>However, sometimes in my haste of the impulse purchase, I'll buy a track 
and find that it's been RE-RECORDED by the artist.<

I've been victim of that a few times--when I was a trucker, I bought a Mott
the Hoople collection at a Big Lots near Little Rock that had a cover shot
of the band--yet the disc was some Holland group recreating the hits along
with a few of its own dubious originals. The cashier understood and let me
swap for another CD.

Target was selling a Rick Nelson best-of on Curb Records, all recreations
with no disclaimer. They have scads of triple-CD sets of recreated hits by
the original artists--or a facsimile. Look closely and they might mention
this somewhere on the cover. 

And our local used shop has a Badfinger CD released by Joey Molland--with
the original line-up pictured--but at least they've slapped a stickee on the
front saying 'NOT the original group!'.

Truck stops occasionally have interesting finds--'The Filth and the Fury'
Sex Pistols documentary for $2.50 on video and a reissue of Elton John's own
sordid pre-fame past, recreating the hits of the day before fame hit.

Brad Harvey
NP: The Tages