The Moment of Truth (The Real Milli Vanilli album)

The Moment of Truth is the only studio album by the pop group the Real Milli Vanilli, released in 1991.

The Moment of Truth
Studio album by
Released1991
Recorded1990
GenreDance, pop
Length43:53
LabelHansa, BMG
ProducerFrank Farian
The Real Milli Vanilli chronology
The Remix Album
(1990)
The Moment of Truth
(1991)
Rob & Fab
(1992)
Singles from The Moment of Truth
  1. "Keep on Running"
    Released: 24 November 1990
  2. "Too Late (True Love)"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Nice 'n' Easy"
    Released: 1991

History

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The Real Milli Vanilli
 
Cover art for The Moment of Truth
Background information
Also known asTry 'N' B
OriginMunich, Germany
Genres
Years active1990–1992
Spinoff ofMilli Vanilli
Past members

The Moment of Truth was meant to be the follow-up to Milli Vanilli's first album, All or Nothing (repackaged as Girl You Know It's True in the United States). After it was revealed that Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan had not performed the vocals with which they were credited in the band, producer Frank Farian formed the group the Real Milli Vanilli, with the actual singers on the recordings, as well as new vocalists Gina Mohammed and Ray Horton. Milli Vanilli's vocalist, Charles Shaw, was unable to record for this album after being paid for his silence regarding his involvement with the first Milli Vanilli album. Most of the lead vocals on The Moment of Truth were performed by Brad Howell, who had sung many of the lead vocals on All or Nothing and Girl You Know It's True. The album also includes rappers Icy Bro on "Hard as Hell" and Tammy T on "Too Late (True Love)".

The album's cover shows Brad Howell, Icy Bro, Ray Horton, Gina Mohammed, and John Davis. Its originally proposed title was Keep on Running, the title of the first single. Although The Moment of Truth appeared on its cover (and The 2nd Album at the bottom), Keep on Running still appeared on its spine.[1]

The album was released only in Brazil, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, and reached the top 20 in Germany. The Real Milli Vanilli also released three singles, one of which ("Keep on Running") reached number four on the German charts.[2]

One of the album's tracks, "When I Die", written by Diane Warren, has been covered by several other artists, including Farian's own project No Mercy. It also appeared on the soundtrack of the Brazilian soap opera Lua Cheia de Amor in 1991 and received radio airplay in Brazil. Another Warren song included on the record, "Tell Me Where It Hurts", was covered by the Christian singer Kathy Troccoli and released as a single in 1994.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Keep on Running"
4:06
2."Tell Me Where It Hurts"Diane Warren4:05
3."Crazy Cane"
3:55
4."When I Die"
  • Farian
  • Dietmar Kawohl
  • Peter Bischof-Fallenstein
  • Warren
4:00
5."Body Slam"
  • Farian
  • Wonder
  • Saka
  • Ralf Battle
2:22
6."Nice 'n' Easy"
  • Farian
  • P. G. Wylder
  • Robert Rayen
  • Diane Warren
3:40
7."Hard as Hell"
  • Farian
  • Saka
  • Slater
  • Warren
3:58
8."In My Life"
3:50
9."Too Late (True Love)"
  • Wonder
  • Saka
  • Tanya Coogler
  • Bill Pettaway
  • Ky Adeyemo
  • George Phillips
3:45
10."The End of Good Times"3:45
11."I'll Be Loving You"3:30
12."Big Brother"
3:58

Personnel

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The Real Milli Vanilli

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  • John Davis – vocals, backing vocals
  • Brad Howell – vocals
  • Gina Mohammed – vocals
  • Ray Horton – vocals
  • Linda Rocco – vocals
  • Jodie Rocco-Hafner – vocals

Additional musicians

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  • Joan Faulkner – backing vocals
  • Frank Farian – backing vocals, production
  • Franco Dittman – backing vocals
  • P.G. Wylder – keyboards, arrangements, programming
  • Marc Dalton – guitars
  • Peter Weihe – guitars
  • Ed DeGenaro – guitars
  • Mike Wonder – programming
  • Kerim Saka – programming
  • Tobias Freund – programming, engineering
  • Mel Collins – saxophone
  • Dino Solera – horns
  • Felice Civitareale – horns
  • Claus Reichstaller – horns
  • Curt Cress – drums

Technical personnel

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  • Bernd Berwan – engineering
  • Helmut Rulofs – engineering
  • Michael Bestmann – engineering
  • Norbert G. Yanicke – engineering
  • Milli-Ingrid Segieth – production coordinator
  • Hans Wegner – cover design
  • Helge Strauß, Manfred Esser – photography

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for The Moment of Truth
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[7] Gold 25,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Try 'N' B

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Seven of the songs from The Moment of Truth were reworked and released by RCA in 1992 under the band name Try 'N' B, as an eponymous album, with the addition of Tracy Ganser and Kevin Weatherspoon on vocals.[8] The album contained three additional songs: "Ding Dong", "Who Do You Love", and a cover version of Dr. Hook's "Sexy Eyes".

Davis died on 24 May 2021 from COVID-19.[9]

Try 'N' B
 
Studio album by
Try 'N' B
Released1992
Recorded1990
GenreDance, pop
LabelRCA
ProducerFrank Farian

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tell Me Where It Hurts"Diane Warren4:09
2."Keep on Running"
  • Frank Farian
  • Franz Reuther
  • Chris Kindt
5:13
3."Ding Dong"
  • Kerim Saka
  • Mike Wonder
3:48
4."When I Die"
  • Farian
  • Dietmar Kawohl
  • Peter Bischof-Fallenstein
  • Warren
4:21
5."Body Slam"
  • Farian
  • Wonder
  • Saka
  • Ralf Battle
3:23
6."Sexy Eyes"
  • Chris Waters
  • Keith Stegall
  • R.J. Mather
4:04
7."In My Life"
  • Clyde Lieberman
  • Jeff Pescetto
  • Richard James Burgess
4:07
8."The End of Good Times"
  • Farian
  • P.G. Wylder
  • Mary Susan Applegate
4:18
9."Nice 'n' Easy"
  • Farian
  • Wylder
  • Robert Rayen
  • Warren
3:45
10."Who Do You Love"John Davis5:22

Personnel

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  • Frank Farian – production
  • P.G. Wylder – keyboards, arrangements, programming
  • Marc Dalton, Peter Weihe – guitars
  • Mike Wonder – arrangements, programming
  • Kerim Saka – arrangements, programming
  • Tobias Freund – programming, engineering
  • Mel Collins – saxophone
  • Dino Solera, Felice Civitareale, Claus Reichstaller – horns
  • Bernd Berwanger, Todd Canedy, Helmut Rulofs, Michael Bestmann, Norbert G. Yanicke – engineering
  • Milli-Ingrid Segieth – production coordination
  • Mike Schraft – photos
  • Jacqueline Murphy – logo design

References

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  1. ^ "The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth (The 2nd Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. ^ "German Top 10 – Top 200 of the Years 1990 – 1994". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Austrian album certifications – The Real Milli Vanilli – The Moment of Truth" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Try 'N' B". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  9. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastacia (27 May 2021). "Real Milli Vanilli Singer John Davis Dead at Age 66". NPR. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
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