Frank Farian (The Man Behind Boney M and Milli Vanilli)
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Frank Farian (The Man Behind Boney M and Milli Vanilli)
Frank Farian July 18th, 1941 - January 23, 2024
Long before Milli Vanilli were exposed as miming their hits, their producer Frank Farian had another project with uncredited vocals. This is the story of how Frank Farian went from a singer in the 60s to the mastermind behind one of the biggest music industry scandals.
Taken from the full length Traxploitation documentary Mime and Punishment.
Includes Frank Farian, Milli Vanilli, Black Box, C+C Music Factory and more.
• Mime & Punishment - A ...
Great video thanks!! Very interesting
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Glad you enjoyed it!
The tragedy that followed the two young guys of Milli Vanilli just broke my heart - Rob and Fab - I was a kid when that band became so immensely popular and we all loved the music. Nowadays there is miming and lip synching all the time but the Milli guys had their lies shredded by the sudden “integrity” of the rock music world. They never deserved that and I loathe “Frank Farian” for the way he used them for their looks then cast them both aside when his gimmick was outed. He never protected them, and it ended Robs life. Rob was a war orphan (son of an African-american soldier and a German dancer but he was left at an orphanage)
Not a lot of people know that Frank was the male vocals of Boney M.
Some people actually think Bobby Farrell is the man doing all the male vocals.
frankie
@@jaredoliver9347 skamtebord
What voice type has he got?
I know late mister farrell was especially a 🕺
Don't know why this channel is so under rated..it was damn good video
Thanks for the positive feedback, the channel is still growing, we'll get there tho!
The contract he had for Milli Vinalli was disgusting his heart wasnt in the right place. Hope he gets his karma
he died rip bozo smoking that Farian pack
@@ruzmarinnhe literally did all the work
The contract was shit.should have got a lawyer. but at that age wouldnt you have done it.
Nah I find this guy mighty distasteful. I just see him as a cynical money grabbing user and manipulator.....what he did with Milli Vanilli was far from harmless. I don't blame the youngsters but this guy made millions from essentially deceiving people
I would say he is right up there with Lou Pearlman, but Lou was worse.
He gave them a job, an opportunity...
What's wrong with that - U cant even help your family like how he did for strangers - Go figure 😅
@@leadsolo2751Frank was essentially helping himself. He obviously had ulterior motives for helping strangers. That motivation, was money and power.
he was basically a cheat, just out to make money
Bobby Farrell died in the same city, on the same night (albeit almost 100 years later) where the real Rasputin died.
Coincidence
@@annaritaranalli1791 He probably booked a gig that was meant to celebrate the anniversary.
@@kevinbergin9971 Yes....Occam's razor.
For real? Now that's real showbiz timing!
Ok this channel is amazing
Iam watching yo videos, I have learnt alot of important stuff. Since am making music too . Thanxs 👍🏿👍🏿 alot
That's great! Thats how this all began, my first video was a simple explainer on what an ISRC is...I did some other tutorials but nobody really watched them, so I decided to try to wrap the lessons up in stories people recognise. Overall the views have rocketed, but I did wonder if I had strayed from my original mission, so it's good to hear i'm reaching the people I set out to, independent musicians like you!
They were amazing
Marcia barret and liz mitchell can sing indeed
This is weird.... A white guy... hires black people... to lip synch and perform HIS songs.....How is THIS not a movie?
This guy catfished the world TWICE using almost the same method. I'm baffled people fell for it again, I guess no one looked close enough.
Those that saw it...didn't care...those that cared didn't see it...
There's zero chance Clive Davis at Arista wasn't at least a little suspicious of a German and a French man singing/rapping in flawless American accents while struggling to speak English... 🤷♂️
Farian the plagiarism king was lucky to get away with this fake act for so long.
In each case the artists bore the brunt...he just carried on seemingly unaffected by the controversies
I learned something huge today
He was a music genius ,not easy to make Boney M songs 🎵
I was just watching *"My Baker & Rasputin"* for the first time and I'm 21. I cried watching the pianist on the keys♡, this is how I got to this video.
I play piano as well & it was amazing seeing him play the keys like that. Where's the talent in 2022? 🤣
Rasputin was stolen from a Turkish folk sing 😂
@@nullvid8478rasputin is a turkish song. He stole it
Yeah, takes a genius to deceive & destroy in the name of greed
I regard him as a big legend. It takes a divine inspiration to create the boney M group. Creating such an outstanding music group is huge
Boney M is a huge act but I think "divine inspiration" is a bit of an overstatement. They weren't exactly unique, or even original.
Their first song, "Do you Wanna Bump", is based around the horn line from Prince Busters "Al Capone" something they never credited, cleared or paid Prince Buster for to this day.
Also, another german group from the same time, Dschinghis Khan sounded just like them listen for yourself ruclips.net/video/1KmlWBKlS_c/видео.html. The same year Boney M sang about "Rasputin" they sung about Genghis Khan and followed that with a song about Moscow. The main difference is their songs were mostly written in German and only a few singles had English language versions. By singing in English Boney M was able to sell records internationally and not just to German-speaking countries. They were good but let's not get carried away with the praise for Farian basically just copying other songs and bands of the time.
It was not only frank farian 's fault....false milli vanilli,late robert farrell and dancer and photomodel maisie williams were adult and they could refuse to singing with others people 's voices
Yeah, they could refuse. But you seem to forget they were locked in a contract & owed money, they had already spent
Frank Farian needs to pay for his Milli Vanilli mistake.
Well, he's dead now, but good luck. 👍
Sorry, I was thinking of Bobby Farrell, but good luck anyway. 😉
Why? He tried to help this Pilatus individual, he fucked up in life later and lived off Farian.
@@fabonzanaon8177 no he didn't, he ruined Rob's life
Rob pilatus ruined himself,not farian
Read comments while listening.
No doubt he was creative (Boney M was amazing) BUT was also manipulative and greedy. He wasn't alone tho - seemed to be modus operandi for music industry.
One of the most balanced comments that I've read about the whole Frank Farian-Boney M controversy. Lots of groups were 'manufactured' in that era; lots of groups regularly lip-synched; lots of producers were manipulative and ruthless, lots of performers were mistreated and scammed. And yet, at the end of the day, FF created a distinctive and addictively danceable sound and BM produced hugely enjoyable performances that will live on long after the controversies have disappeared up their own RUclips. And so what if Farrell either couldn't or wasn't allowed to sing - his dancing is simply awesome. If his timing hadn't been so micro-second perfect, his miming would have been spotted without people having to be told about it.
Uważam, że Farian powinien zapłacić za śmierć Roberta Pilatusa
Nice channel
why does this dude remind me of Tommy Wiseau
Lol! 100% 😂 maybe its that eurotrash vibe 🤷♂️
4:38
He received 100,000 DM when he joined the group? Think about it for a minute, why would Farian give a random unknown DJ that kind of money to merely dance on stage?
It happened years later. They had already had major successes (and Farrell had earned and spent lots of money) when he got into some real financial trouble. That’s when he asked Farian for the money. Whether Farian tricked him with some small print or Farrell willingly signed over all his rights is up for debate. In any case, Farrell was probably desperate to get his hands on some cocaine, and as such was an easy victim.
Well , Mini Vanilli called him Maniac. He took all the credit and the performers got nothing, he didn't allow them to sing instead use different singers in recording. he did this to Bobby and Mini Vanilli.
He was the early version of Eminem.
He was Effeneff.
Thats actually a really catchy name lol
Anyone noticing a trend? Frank had a huge ego. He was better behind the scenes than the spotlight and he could never accept it.
10,000 lightyears is actually a very good album. I don't know why it did not do well. 10.000 Lightyears, Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001), Somewhere in the World, Living Like a Moviestar were great songs.
I will take a listen
Frank ' Rasta' Farian
yes.. very interesting. Farian sure was a piece of work
Why? All members of Boney M. made quite some money. Without Farian we most probably would have never heard from them. Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett are singers in their own right, but only Mr. Farian’s vehicle made them stars.
@@martinpetersen3187 Farian was a gross deceiver, that's why.
Yawn. Another brainless virtue signaler.
You are right
Frank Farian is a Genius, and life would be So Different if he hadn't done what he did ❤✊🏽😎
That must be a pretty low bar for qualifying as a genius. 🤔
He didn't do anything any other producer hadn't already done. 🤷♂️
Literally, the first Milli Vanilli single was a note for note, beat for beat, cover...nothing remotely genius about it IMO.
Life would definitely be different though without him doing that....especially for Rob Pilatus. 😕
Great film man thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent narration voice!
I really like the presentation of this video. It gives you plenty background on Frank Lucifarian (the devil himself)... short and right to the facts and ends with the beginning of his true success at the expense in f young kids!!!! Now OF COURSE we want a follow up video! Thank you for this gem!
they were all the same age lol. He is just more talented than them. He wrote it , performed it, and then let them lip sync over it.
@@alexgregory1427 What do you mean "them"? Do you actually think he did the female voices too? 🤦♂️
Frank Farian was born in 1941, Fab Morvan was born in 1966, Rob Pilatus in 1964. Thats around 25 years apart, a quarter of a century. Hes more than old enough to be their Dad. Not the same age at all. Not even close.
He actually did do the "female" vocals on the first few Boney M recordings, by pitching his voice up.
That was still Bobby Farrels voice even if he didn’t write the songs or didn’t sing live. That was his voice, google his live performance with Boney M
🤦♂️he's miming in the "live" performances with Boney M...the voice on the tracks is Frank Farian. It's well documented. 🤷♂️
Some of the comments on here are funny. Some people think I've gone to all this trouble to make a 75 minute documentary but didn't at any point "google" the subject 🤷♂️🤦♂️😂 I do extensive research on all the topics...not just online...I also visit these giant buildings full of books known as libraries 😉 and talk directly to people involved in the stories.
Prior to making this video I have spoken with both Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell about their experiences in Boney M.
The male voice on Boney M songs up until Reggie Tsiboe joined the group is Frank Farian. Bobby Farrels voice was recorded on just one single. We kill world/Bunoonoonoos. Which was released AFTER he had left the group.
All of this is in the video you commented on. Rather than suggest I Google things, you should probably have watched the whole video before commenting? 🤦♂️🤦♂️
genius writer. great music. and great performers. so what if it was faked, it was great. now we have autosound. who knows what real voices sound now. He hit it on the head for the time. fab music.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment....I have to say tho...
Genius is a massive stretch lol.
He wrote most of the Boney M stuff but it's pretty generic euro disco with plenty of "borrowed" elements, such as "Do you wanna bump" taking the horn line from Prince Busters "Al Capone" (uncredited by the way)
Milli Vanillis biggest hit was a cover and the next biggest hit was written by Diane Warren.
"So what if its faked" is a weird question. If I have to explain to you the virtues of authenticy then I doubt you'll ever appreciate it.
Autotune or "Autosound" as you put it is a brand but "pitch correction" has existed since the 1970s and was used extensively by Farian so not sure what your point is...
Either way, digitally enhancing your own voice is a million miles from saying someone else's voice was you! Again if you can't recognise that distinction I don't know what to tell you. 🤷♂️
In summary, Frank Farian was a decent producer with a well equipped studio that he knew how to get the most out of.
Genius? No. Not in my opinion. Not even close.
And finally as a professional sound engineer with 30 odd years experience I can instantly tell natural recordings from those that have been manipulated...so could you...if you knew what to listen out for.
@@Traxploitation thanks for the reply. very interesting and for me enlightening. But a great video. I remeber zigg zigg sputink in uk hit the scenes . Fun music. They even sold adverts in the space between songs on their album. But they turned out to be fake. The guitarist apparently couldnt even play guitar. I look forward to this video if you make it : )
I'm not sure where you got that story from. Sigue Sigue Sputnik were definitely not a fake band. There were two people in the band who could play guitar. Founding member Tony James played guitar on some recordings but Bass was his first instrument. Neal Whitmore AKA Neal X played guitar at gigs and on some recordings too.
I have no idea where you heard they were fake or they couldn't play instruments. There was a smear campaign run by The Daily Mirror...that could be the source 🤔
Its true Tony James picked the members of the band based primarily on looks rather than musical ability but that isn't to say they had no musical ability.
The drummer couldn't play drums when he first joined but was taught by other members of the band who could.
But that's no different to say Flea in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers he couldn't play bass when he joined the band...he played Trumpet but learned bass as the band needed a bassist not a trumpeter. .
BTW most of the "ads" on that album were actually parodies and spoofs.
After Sigue Sigue Sputnik all the members went on to join or form other bands. Tony James joined Sisters Of Mercy and the drummer joined Big Audio Dynamite. 🤷♂️
i agree and sorry, its not a "stretch". He was a genius.
I guess my benchmark for genius is a little higher then. 🤷♂️
Interesting to know what, in your mind makes someone a genius as opposed to just very good...
There's nothing innovative or remarkable about any of Farian productions. All the noteworthy aspects are negative.
What exactly is it that, in your opinion, makes him a genius?
The ability to make a cover version that is identical to the original and then have a fake band mime to it?
GENIUS!
Producing one of the greatest artists of all time and the result is "i just called to say I love you" which is the worst Stevie Wonder song and also nicks the bass line from "sitting on the dock of the bay"
GENIUS!
I just don't see it. 🤷♂️
If he's a genius. Everyone is a genius.
Boney M YES!
We know talented marcia barret and liz mitchell thanks to him...but i 've chose good and beautiful english precious mitchell at place of maizie williams and i would allowed to mister farrel to singing with his real voice in records too
Anyone who praises and/or defends Frank are very questionable people
100%!
Some people in these comments calling him a "genius "🤷♂️🤦♂️
Absolutely. A despicable POS
R.I.P. FRANZ
🙏
Bobby actually sang at the live shows.
No
@@TheDiamondsions check out the Dublin show
no
yes he did
he did indeed
Actually the Milli Vanilli are so talented but Frank Farian was ruined their talent.
Frank Farian did the vocals for the 70's band Boney M as well.
Real milli vanilli are talented
So Farian makes all these people stars...then they try to go into business for themselves and the fans are outraged and say Farian is a fraud and is holding the "vocalists" down? Give me a break
Farian is movie material because he exposes the hypocrisy of the industry
Frank is dead now. I’m sure he’s looking up at us. It’s hot down there🔥 This took way too long. Justice for Rob and Fab !! 🙏
oh please, without him you wouldn't HAVE either of them in the first place.
RIP Frank Farian.
🙏
A real piece of work
uess the dream is over for milli von nilli
سلام . هنرمند ارجمند ، تهیه کننده و ترانه سرای توانا جناب آقای فرانک فاریان ، به پاس یک عمر فعالیت هنری شما درعرصه موسیقی ملل ، سپاس . جواد مقدم
سلام جواد مقدم از اینکه دیدید و نظر دادید متشکرم پیام خوبی است که گذاشتید اما من مطمئن نیستم که آیا محترم کلمه صحیح آقای فریان است؟
یا چیزی در ترجمه گم شده است؟ :)
So they didn't sing on the records..............I couldn't give a f**k
OK! I can understand you not caring about it, not sure why you would still watch the video, and take the time to comment if you care so little, but I appreciate it anyway. Thanks. :o)
Marcia barret and liz mitchell sang on records too
Looks like sylvester Stallone
Arrest the fraud
Show him.
and the people at Arista!
The european releases never credit Rob and Fab, it just has their pictures. Lots of 70s and 80s albums had models on the cover who cant sing and the same or different models in videos and club shows miming. But, when Arista released the album they changed the artwork to say "Vocals by Rob and Fab".... the lie, the deception really began with Arista and the US releases, but they were able to just take down the platinum disks and pretend it never happened.
Calm down. When you buy an album in many cases there are musicians on it you will never see. So what...
@@Rondo2ooo in almost the entire developed world it is the inalienable right of the musicians to be credited. Its illegal to deny them that right under EU law and under the global copyright law...The Berne Convention...its not even new that law dates back to 1886.
That's "so what" 🤦♂️
@@Traxploitation I understand what you try to say, but how does it relate to my comment? I think you misunderstand something. I don't mention copyrights. Fyi: The authors and owners of MV songs copyrights are properly credited for each song of Milli Vanilli and they aren't Pilatus/Morvan. There is no copyright or IP infringement here, not sure how you concluded that. Pilatus and Morvan did not compose the songs, thus, they aren't credited as such. I am not trying to bash them, don't get me wrong. You can argue ethics to hide the true singers, but what you mention simply does not relate to the topic. They were simply "dancers".
This guy is a business genius
How so?
He created THE most derided and ridiculed band in the history of the music industry. 🤷♂️🤦♂️
Boney m was a tag a long. He had no talent
?
Boney M wasn't a person.
It was a group.
Of 4 people plus Farian...at the time but there's since been different line ups.
So who are you referring to as the talentless tag along. 🤷♂️
Is he his father, too?
Come on.
Maybe he did the voice in one concert when Bobby couldn’t sing due to his drug abuse.
Bobby is very talented.
I don't understand your point. It's well documented that Frank Farian sang the male parts of Boney M songs. It's not that Bobby couldn't sing...but he definitely didn't. He didn't sing on any of the hit records, and it was very common for acts to not perform live and to mime to backing tracks instead, they did however usually at least mime to their own voices and not someone else's
@@Traxploitation
I’ve seen live concert with Bobby singing live. So, no need to argue.
And ive got all their albums with Frank Farians voice on! The video is about recorded music and clearly states that Bobby often performed live and did record a few bits of vocals for later albums. I can only assume you commented without watching the entire video.
@@Tomorrow32 you want to deny a worldwide known fact? Yes Bobby sang at the live shows but in the studio it was always Farian. It's even on the credits of oceans of fantasy album lol.
@@miguelmusicajw
Glad you admitted that Bobby sang in live shows.
Lip syncing happens in live show when the singer has an issue with his/her voice or sick, not in the studios where it could be delayed, ignorant.
In his last years, Bobby had problems with drug addiction. He lost his voice multiple times and had to be hospitalized.
Trudno obwiniać Fariana za koncept Milli Vanilli. Miał wyjątkowy talent do kreowania czegoś z niczego. Z dwóch klaunów zrobił megagwiazdy show biznesu. A że sodówka im uderzyła do głowy, skończyli tam gdzie zaczeli bajkę.
2 clowns? Wtf? Can't blame him for the thing that is 100% his doing?
Nah, can't agree with any of that.
Farian didn't have a unique talent at all. He just had access to a studio and a deal with a record label. Like thousands of other schmucks. 🤷♂️🤦♂️
@@Traxploitation Ale malo kto stworzył hity z odpadów muzycznych. Kolesie wiedzieli,że oszukują publicznosć. Dla kasy zrobili popis z playbecku udając wokalistów.
@@Traxploitation Wielu ma dostęp do wydawnictw. I robią gówno. Sa tysiace grajków bez polotu. Farian wyprodukował międzynarodowe hity.
Very talented man
That's subjective...also depends what ur idea of "talent" is.
I think he's talented in a similar way to "The Talented Mr Ripley" ie...bit of a con artist....but that's just my opinion. 🤷♂️