Ideal
Biography Ideal
Ideal
From April 1980, Annette Humpe (vocals, keyboards), bassist and singer Ernst Ulrich Deuker (July 13, 1954), guitarist and singer Frank Jürgen (Eff Jott) Krüger (December 24, 1948), and drummer, percussionist, and singer Hans-Joachim Behrendt (February 15, 1955) officially formed Ideal. In February of that year, Humpe—who also played with the Neonbabies—and Krüger performed with other musicians, including Neonbabies drummer Toni Nissl, at the Kant Kino with the X-Pectors. This band was then abandoned in March and reformed as Ideal with a slightly different lineup.
Annette Humpe, who began piano lessons at the age of six and later studied composition and piano for six semesters at the Cologne University of Music, had her first spontaneous performances with her sister Inga. Born in Herdecke/Ruhr, she gained her first band experience with the bands "Group Therapy" and "Pink Wave." Later, she sang and played briefly with Inga Humpe in the Neonbabies before joining Ideal with Eff Jott Krüger from the X-Pectors. Eff Jott Krüger, a self-described "53-year-old, perverted guitarist and singer"—a godsend for the media—had relevant experience in the jazz world. A brief guest appearance with the Release Music Orchestra is part of his musical biography. Ernst-U. Deuker also came from a jazz-rock background, which he brought to the stage with the band Margo, among others. Finally, Hansi Behrendt, a trained percussionist, toured with Germany's No. 1 jazz guitarist Volker Kriegel and his Mild Maniac Orchestra before turning to drums and quickly becoming one of the top drummers on the German music scene with the Neonbabies, the Deutsche Bundes-Band (where he met Deuker), and Ideal.
Musik Express later printed after the first LP release: "I consider it a blessing and a strong step for the musicians to deny their oh-so-cultural background and, so to speak, to play below their own standards, which means nothing more than playing below their own limits. In favor of a looseness rarely heard in Germany. Less is more." The reviewer was thus responding to discussions within the scene about the extent to which music such as that presented by Ideal to German listeners in the mid-1980s could be accepted as authentic by former jazz musicians and jazz rockers.
In May 1980, Ideal released their first single, "Wir stehn auf Berlin" / "Männer gibt's wie Sand am Meer," produced for the band's own Eitel Imperial label, which was soon sold out. On May 2nd – while Spliff were debuting at the Kant Kino – Ideal also made their first appearance at the TU Mensa in Berlin. However, their first major gig – also in May – took place at the Tempodrom at the Berlin Rock Circus (alongside Bel Ami, PVC, Tempo, and Z), which was recorded for radio and television. ARD later broadcast the event under the title "Sie verlassen den amerikanischen Sektor" (They Leave the American Sector). Even without an LP, Ideal received considerable press coverage: a media phenomenon rarely observed. This presence in the German press increased immeasurably in late summer. The British romantic rock band Barclay James Harvest, particularly successful in West Germany, organized a "Danke schön" open-air concert for their German fans on the grounds of the Berlin Reichstag (which was to be used for promotion, live recordings, and film and video productions). 150,000 visitors came to the grounds near the Wall and were particularly enthusiastic about Ideal, one of several bands booked for the opening act. These four musicians, in particular, were the major beneficiaries of this major event. The television news programs Tagesschau and Heute reacted to the rock event. But it wasn't Barclay James Harvest who flickered into German living rooms in August 1980, but Ideal. This marked the nationwide breakthrough for the neo-schlager band from Berlin. Immediately after this test, the four musicians entered the studio to produce their first LP for the IC (=Innovative Communication) label, founded by synthesizer specialist Klaus Schulze. It was released in November 1980, and just one month later, 13,000 copies had been sold. "20,800 LPs must be sold to recoup production costs," the alternative small label announced upon release, full of hope but by no means firmly believing in commercial success. ...
