Panic

"The influence of T-Rex is very profound on certain songs of The Smiths i.e. 'Panic' and 'Shoplifters'. Morrissey was himself also mad about Bolan. When we wrote "Panic" he was obsessed with 'Metal Guru' and wanted to sing in the same style. He didn't stop singing it in an attempt to modify the words of 'Panic' to fit the exact rhythm of "Metal Guru". He also exhorted me to use the same guitar break so that the two songs are the same!!!"

"'Panic' came about at the time of Chernobyl. Morrissey and myself were listening to a Newsbeat radio report about it. The stories of this shocking disaster comes to an end and then immediately we're off into Wham's 'I'm Your Man'. I remember actually saying 'what the fuck has this got to do with people's lives?' And so 'hang the blessed DJ'. I think it was a great lyric, important and applicable to anyone who lives in England. I mean, even the most ardent disco fan wouldn't want to be subject to that stuff would they?"


- Johnny Marr

I have uploaded a Guitar Pro file for this song here.



Here is the complete score from the "Louder Than Bombs:Off The Record" book:














Here are the scans from the Singles tab book:








I have also uploaded a different tab below, and I have uploaded it's corresponding backing tracks here(right click to save as).









Here are the scans from the Smiths Best Complete Score:









Here's Craig Gannon demonstrating the cool arpeggio part he plays in the intro and verses:

Here's a great cover by johnnymare, on guitar:



and on bass as well:




Here's a cover by xtc80lbs:

Stretch Out And Wait

"'Stretch Out' I think, is in open G tuning: D,G,D,G,B,G."

- Johnny Marr

From the quote above, Marr says he 'thinks' the song is in open G, but the general consensus is that it's actually in open E. For instance, Headmaster Ritual is definitely in open E, and Johnny would sometimes play Stretch Out And Wait immediately afterwards, on the same guitar.

I do have a Guitar Pro tab file that I have uploaded here(right click to save as). This is a really accurate transcription to my ears, in the correct tuning(!). marrzipan also transcribed his version and I have included it in this same zip file. These versions are both in open E, but they are both different.

Here is the complete score from the "Louder Than Bombs:Off The Record" book:














Here's marrzipan's version. This is one of the very few versions of the song on youtube that are played in open E, as marr played it. So cool!




Here's a very nice acoustic version by 3rd Monty Effects:


Here's a cool cover by theglimpse, who also plays the song in open E:




Here's dhowellbassist on a ric 360:




barjabulon covers a short snippet here, very well:




And here is the Smiths playing live on June 29, 1985. Here we can see that Marr has his telecaster tuned up to open E:

Half A Person

"I remember Johnny and Craig were both playing acoustic guitars, which we set up separated with one in the left and one in the right speaker. That was put down together, very simply, with just a few overdubs on top."


- Stephen Street


"Me and Morrissey would just disappear. Some of my favourite songs came about that way, like "Half A Person". We just locked ourselves away and did it. In the time it takes to play it, I wrote it. Morrissey was great in that respect. He knew when I was going to play something good."

"We officially wrote it on the stairs at Mayfair. Morrissey got his part of it together overnight, and it was amazing. That was probably the best writing moment I think me and him ever had because we were so close, practically touching, and I could see him kind of willing me on, waiting to see what I was going to play. Then I could see him thinking, 'That's exactly where I was hoping you'd go!' It was a fantastic, shared moment."

"One [1963 Stratocaster] I keep constantly high strung in Nashville tuning, which is the top two strings the same and bottom four like a 12-string set with the low strings taken off. It's a good tuning for coming up with new stuff 'cos you kind of feel like you're playing backwards. I used that on loads of Smiths stuff - You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby, Half A Person..."

"This is a 1962 Epiphone Coronet. Shortly after I got it I put it in 'Nashville Tuning', which means putting on an electric 12 string set (the bottom four strings are an octave higher than standard). It feels like your playing backwards because the higher strings are at the bottom. I used it to double a lot of the Rickenbacker arpeggios on Smiths records, most notably on 'William It Was Really Nothing', it's also the main guitar on 'Half A Person'."

"It might have a capo on the second fret.The chords are around G to E on the intro."

- Johnny Marr

Recorded:
October 1986, Mayfair Studios, London

Known Guitars used:
1962 Epiphone Coronet in nashville tuning
1963 Fender Stratocaster in nashville tuning


I have uploaded a Guitar Pro tab here.

Here is the complete score from the "Louder Than Bombs:Off The Record" book:















Here are the scans from the Complete Chord Dictionary:




Daniel Earwicker does a nice cover on his Rick 330:



And he tackles the fade-out riff in a separate video:




marrzipan does a great version on acoustic, sans capo:




Pandaprops does an amazingly accurate version in nashville tuning, fade out riff included:




Here's davidguitarist91:

Hand In Glove

"When we did 'Hand In Glove,' that was brilliant because it was a fantastic piece of vinyl. But there was never a time when I put my feet up and said, 'Ah, I'm happy.'"

"That song came about when I was round my parents' house one Sunday evening. I started playing this riff on a crappy guitar I kept there. Angie - who's now my wife - was with me and she kept saying, 'That's really good!' I was panicking because I had nothing to record it on, so we decided to drive to Morrissey's, because he had a tape recorder. I sat in the back of the car playing the riff over and over so I wouldn't forget it. On the way, as is her want, Angie kept saying, 'Make it sound more like Iggy'. I was just hoping Morrissey would be in. Well, I knew he would be, he was always in. When we got there he was a bit taken aback, it hadn't been arranged and it was a Sunday night-unheard of! He let me in and I played the riff and he said, 'That's very good'. About five days later we were rehearsing and Morrissey wanted to play the song. When we heard the vocals to that we were all like,wow... From then on it was always going to be the first single."

- Johnny Marr

I have uploaded a Guitar Pro tab file here.


Here is the complete score from the "Louder Than Bombs:Off The Record" book:
















Here are the tabs from the Singles book:










Here are the scans from the Smiths Best Complete Score:












Here are the scans from the Complete Chord Dictionary:





Here's the scans from the debut album piano song book with guitar chords:





Here's AX100G's version, which is the only one I could find at this time. He does a great job though:



Here's a cool acoustic version from thirdynumberone:




He also did a great version on electric:




Here's juttkeys on his tele:




tnyhung does a great version on a Les Paul:




Another awesome version by johnnymare:




Here's a great version by Jonasmacca:




Here's davidguitarist91 on his Les Paul: