Catalog numbers are like the spine labels on books—great for keeping shelves tidy, but they don’t dictate how the songs are laid out. The artist, producer, and sometimes the label decide the flow, the emotional arc, the quiet moments, the head‑banging peaks. It’s almost sacrilege to shuffle a tracklist out of that ordained order. I keep my collection the way the vinyl itself wants it, not alphabetized by number or title. That flow, that sequencing, feels like a liturgy. So yeah, the numbering helps with inventory, not with the sacred ordering of tracks.

Glad you agree—no one wants a playlist that skips the middle track mid‑swing just because the label said “Track 5.” Just remember to put the catalog number on the back of the sleeve if you ever need to pick the exact copy that came out on 12‑oct‑1973. Keeps the ritual intact, but still lets the album breathe.