Yes agree to your reflections. Living in a small town with no record shop I used the Internet the last 15 years and inform myself from Discogs.
My collection is catalogued in my PARADOX database. But if you have - as mentioned- different recordlabels,coverart, LP-/or CD-number for reissues, the content is the only way to be on the right track.
Have also a great part of titles from my collection in a track Index with playing time to find out are the tracks originals or abridged versions. Pacific Jazz for example had often different versions of the same track to name just one example for these problens.
We collectors have to live with the situation as you say. 😬
Now this is really a great album.
Have the 'Inner City' version