Sinatra or Prince would, but they could hold their own. However, the damage had been done. Rob slipped into a huge depression over time, and eventually killed himself. Fab still makes music, and is good at it. I talked to him a couple of short times on Myspace ages ago. He was very supportive of the music I was making, and I enjoyed his.

It's not that people WANTED to believe they were singers, they just believed it because there was no other evidence otherwise. It's like finding out Prince can't play guitar, and this whole time we thought he could. We know what we're fed, and if there's nothing contrary to that, we believe it. I don't think MV performed again on a show except on Arsenio Hall. After the MV scandal, they went by "Rob & Fab", as a group name. Aresnio was very supportive to them back then, and was an advocate of letting go of the scandal and just letting them do their thing. They did set out for a while to prove they COULD sing. It was a 50/50 shot if people bought it or not.

I think people felt jipped a little bit, and it certainly was a surprise. In my lifetime, there hadn't been a music scandal like that EVER. No one had ever come out and said "We're fakes, take the Grammy back. We're sorry." It kind of left a lot of people's jaw agape. People destroyed their CDs and Tapes as a form of protest. People don't like being duped, and it was the same headset years later when people started burning Dixie Chick CDs because Natalie said she didn't like George Bush or something. It's a stupid mentality. People forget that, as I said before, SOMEONE was singing on those records, and they're still enjoyable to listen to.

You're right when you said they were entertaining. They put on a good, and very energetic show. But again, fans felt duped, and they were. Fans got a raw deal, and didn't care of Rob and Fab did. Rob & Fab were the enemy, and they took the whole brunt of the backlash, not Frank Farian (although within the industry, he probably got his share too).

I think if Frank hadn't spilled the beans, the whole thing still would have come out. Look how quickly people realized Britney Spears was a phony. Even though people hated boy bands, most of them COULD sing and hold a harmony. There have been boy bands since the days of The Ink Spots, and The Penguins. Nsync, Backstreet, etc are in the same category. If people think Motown wasn't throwing together girl and boy groups (ie: Manufactured), then they're blind to the truth of how the record industry has worked for years. Even Chili joining TLC was a fluke in that she was just pulled in, after Crystal left. But when you hear people like NSync harmonize and sing something live, you know they can sing. MV never let Rob & Fab sing, despite them WANTING to sing live, so they WOULDN'T be phonies. They knew it was going to crash, and I don't think it would have continued on much longer. Even back then, someone would have leaked the truth. Somehow it would have gotten out. And it did. Frank just confirmed the whole thing.

I still enjoy listening to "Blame It On The Rain", or "Girl You Know It's True"

Everyone knows "Oh....ooh.....ooh.....I love yoooouuuu".

You know, these guys were REALLY HUGE and if the scandal hadn't surfaced, they could have been as big as Britney or any of these half-ass singers that are out today.

I found it odd when I saw the video for "Girl You Know It's True" for the first time and thought like you guys that they couldn't sing with that much soul and power. I also remember seeing them in an interview on BET (or MTV...can't remember) and remember the interviewer asking them to sing. They then looked like a deer in headlights and (I think it was) Rob said he was sick.

Another thing that threw me off was that they used the same tracks every time they performed. Sure, the music may have been a bit different, but they vocals were exactly the same.

I thought their album and remix album was really good. There was only one track that I didn't care for and that was "Dreams To Remember". The rest, I loved. I find it interesting that Dianne Warren wrote "Blame It On The Rain", but it never comes up when people mention the hits she's written. I would love to see some AI contestant sing that song during Dianne Warren week.

Does anyone know why the scandal broke? Was it because the producers wanted notoriety? Did Rob and Fab get big heads and pissed the wrong people off?

dannyd5050 said:

daPrettyman said:

dannyd5050 said:

I remember when the song "Girl You Know It's True" came out. I went to the store to buy the 12" single. When I saw the cover I thought 'These don't look like guys that would sing this song!' My instincts were correct.

You didn't think these guys could BLOW?!?!

I heard Fabrice Morvan (the brown-skinned one) and his real voice and he can sing. Rob Pilatus (God rest his soul) couldn't tho, compared to Fab, lol. I mean he was OK, but not like Fab.
[Edited 10/31/09 13:40pm]

daPrettyman said:

daPrettyman said:

dannyd5050 said:

I remember when the song "Girl You Know It's True" came out. I went to the store to buy the 12" single. When I saw the cover I thought 'These don't look like guys that would sing this song!' My instincts were correct.

You didn't think these guys could BLOW?!?!

I remember Rolling Stone doing an article about the rumours that they were miming.

I understand they went to Farian and demanded that they perform on the next record so he went public. People were mad but it's a shame Rob Pilatus couldn't find a way through his depression.

I can't help but feel badly for Rob. I mean, what young person, even today, wouldn't make the same choice Rob and Fab made back then? Dance, pretend to sing, have a little fun, make some money, get lots of women, have your 15 minutes of fame and that will be it. It really was, kind of like, "the offer you can't refuse." Especially since, fame was the dream Rob was chasing for so long. It was what he wanted. It is sad to think when his dream fell apart, it was the beginning of the end for Rob's life.

It was my understanding (as a fan and someone who has looked into their history) that originally it was for one single, and that the boys had no idea Frank had intentions of following up the single with an album.
[Edited 10/31/09 14:30pm]
[Edited 10/31/09 14:30pm]

Vanilli said:

All I know is that their cd goes for a lot of bucks now. Hell, I even purhased it a few years ago even with all of the these years of the scandal and such. Blame It On The Rain is my shit

I think they would have been excellent male skrippers!

The message you are about to hear are not meant for transmission. Should ONLY be accessed in the privacy of your mind. Words are so intense so if you dare to listen.Take off your clothes and meet me between the lines.

Im curious what folks mean when they say that MV didnt "look" like they could sing? What does that mean? How does someone look who can blow? Honestly, I didnt think the singing was that extraordinary anyway, just some nice pop ditties and average voices and dancing.
In any case, the whole case was really was a shame for the two young men.

mcw00 said:

Rob was so good looking!
And Fabrice really can sing...

girl you know, girl you know, girl you know LOL, poor things! And to think how much lip synching goes on in the industry anyway.

"Industry rule number 4080, record company people are shady"

ernestsewell said:

I still like the album. "All or Nothing" is my favorite, but I still quite like "It's Your Thing", "More Than You'll Ever Know", "Girl, I'm Gonna Miss You", "Girl You Know It's True" and "Baby Don't Forget My Number"!

"I'm a lover, not a haitcher"- Pandurito

I had to post this cause I haven't seen it in forever

That "bubba ooh bubba cha bubba abuwa cha" of the "Girl You Know It's True" remix is great!

"I'm a lover, not a haitcher"- Pandurito

I was really young when this happened, but I remember my mom buying their album and me ducking out of the record store cause I was embarrassed. I just thought there was something off about them from jump, although I couldn't put my finger on it. What perplexes me is how this scandal got so big and why people took it so personally. No one likes to be made a monkey of, but I think this whole thing got blown out of proportion. It's kinda on par with that destroying Disco record thing.

scriptgirl said:

scriptgirl said:

Timmy84 said:

lastdecember said:

I thought C&C got it bad and deservedly so. Didn't they get sued by Martha Wash and hounded out of the industry

scriptgirl said:

Timmy84 said:

lastdecember said: