The music that was good enough to win the awards when they thought the other guys sang it didn't change.
The visual act was half the charm of the group and also partly responsible for the popularity.
If you think that without Rob and Fab, Milli Vanilli would have been a hit, check out "The Moment of Truth" by The Real Milli Vanilli. Currently out of print, the CD can be had on eBay for a reasonable price.
The Real Milli Vanilli, featuring the real voices from "Girl You Know It's True," Brad Howell, John Davis, and Gina Mohammed, as well as new frontman Ray Horton and "special guest" Icy Bro, was a complete failure.
And Frank Farian, GYKIT producer and mastermind of the charade, has barely been heard from since...
Brad Howell (Rob's voice), in an interview, said that he thought they (him and John Davis) deserved them.
Why? They were just as much a part of the conspiracy. I see them just as guilty as Rob & Fab.. it's just Rob & Fab were unlucky enough to be on the more public side of it all.
I'd say Frank works now as much as he did before the Vanilli scandal.
Farian was once an A-list producer in Germany (for whatever that's worth). Though, none of it rivaled his work on Girl You Know.
For a career that looked to be sky-rocketing up, he is nowehere to be seen. Poetic justice by my reckoning.
Although, "Rasputin" and "Ma Baker" still, to this day, get regular airplay in European radio. Which is to say more airplay than the singles of GYKIT get in the states these days. It's a shame really, IMO, as that album top to bottom (not a bad song in the bunch) is some of the best examples of pop music to come out of the 80s.
1991's Moment of Truth is one of the worst examples, completely lacking the "soul" and cleverness of the original MV effort.
And if anyone's interested, Rob and Fab's solo album is worth a listen. Their self-titled debut was limited to less than 10000 copies here in the states, but can be found on eBay rather frequently.
Their story is a fascinating one and full of many lessons.
By chance, would anyone happen to have any info of Fabrice's comeback album, Love Revolution? I know he deejayed for a stint in LA a few years back and announced its eminent release. I can't find anything on it.