Phantom, Rocker & Slick

Phantom, Rocker & Slick
Genres	Rock & roll, rockabilly
Years active	1983 (1983)–1986 (1986)
Labels	EMI
Past members	Slim Jim Phantom Lee Rocker Earl Slick

Phantom, Rocker & Slick was an American rock band active in the mid-1980s. The bandmembers were drummer Slim Jim Phantom, bassist Lee Rocker, and guitarist Earl Slick. Phantom and Rocker had previously played together as members of the Stray Cats. They released two albums, Phantom, Rocker & Slick and Cover Girl, on EMI Records before disbanding.

History

Drummer Slim Jim Phantom

Guitarist Earl Slick

Lee Rocker on the double bass

Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker grew up together in New York City. They began writing songs when they were 12 years old. Along with Brian Setzer, they formed the Stray Cats. When the Stray Cats broke up, they began looking for a new guitarist and met sessionman Earl Slick at a music trade show, leading to the formation of the band.^[1] Years earlier, Rocker had been a fan of Slick's guitar work on David Bowie's David Live.^[2] Slick also played on Bowie's Station to Station^[3] and John Lennon's Double Fantasy.^[4]

Their first release, 1985's self-titled Phantom, Rocker & Slick, was produced by Michael Barbiero & Steve Thompson and was a moderate success, peaking at 62 on the Billboard 200.^[5] Its first single was "Men Without Shame" and was written in ten minutes.^[1] It did well on the Top Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 7.^[6] It was played in the active rotation on MTV.^[7] The single "My Mistake" also appeared on the Top Rock Tracks chart, peaking at 33,^[8] and featured Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones on guitar.^[1] Nicky Hopkins also made a guest appearance on the album, playing piano on the tracks "No Regrets,"^[9] "Lonely Actions," and "Time Is On My Hands."

The release of their second album, Cover Girl in 1986, was the beginning of the end for the band.^[10] It did poorly, reaching only 181 on the Billboard 200^[11] and they soon broke up, with Phantom and Rocker rejoining the Stray Cats^[10] and Slick returning to session work.^[12]

Members

• Slim Jim Phantom – drums, vocals
• Lee Rocker – double bass, lead vocals
• Earl Slick – guitar, vocals

Discography

• Phantom, Rocker & Slick 1985 (EMI)
• Cover Girl 1986 (EMI)

Charts

Albums

Date	Album	Chart	Peak
30 November 1985	Phantom, Rocker & Slick	Billboard 200	62[5]
25 October 1986	Cover Girl	Billboard 200	181[11]

Singles

Date	Single	Chart	Peak
23 November 1985	"Men Without Shame"	Top Rock Tracks	7[6]
15 February 1986	"My Mistake"	Top Rock Tracks	33[8]

References

1. Tuber, Keith (January 1986). "Slick rock from Phantom, Rocker & Slick". Orange Coast Magazine. Vol. 12, no. 1. Emmis Communications. pp. 120–122. ISSN 0279-0483. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
2. Newton, Steve (15 March 2007). "Standup bassist Lee Rocker steps out of the shadows". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
3. Prown, Pete; Newquist, Harvey P; Eiche, Jon F (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: the Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 98. ISBN 0-7935-4042-9. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
4. "Lennon Guitarist Sickened by Signed Album Auction". Contactmusic.com. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
5. "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media. 30 November 1985. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
6. "Top Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 47. Nielsen Business Media. 23 November 1985. p. 16. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
7. "MTV Programming". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 47. Nielsen Business Media. 23 November 1985. p. 31. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
8. "Top Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media. 15 February 1986. p. 18. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
9. Adams, Bret. "Review: Phantom, Rocker & Slick". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
10. Poore, Billy (1998). Rockabilly: a Forty-Year Journey. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 225. ISBN 0-7935-9142-2. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
11. "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 43. Nielsen Business Media. 25 October 1986. p. 85. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
12. Demalon, Tom. "Biography: Phantom, Rocker & Slick". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 March 2011.