No Roots, No Fruits – Eddie Sung

This is a fun Rock & Roll and Investment-Themed Blog about No Roots, No Fruits OR No Sow, No HARVEST!

It is also a Tribute to my all-time favourite Neil Young album, “Harvest“.

My Weathered June 2003 Virginia “Harvest” Used License Plate (above image).

There are Three Rules of Life you cannot run away from – 1) respecting earth’s Gravity, 2) paying your Taxes and 3) reaping what you Sow.The first two, you got no say. The third solely rests on your shoulders (toil) and spine (integrity).

Reap What You Sow

If you want to be blessed, don’t futilely wait to be blessed, go bless someone. The blessing will come to you.

If you want to be rich and retire young, go work hard and save your hard-earned savings. Invest those savings. Let compounding interest do it’s magic. Do read my “Compounding Interest & The Significance of 20”, “Paid Cash” and “Life: Ladders & Snakes” blogs on compounding interest and investments.

When you are young and able, what work/life balance are you talking about? There’s only unfair Work Imbalance when you’re starting on your career. There’s only hard work. And more hard work.

You start at the dingy basement of the corporate hierarchy before slowly ascending to the top floor of the building, in the corner office with panoramic views of the city.

I’m talking about hard-earned honest money for the above example. Of course, there’s also the fast-track, illegal, glamorous path, but if you get caught by the AI-surveillance eyes and long arms of the Law; instead of gold bars, you’ll be staring at the bars in your jail cell. For a long time.

The first half of your Life should be laboriously gathering nuts. The second half of your Life is living off your laboriously gathered nuts, sharing some with your loved ones. It’s Harvest time!

Now for my Tribute to Neil Young’s “Harvest” album, one of my all-time favourite mythical albums. It ranks up there with George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”, John Lennon’s “Imagine”, Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland”, Led Zeppelin’s “Vol.4” and “Woodstock” albums. There’s an investment element in this album. More on this later.

My Neil Young “Harvest” CD/DVD Audio Collection (above image). My 50th Anniversary (2022) Box Set, (2002) DVD Audio, Remastered( 2009) CD and Mojo magazine’s Harvest (2011) supplement.

Neil Young was only 27 years old when his elegant “Harvest” album was released in 15 February 1972. The 9-month studio recording was from 30 January to 28 September 1971. Recorded at the apex of his song-writing creativity, the album even featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks, recorded in London.

The ten songs on the album are all masterpieces about life, aging and drugs. No album fillers. My faourite songs are “Heart Of Gold”, “Out On The Country”, “Old Man”, “The Needle And The Damage Done”, and “Harvest”, in that order.

The album was recorded at his Broken Arrow Ranch which he wisely bought in 1970, with the money he mostly reaped from his “Deja Vu” album with Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, and from his third solo “After The Gold Rush” album.

Neil Young was only 25 years old when he invested in the 1,400-acre Broken Arrow Ranch for US$350,000, where he lived for the next four decades. Neil went on to invest in other prime properties, probably paying outright cash for them.

Decades before I followed the investment prowess of Warren Buffet (post-MBA), as a teenager (pre-MBA) I was already scrutinising the astute property-focused acquisitions of Neil Young, the hippie property tycoon.

The “Harvest” album cover was designed by legendary art director extraordinaire Tom Wilkes. Do read my “Tom Wilkes” blog on this creative man and his album cover masterpieces.

As a young aspiring rock photographer, I was also following the brilliant photography of Joel Bernstein. These days, I am proud to be a photographer colleague of Mr. Bernstein at the legendary Morrison Hotel Gallery.