(Thanks to Harry Bluebond)

"It was the call everybody in my business waits for."

Phil Nicolo was talking aboaut being tapped to handle the remixing of "Do the Oz" for the John Lennon-Plastic Ono Band reissue.

Nicolo helped produce the 1999 Cibo Matto LP Stereotype A which featured Sean Lennon on bass guitar.  From there, he became involved in the still-in-progress second solo album by Sean.

Yoko had not attended the sessions, but liked the direction Nicolo was helping Sean bring his music to.  Nicolo told Philadelphia News music reporter,  Tom Moon: "(Yoko's) in a tricky position with the fans, especially when it comes to unreleased stuff: People are really curious, but in that 'let-me-see - no, don't show me' way."

Nicolo was working in his studio last summer when Yoko phoned him to tell him that she had rediscovered a track that the Plastic Ono Band had recorded on April 17, 1970.  "Do the Oz" was a benefit for a British underground publication called the Oz.  Yoko was putting together reissues of John's first and last solo records, "Plastic Ono Band" and "Double Fantasy" - and wanted to include "Oz" as a bonus track.  The song had been released previously, but it had been assembled quickly and wasn't fully finished.

Nicolo said the only stipulation Yoko made was that he not add anything to the existing tracks which he was assembling from the original session.

Despite what he felt was a  major restriction, Nicolo told Moon that he got lucky anyway:  A horn section, led by saxophonist King Curtis, had been recorded that went mostly unused in the original.  John's guitar line was a constant throughout as well.

The producer put the parts he had into his ProTools computer software and juggled the elements to create a party atmosphere, with Yoko's vocalizations dropped in "at explosive junctions." 

Nicolo remembers that when he first met Yoko to the do the final mix, she began the session by expressing regret that she'd placed any restriction on him.  She told him he could start over if he wanted to, using all of the elements and tricks in his bag. 

Nicolo declined the offer: "I told her, 'I'm glad you did (stipulate no additional material be added), because by being forced to use what was there, I had to be creative in a different way.'  And it was all there. I just uncovered the magic."