Customer Reviews

Girl You Know It's True

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Milli Vanilli was one of the greatest success stories which quickly turned into one of the biggest scandals of the late '80s/early 90s. The duo of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were riding high as instant superstars with their album "Girl You Know It's True" which spawned five top 10 hits (three of which went to No.1) and went nearly 10 times platinum. Then, in 1990, their success turned to disgrace when record producer Frank Farian revealed that Pilatus and Morvan weren't the actual singers on the album. This led to one of the greatest backlashes in music history (one that possibly rivals John Lennon's statements about the Beatles and Jesus Christ).
The history and scandal behind the "Girl You Know It's True" album has gotten in the way of what the record truly is - an album of great energetic dance/pop. From the opening orchestral hits of the title track all the way to the tender ballad "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", the album is a solid effort with its unique production and music arrangements. The vocal work performed by Brad Howell and John Davis (who did most of the vocals on the album) along with Charles Shaw (who sang "Girl's.." title track) and The Rocco Sisters(who sing all the female lead vocals) is extraordinary. Howell's delivery on "Blame it On The Rain" shows just why this song became the big hit that it did while Davis's cross between rap and singing on nearly all the tracks was of greater quality than most popular rap acts at the time.
With all the great music on this album, it's easy to see why people soaked it all up when it was released. It's also easy to see why people became so angry when the story behind the album was revealed. The unfortunate circumstances behind Milli Vanilli led to some tragic results. Rob Pilatus headed down a path of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior which led to his premature death in April of 1998. Fab Morvan (who now goes by his full first name Fabrice) has been more fortunate in leaving the scandal behind as he is now a budding singer/songwriter performing in small clubs around the world (Yes, Fabrice can really sing and he is actually quite good). The actual singers on the album continue to stay undercover as session musicians. In 1991, however, they released an album under the group name The Real Milli Vanilli entitled "Moment Of Truth". The album included the same type of dance/pop as heard on "Girl You Know It's True" but was a flop as the album was never released outside of Europe and few knew it ever existed.
Despite all the controversy, "Girl You Know It's True" was and still is a great album of great music. Forget about what happened in 1990 and listen to the album in this day and age. Pretty darn good, isn't it? In the end, it's truly the music that matters and "Girl...We know it's true"...

It has almost become a stigma to own this album and actually admit that one likes it. But I for one have no shame in saying that I think it's great. Yeah, yeah, we all know about the infamous scandal with Milli Vanilli. But should that be a valid reason for judging this album? Hardly. Listen to the new Britney Spears album: on some songs her voice is so digitally altered that she almost sounds like a robot. One could argue that she isn't really singing on her album either. And there are plenty more artists out there who fall into the same category.

For the most part, Girl You Know It's True is a fantastic listen. The songs are well composed and have a great vibe. From a lyrical standpoint it's nothing profound, but then again this music is to make one feel good, not to convey life-changing deep messages. Take it for what it is. The most memorable songs are of course the hits like the title cut and "Blame It On The Rain." But there are many other gems as well, such as the nice ballad "I'm Gonna Miss You" and the funky "All Or Nothing." I didn't give it 5 stars because a few songs just aren't as memorable as the other stronger ones. But taken as a whole, Girl You Know It's True is a great listen. An album that will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. But that doesn't take away from what matters most: the music.

With the popularity of Puff Daddy's and others use of sampling others' songs to create new material, it should not really matter in the case of Milli Vanilli, who really stirred up a hornet's nest in the early 1990s and even have to give back an award.

OK, so they said they were singing their songs but in fact they were merely lip-syncing (Britney lip-syncing in concert and me paying $80 for a ticket is worse - at least she made up for that in her performing and Jazzy renditions of here early hits) to songs recorded and sung by a their band. I guess in concert the vocals were tracked and the band played live. I heard that Depeche Mode does this but with some or all of the special effects used in their songs - at least in the 1980's. What it all adds up to is two front men performing (lip-syncing and dancing) and made had a darn good routine doing it. After all the dust settled, the "Real Milli Vanilli" would come forward, revealing the band and singers who backed the duo but this time doing their own material.

Having found out this duo does not take away from the music itself, Milli Vanilli have made a name for themselves as performers even if they did not actually sing the material.

Track Listing
1. Girl You Know It's True
2. Blame It On The Rain
3. Take It As It Comes
4. Baby Don't Forget My Number
5. Dreams To Remember
6. All Or Nothing
7. It's Your Thing
8. I'm Gonna Miss You
9. More Than You'll Ever Know
10. Girl You Know It's True (NY Subway Mix)

Milli Vanilli were big during my college days. They took the country by storm and everybody was listening to their stuff. Then of course the unfortunate scandal. But I say, heck with the scandal and heck with who was singing the songs. The songs are there, they are good and I enjoy them. Blame it on the Rain is one of my favorites. Girl You Know Its True and all the others are just classics. These are good dance songs and sing a longs too.

Gotta blame it on somethin'!

Milli Vanilli. Two sexy, goodlooking men who could dance and sing. Oops! I just remembered that they didn't and couldn't sing. For those of you who were wondering why Frank Farian didn't put out the real singers of the songs, you have to watch VH1 Behind the Music (if they still air it). They showed the two men and the woman who actually did the singing and, let me tell you, they were old folks. The music was definetly HOT but it wouldn't sell if old folks were singing it. Why not get two sexy young men to lip-synch the songs? The formula worked, but somehow egos and greed got in the way. Rob and Fab wanted more artistic control, but that was impossible since neither of them could actually sing. Then you add in the sex and drugs and that definetly spells disaster. Rob and Fab got too caught up in the rock n' roll lifestyle and lost focus of what they were supposed to be doing. That's how the dream turned into a nightmare. Anyway, enough of that psychological babble. "Girl You Know It's True" is a good CD and whenever I listen to it, I still like to believe that it's Rob and Fab really singing. It's 2005 and if you're still upset about the Milli Vanilli scandle, you've got some major issues. These guys had more talent than the bozos that are out there now making watered down Pop, R&B, and Hip-Hop. Even though it was an illusion, Milli Vanilli still delivered.

"Girl You Know It's True" has the quintessential late-'80s/early-'90s pop sound. It captures everything about that brief, societal hiccup between the time when the high school posers took off their Motley Crue T-shirts and when they put on their baggy, saggy Dickies (with a gangsta lean!). Just for a moment, the world was full of bright colors and positivity. Not to mention stirrup pants.

If you're reading my review, or anyone else's for that matter, you already want to buy this album. You know it's true! So go ahead. If your friends see it on your CD rack, just give them some metrosexual-age snob line about how "delightfully kitchy" it is or tell them it's a piece of "found art." After they go home, crank out "Blame It on the Rain" and let your thoughts drift back to the good old days. The Berlin Wall coming down . . . Marion Barry smoking crack . . . Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . . . actually winning a war against Iraq! . . . .

When I started hearing "Girl You Know It's True" on the radio in 1989, I knew that this was an album that I definitely wanted to hear. When I found out a little while later that the two guys on the cover weren't the actual vocalists, I can't say that it bothered me at all; I was already in love with the music. Sadly, many people have the vocal sham burned into their subconscious to the point that they often forget what a fun album this was, not to mention one that goes deeper than the FIVE top 10 hits that it had. Of note also are the funky "More Than You'll Ever Know", the atmospherically dreamy "Dreams To Remember" and one of the best covers ever of The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing." Don't be shallow; get this, forget about the unfortunate incident, and enjoy this helping of tasty, frothy pop.

This album is a success and a failure at the same time. It's a success in that the music is solid, high-energy and - in the case of "I'm Gonna Miss You" - VERY emotional. I can now understand how this album sold 30 million singles and 14 million copies at its peak, causing Milli Vanilli to win three American Music Awards and the Best New Artist Grammy in 1989. It's a failure, though, for the same reason, and the reson is this: Frank Farian, their manager, dropped the ball. He exploited two poor people who couldn't get work anywhere else (too short to be models, breakdancing competitively didn't pay enough) and made then, in essence, CHEAT to win. Farian's a snake who deserved to get terminated even before Milli Vanilli, when he got caught in a miming scandal in the '70s with Boney M. I hate to be macabre, but Farian's got Robert Pilatus' death on his conscience. But this was a great album. All the songs are easy to sing and the lyrics easy to pick up on. I can't sing worth a lick and sometimes I sing the songs, they're that easy to sing. While I don't condone them for going along with it, Rob and Fab have found a sympathizer in me.

Frank Farian, excutive producer of this group, was a crook! (thanks, Ana, for your comment.) He's the one that told them NO flat out for wanting to sing these songs themselves instead of some 40-somethings. He then stuck them with the reprecautions for his choice to have them lip-sync everything. Need I say more and sorry for the misspelling. With that being said, "Girl, You Know It's True- The Album" was true genius! A coming of age album for me, along the time when Hip Hop music had started to take a major take on the pop charts, this album presented the best of both worlds. Now for those who has the recollection of this album under a pavement compactor, shame on you all! I still have this record and will never lose it. I have 12" remixes of some of the songs. I never was for all the media hype and everything people do to sell a record, or kill one. If it sounds good, I'm listening! STAND UP! Will we ever see a collector's anniversary edition of this and the remixes in 2008-2009? Stay tuned...

This CD is filled with beautiful songs and is worthy of every award it was given. One of my all time favorite albums.