I've never previously attempted to put together a single disc version of Physical Graffiti, but last week I decided to give it an attempt. I then remembered there was a thread on the topic from my early days on this forum so I will post about it here.
My main aim was to create a single album for my own listening pleasure, as opposed to an attempt to best-guess what the band would have released on a single LP. However, I did want to ensure that my version ran to a realistic time for the vinyl era. I therefore decided to focus on the eight 'new' songs recorded at Headley Grange in 1974 as opposed to the earlier outtakes that made up the rest of the album. The combined running time of these eight songs is about 52 minutes, which could have fitted on a single LP but practically this would have led to reduced sound quality so I aimed for a more realistic maximum runtime of 45 minutes. This meant at least one track would have to be cut, but in order to accommodate seven tracks (the same as Zeppelin’s next two albums), one of the three longest tracks (In My Time of Dying, Kashmir and In The Light) would have to be dropped. Cutting Kashmir (which I now love, unlike when I lasted post in this thread!) was unthinkable to me, so it was between ‘Dying’ and ‘Light’ – I kept the former at the expense of the latter out of personal preference.
I then started to give consideration to creating a tracklist, trying to ensure that both 'album sides' had a reasonably realistic runtime. I decided to retain Custard Pie and Sick Again as the album opener and closer respectively as I think they perform those roles well on the album proper. I put In My Time of Dying at the end of side 1 with Kashmir at the start of side 2, as I felt Kashmir was better suited to opening the second half of the album. Ten Years Gone was given the penultimate slot on side 2, which seemed the correct place for the most laid-back of the remaining songs. The remaining two tracks then fell into place, with Trampled Under Foot on side 1 and The Wanton Song on side 2 to balances the length of the two album sides, giving me the following tracklist (the dash denotes the end of side 1/start of side 2):
1. Custard Pie (4:14)
2. Trampled Under Foot (5:37)
3. In My Time of Dying (11:06)
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4. Kashmir (8:28)
5. The Wanton Song (4:10)
6. Ten Years Gone (6:33)
7. Sick Again (4:43)
Side 1 has a runtime of 20:53 and Side 2 has a runtime of 23:52, giving an overall time of 44:46, approximately the same length as Presence (released the following year).
I love Physical Graffiti as it is and am very glad it was released as a double album, but I was pleased with the song selection and sequencing of my single disc version and it provided a highly satisfying alternative listen. With the benefit of hindsight, had I kept In The Light (8:47) rather than In My Time of Dying, I would probably have been able to fit in another relatively short track on side 1 - Houses of the Holy (4:02) would be the best candidate as it is shorter than The Rover (5:37) but a stronger song than the other outtakes. Had I done so I would probably have put Kashmir at the end of side 1 with In The Light on side 2, making the single disc more of a true abridged version of the double album. Something I’d happily try out another time…
