Music: Milli Vanilli Documentary

[JMCx4]

Will be streamed on Paramount+ starting Oct. 24th. Here's the trailer, to either excite you or disgust you ...

Click to read more...

 

[Jumptheshark]

When this scandel broke, I remember listening to k97 in Edmonton and one of the Older DJs talking about Bonny M and how Frank Farian was one of the guy who founded that band. The male guy in the band was a dancer and could not hold a key but was hired to be a dancer. Everything he ever did was mimed as well. The DJ tried to figure out why no one had figured it out sooner


One problem with the line "there is no other story like this one"--Like I said Bonny M, also, look into Martha Wash and a few others. This has been going on since the 50's. IN the 60's it was common for the girl groups who were on tour not to sing on the record (but they could actually sing) but do it live.. There was a doc about 10 years ago where they sat down with a Motown back up singers and she listed all the songs she sang lead on that no one knew about until one girl group sued for more royalties and since they did not sing on the record--they were not entitled to them

 

[End on a Hinote]

Is it gonna be dubbed?

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

One of the biggest jokes in musical history

 

[RandV]

I only remember it as a child in elementary school because one kid in my class was a huge Milli Vanilli fan. Poor kid

 

[HisIceness]

Girl You Know It's True is a terrific tune. I will accept no opposing views on this matter.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Lol

All I have to say is lol

 

[Guardian17]

When this scandel broke, I remember listening to k97 in Edmonton and one of the Older DJs talking about Bonny M and how Frank Farian was one of the guy who founded that band. The male guy in the band was a dancer and could not hold a key but was hired to be a dancer. Everything he ever did was mimed as well. The DJ tried to figure out why no one had figured it out sooner


One problem with the line "there is no other story like this one"--Like I said Bonny M, also, look into Martha Wash and a few others. This has been going on since the 50's. IN the 60's it was common for the girl groups who were on tour not to sing on the record (but they could actually sing) but do it live.. There was a doc about 10 years ago where they sat down with a Motown back up singers and she listed all the songs she sang lead on that no one knew about until one girl group sued for more royalties and since they did not sing on the record--they were not entitled to them

I didn't know this.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I didn't know this.

Bonny M will never get into any legit hall of fame because of what the thing was

 

[Chili]

Wonder if they will mention the Black Box/Martha Wash story and the french model that was hired to lip sync & photograph the promos. The Everybody, Everybody tune was pretty catchy.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Wonder if they will mention the Black Box/Martha Wash story and the french model that was hired to lip sync & photograph the promos. The Everybody, Everybody tune was pretty catchy.

I mentioned that earlier, as well as Bony M and a lot of songs from the 60's.

It was not new and it was an open secret that no one ever talked about. I think a Doc about just how it got to the level it did will be interesting while using the historical context of it not being so unusual for this to happen.

There was a documentary out a few years ago that I came across when I was researching the Wrecking crew and it was interesting when I found the documentary and it is was all about how many mostly female singers, while they sang hit songs on the road, they did not actual sing the original song in the studio but it was released under their name and no one cared

 

[Brodeur]

Girl You Know It's True is a terrific tune. I will accept no opposing views on this matter.

Definitely a guilty pleasure.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

I don't blame MV. I Blame It on the Rain.

 

[GKJ]

The great irony is that Fab can actually sing. Haven’t seen it in a long time but would be curious to see how it stacks up with the VH1 Behind the Music.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Just finished watching it and the tone was set early. Downtown Julie Brown(the airheads of airhead) opening line was "this had never happened before"--the first Martha Wash story happened 2 years before and of course the previous mentioned Bonny M--(from the same producer) was from the same thing. As I posted earlier--this kind of thing had been going on since the 50s and goes on today...more people are miming today and have more backing tracks to "enhance" the live sound.

I walked in with an open mind and I think everyone involved lied to a point. The two guys were gullible but not naïve, they both grew quick due to their home life and new what they were getting into.

THe problem was---no one thought it would get so big so quickly.

The Doc sort of down plays that is was THE US guys who put Rob and FABS name on the records--not Frank F.

Also, The doc makes it look like FF ducked all their attempts to interview him. He is like Mutt Lange--he does not give interviews and rarely gets photos done.

 

[holy]

People were so pressed at the time. Musicians blatantly dont have any integrity these days and get rewarded for it.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Wonder if they will mention the Black Box/Martha Wash story and the french model that was hired to lip sync & photograph the promos. The Everybody, Everybody tune was pretty catchy.

nope it was all about MV and they mentioned Bonny M and acted like these were the only 2 bands that tried to pull it off. They did address how "everyone" knew and now Rob and Fab were made the escape goats of what happened and not ANYONE behind the scenes.

Several people interviewed are clearly bitter and playdown what they did

 

[Chili]

nope it was all about MV and they mentioned Bonny M and acted like these were the only 2 bands that tried to pull it off. They did address how "everyone" knew and now Rob and Fab were made the escape goats of what happened and not ANYONE behind the scenes.

Several people interviewed are clearly bitter and playdown what they did

I watch a lot of old films and dubbing and lip syncing has been part of them virtually since there was sound, especially in musicals. Seems like a well beaten path.

 

[#37]

Don't watch this. Don't encourage interest in this. Because, the next thing you know it will turn up in some trendy show and have a resurgence. Why is this a problem? Because it puts money in the pocket of the very people who perpetrated the original fraud.

But, you say, they aren't the only ones... or now everyone has backing tracks and auto-tune. Yeah, don't give money to them either. Idiots showing interest is the current music industry model.

Just because it was done before them, and is now rampant after them ('backing tracks') doesn't make it right.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Don't watch this. Don't encourage interest in this. Because, the next thing you know it will turn up in some trendy show and have a resurgence. Why is this a problem? Because it puts money in the pocket of the very people who perpetrated the original fraud.

But, you say, they aren't the only ones... or now everyone has backing tracks and auto-tune. Yeah, don't give money to them either. Idiots showing interest is the current music industry model.

Just because it was done before them, and is now rampant after them ('backing tracks') doesn't make it right.

Hate to tell ya this--do not go to ANY arena show let alone Stadium gig. You would not be happy how many artists are using "little" helpers now to make sure they sound good.

And you are ignoring what i said--this is not new, did not start in the 90's, 80's or 70's started way back in the 50's.

While interesting, this Doc covered no new ground and did not do a deep dive into the industry that it could have done. Nearly everyone interviewed either lied, is jaded, plays down their role in the farce or ignore key aspect of what happens.

Making Frank F the bad guy is easy to do--he did it 3 times before and yet--many record labels still came back to him year after year. WHen you deal with him--you now what you are getting. None of the US guys can play dumb.

But FF did learn his lesson from bonny M and DID NOT have Rob and Fabs name on the European albums. Their names appeared nowhere--it was only when the US guys released it that their names appeared on the album. This if covered but glossed over in the Doc

 

[TheAngryHank]

But.... were the dreds real?

 

[EpochLink]

From time to time, if Milli Vanilli music plays I'll jam to it as it was part of my childhood.
I think watching and reading of the whole Milli Vanilli scandal was that Fab knew this would not last and it would eventually come out, Rob had an ego the size of the moon thinking that this will last for as long as it will last.

When it came out, both were criticized for it and were eventually blacklisted.
Fab mellowed out and ventured to other things, Rob just spiraled out of control.

 

[Jumptheshark]

From time to time, if Milli Vanilli music plays I'll jam to it as it was part of my childhood.
I think watching and reading of the whole Milli Vanilli scandal was that Fab knew this would not last and it would eventually come out, Rob had an ego the size of the moon thinking that this will last for as long as it will last.

When it came out, both were criticized for it and were eventually blacklisted.
Fab mellowed out and ventured to other things, Rob just spiraled out of control.

While they both came from a bad background-Rob had no fall back plan. Fab could actually sing and play a few instruments.

What hurt Rob was he just thought he could actually sing and thought all these people around him would rally to him. Every scrambled. It left him and Fab and Fab took a step back but Rob kept partying

 

[Stylizer1]

When this scandel broke, I remember listening to k97 in Edmonton and one of the Older DJs talking about Bonny M and how Frank Farian was one of the guy who founded that band. The male guy in the band was a dancer and could not hold a key but was hired to be a dancer. Everything he ever did was mimed as well. The DJ tried to figure out why no one had figured it out sooner


One problem with the line "there is no other story like this one"--Like I said Bonny M, also, look into Martha Wash and a few others. This has been going on since the 50's. IN the 60's it was common for the girl groups who were on tour not to sing on the record (but they could actually sing) but do it live.. There was a doc about 10 years ago where they sat down with a Motown back up singers and she listed all the songs she sang lead on that no one knew about until one girl group sued for more royalties and since they did not sing on the record--they were not entitled to them

Ice Cube refused an invatation to be on Soul Train because they told him he had to lip sync.

 

[Stylizer1]

But.... were the dreds real?

They were not dreads, they where braids.