An unreleased alternate version of the cover photograph for Marvin Gaye’s 1969 hit album M.P.G., created by Motown’s art department during the cover design process.

At first glance, this photograph looks identical to the album cover.  Upon closer inspection, it’s apparent it is slightly different.  The album cover photograph is a portrait of Gaye, made up of thousands of tiny intersecting lines—what’s called a cross-hatched effect.  The photograph here, the same image, is made up of thousands of tiny dots, a similar effect called stippling.  Both versions were made during the design process, with the crosshatched one ultimately chosen for use on the cover (see detailed images.)

This photograph came from a former Motown employee, and is cropped slightly differently to the one used on the album cover, with a bit less of Gaye’s hair at the top, and a bit more of his neckline at the bottom.  There is a label at the bottom reading ‘original photo art.’

The glossy surface photograph is in excellent condition.  With a copy of the M.P.G. album, and Recordmecca’s written lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

Print approximately 11 ½” square, archivally framed to 19 ½” square.

From Wikipedia: M.P.G. is the ninth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released in 1969 for the Tamla label. His best-selling album of the 1960s, it became Gaye’s first solo album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, peaking at No. 33, and also became his first No. 1 album on the Soul Albums Chart. Three Top 40 hits were released from the album. The title matches the initials of Gaye’s full name, Marvin Pentz Gay.

Released on April 30, 1969, the album became Gaye’s first solo album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Top Albums chart, peaking at #33, and also became his first #1 album on Top Soul Albums chart. The singles “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”, the longest-running #1 hit on the R&B charts in 1969 and a #4 Pop hit, and “That’s The Way Love Is” (#2 and #7 on the soul and pop charts, respectively) became consecutive million-sellers.