Otis Taylor ‘sticks neck out’ with Hey Joe Opus

Otis Taylor says he’s risen to a new level of risk-taking with 14th album Hey Joe Opus / Red Meat.

It’s a study of Hey Joe, made famous by Jimi Hendrix, which has been a staple of Taylor performances for years – but it becomes the focus of a range of variations in his trademark trance blues style.

The launch follows a career that saw him quitting music in 1977, returning nearly 20 years later then reinventing his approach to banjo playing in 2008.

Taylor tells The Examiner: “You’re sticking your neck out – and this one’s a little different.

“People decide what they want to think about it, whatever you do. I don’t tell them what to think, but it is an album. That’s why I called it an opus.

“It’s an album of different misdirections – if you get going in one place, all of a sudden you go in another place. Sometimes people don’t know if they’re listening to Hey Joe or if they’re listening to me.”

Hey Joe Opus / Red Meat is available via his own Trance Blues Festival label.

Tracklist

01. Hey Joe 02. Sunday Morning 03. The Heart Is A Muscle (Used For The Blues) 04. Red Meat 05. Peggy Lee 06. They Wore Blue 07. Hey Joe (version) 08. Sunday Morning (version) 09. Cold At Midnight 10. Sunday Morning ©

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.