01 Ampère's Law 3:19
Words and Music ©2001 Walter Fox Smith
Our very first song about electromagnetism. Perhaps it's yours, too! When not writing songs, Walter Smith teaches physics at Haverford College, where some of us were once students. You can see more of his work at www.PhysicsSongs.org.

02 Mosé salió de Misrayim 5:13
Traditional
A Sephardic Jewish song from Morocco, which we recorded way back in 1992 on our first album. We brought it back to our repertoire in the spring of 2001 for a Passover concert. The words are in Ladino - a medieval Spanish written with the Hebrew alphabet - with a bit of Hebrew. The story is of Moses' youth, when he left Egypt (Misrayim), married, and climbed Mount Horeb for some career guidance.

03 A Rat in Her Pocket (tunes) 5:12
Traditional
"Tobin's Favorite" (jig), "The Trip to Durrow" and "Cottage in the Grove" (reels)
A little collection of Irish music that we've played on and off since 1997. We're not sure of the name of the last tune, it might be called "Lad O'Beirne's." The title of the set was provided by Mike Ciul in an audience competition. (The runner-up title was "Defenestrate the Turnips.")

04 With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm 6:03
Words and Music: R.H. Weston and Bert Lee
With "Ternovka Sher" by Dave Tarras
This escaped music-hall convict has gotten to be so much fun on stage that we couldn't possibly leave it out of a live album. All together now... AIEEEEEEEEEEE!!! OK, how many decapitations was that?

05 Homeless Wassail 3:31
Words and Music ©1998 by Ian Robb, SOCAN
Arrangement by Tom Rhoads
Over the years we have had several a capella pieces in our sets. This is the most recent, and appropriate to the season of the concert. The author, Ian Robb, is an Englishman long resident in Canada, a great singer and a member of the group Finest Kind.

06 Whirly Whorl 6:18
Traditional
With "William and Nancy" and "Postman's Knock"
A jaunty, naughty little song we first heard from a recording by Anne Briggs. The arrangement welds in a couple of morris tunes - a kind of tribute to the '70's Albion Band.

07 When Britain Really Ruled the Waves 3:52
From "Iolanthe" (words: W.S. Gilbert; music: Arthur S. Sullivan)
A somber, thoughtful examination of the role of the House of Lords in world history. Well, maybe not! Ashley and Jim get increasingly prog-ish, while Tom overdoes the vibrato.

08 Romanian Fantasy #1 3:52
Josef Solinski
Helene picked this up from Solinski's recording, but it developed a less traditional feel once the rhythm section got hold of it. Our pet name for this one is "Yummy Klezmer."

09 Mr faare mit dr SBB 4:51
Words and Music by Walter Wild
With "Ein Neue Alte" (traditional)
Everybody loves a train, and it seems the Swiss are no exception. Jim and Helene heard this song on an in-flight audio program on Swissair, and tracked it down so that it could be converted into a beer garden stomp. (The SBB is the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen - the Swiss national railway.)

10 Sheath and Knife 6:32
Words: Traditional (Child Ballad #16)
Music: Anonymous (French madrigal, "Mignonne, allons voir si la rose")
The obligatory Child ballad... We first recorded this gripping song in 1996 when we were a trio, but the live version took on a new life when the band expanded to a quintet.

11 New York Girls (extended Klez mix) 9:34
Traditional
With "Broyges Tanz" (traditional), "Galitzianer Tansel" (Shloimke Beckerman), and "Beckerman Honga" (adapted by Joshua Horowitz).
Well, it just wouldn't be a Broadside concert if we didn't play this. Every now and then we add another tune to challenge ourselves.

12 Por la tu puerta 5:57
Traditional
Another Sephardic song, this time from Turkey. This tender (if slightly muddled) love song has been performed since 1991 by all four lineups of Broadside Electric, but this is its first appearance on disc. The verses are in Ladino, the chorus in Turkish.