Welcome to the 2025 Vocals by Dave Yarin website – please be seated. No glossy production or special effects on these vocals, no autotune or pitch correction in this home studio joint – just keepin’ it real for my listeners.
First, my latest releases playlist. Below the latest releases, there are playlists for the Piano Men: a “Dave sings Billy” playlist (the Billy Joel song Everybody Loves You Now was recorded at Hush Money Music Studio in Los Angeles and was engineered, produced, mixed and mastered by Beatle); and a “Dave sings Elton” playlist; followed by “Other Recent Releases” and “Vocals by Dave Yarin – Greatest Hits From The Past” playlists. With thanks to Brian Lee of Grammy award winning Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Studios here in Maine for mixing and mastering a few of those songs. And for those of you who can’t get enough holiday music, scroll to the very bottom of this page.
Thanks to Adriana Balic for teaching me how to actually sing instead of yell, and finding the emotion in the songs. Thanks to my friends who listened. But big big thanks to my lovely wife Beth and awesome kids Jennifer and Michael for a lot of listening to the good, the bad, and yes the ugly at times; and some great feedback too! Michael (aka “Beatle”) – the LA music producer, engineer and entrepreneur – taught me a heckuva lot about singing and recording. He oughta know – it’s what he does. And thanks to you for listening. Please drive home safely!!
Upcoming Gigs!
Friday July 25th, 2025; 6-9 PM; Stella’s On The Square (outdoor garden)
Bridgton, ME
https://allevents.in/bridgton/dave-yarin-live/200028115197010#google_vignette
https://facebook.com/events/s/dave-yarin-live/1412749406393062/
Please use the “Contact Dave” tab at the top of this page for Dave Yarin booking info!
Latest Releases
Dave sings Billy
As a fellow Long Islander and MOT, I’ve loved Billy’s music for as long as I can remember. Studying The Stranger’s album sleeve, pictures, liner notes and lyrics as a 10-year old when it came out – and all of Billy’s albums going forward, I worked my way back to his older music through the Songs In The Attic live album. Awesome piano playing and songwriting aside, I’ve always loved the range in Billy’s singing voice and the way that he used it – particularly for a guy who never took voice lessons. And he could sing all genres – rock, ballads, doo wop 50’s…you name it. Long Island’s own…Billy Joel – as sung by me.
Commissioned Work (aka more Billy Joel)
I was commissioned to provide the vocals – set to Billy Joel’s Piano Man – to this video which, along with the creative lyrics – were created by my customer to honor his late mother-in-law. Audio recording mixed and mastered by the one and only Beatle. Sing us a song to honor Perk! Watch the video here… https://youtu.be/qZqG7FaCikE
Dave Sings Elton
Everyone talks about Elton and Billy’s piano playing…for obvious reasons, but I was always awed by their vocals. Elton’s range, his style, his vocal emotion was and remains amazing. The playlist includes 3 songs from my favorite Elton album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: the title track, and 2 songs you don’t hear as often (Sweet Painted Lady and Roy Rogers) – that are part of the reason why this album remains one of my all-time favorites from cover to cover. And before you say “Hey Dave, isn’t Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds a Beatles song?” – Elton did an awesome cover of it, so I included it on this playlist. Thank you Elton.
Other Recent Releases
A note regarding “China Girl” on the playlist below. I’ve always loved David Bowie – as both musician and person, and always loved this song. Killer blues guitar on the original recording was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Before you judge the song, here is it’s true meaning as The Washington Post reported:
“If you ever took Bowie for what was on the surface, you were missing something,” said Tiffany Naiman, whose work on Bowie was published in “David Bowie: Critical Perspectives.” “I think he was well aware of his elite cosmopolitanism. He was able to move through different cultures because of his privilege but he understood otherness and wanted to highlight that.”
“Bowie was donning the role of a racist womanizer not only to decry racist womanizing but to condemn the West’s demeaning view of the East as a whole. “China Girl” was a parody of racism and stereotyping.”
“The message that they have is very simple,” Bowie said. “It’s wrong to be a racist!”
More songs I’ve sung fairly recently…
This one goes out to my lifelong brothers that I grew up with and remain my brothers 55 years later. I let Roger be Roger on this recording (as suggested by one of those brothers – Marc), while I took the Pete Townshend vocals. Such a great song. “I’ll sing my heart out to the infinite sea”
One of the first songs I can ever remember liking, with a true story behind it. Paul and John had repaired their relationship to the point that John was going to join Paul in New Orleans in late 1974 – early 1975 to write and record a few songs together on the Wings album (“Venus and Mars”) on which this song appeared. But at the last minute John cancelled; having just found out that Yoko was pregnant with Sean. They very sadly didn’t get an opportunity to write and record together again.
Here’s a blast from the 80s past! I always enjoyed this song in its original form, but then the group did an acoustic version some time later and took it up a few notches, so here’s the acoustic version…
Such a beautiful song, and amazing vocals from one of my all-time favorite singers – Robert Plant. The dynamics and range in his voice, especially earlier in his career – but even now, are out of this world.
While I’m not yet 64, I’ve accomplished the first line of the song…
Vocals by Dave Yarin – Greatest Hits From The Past
Next Album
Mrs. Gibson – our grade school music teacher – taught us this one, lyrics on ditto paper and all. She asked us to guess who we thought the song was about. Guesses?
Before Sheryl Crow sampled the guitar part for All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun, and before Gerry Rafferty did Baker Street, he did this. If you want to have more fun with this song, see Malcolm In The Middle, Season 1 – Episode 11. Not as much fun in the movie Reservoir Dogs.
My very favorite Who song…every component of this amazing band was on display in this song; the raw energy and power that was and remains The Who.
Here’s a blast from the past – a one hit wonder; one more than I’ve had but this is one of those “Oh yeah remember this song?” Scratch version I missed the timing with my backup singers here and there and promptly fired them from the band, but what can ya do? Happy 4th of July! And Rock On!
I love the energy of a live audience. Now I just need to find a live audience. Thank you Beth, Seaver and Stella for coming to my show!
We were watching Fleishman Is In Trouble – great show (and book). They were playing this song in one of the episodes and I said “Dang it that’s one of my favorite Neil Diamond tunes.” So here ya go…
…In honor of the documentary of the same name that came out a couple of years ago. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. The video and dialogue between John, Paul, George and Ringo (and Billy Preston) are so clear that it feels like these events happened last week or something. I know, I know but just let me have my dream ok? This has always been one of my faves from the Fab Four, and I really came to appreciate John’s lead guitar work on this song. From the rooftop of Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row in Central London…
Jerry Lee Lewis wrote this humorous little ditty, and I enjoy Rod Stewart’s cover. The instrument track was in a lower key than I wanted to sing it in, so I cranked it up a few steps, which is why the mouth harp sounds a little funny in the background…
The great Nile Rodgers produced this song and album (and I believe played guitar on this song), and combined with John Taylor’s bass playing it made for an absolutely fantastic soulful funk album. This was my favorite song off that album. Come to think of it, Nile Rodgers produced David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album that China Girl (above) is on. No doubt that Nile Rodgers is one of the greatest musicians, performers and producers there is.
Because who among us didn’t have an imaginary childhood friend? Mazel Tov Neil!
Back around 1977 and already really into music, my grandma took me to Newberry’s (the “five and dime“) to buy me my first record album. Truth is before I got really into The Beatles, my first musical memories are of Paul McCartney’s solo music, and the best I could tell my grandmother at the time was that “this guy was once in a really big band.” Understatement of the century. Anyway, my grandmother bought me a Paul McCartney live album, of which one of the songs on it is this one. Oh and by the way…here’s the album. Still with me after all these years…
To ma boys, ma homies, my Green Acres MOTs. Five guys who grew up loving The Who. The Who forevah. Best friends and brothers forevah.
This is a song called Plush.
Happy Holidays!
A playlist of ten of my favorite Christmas songs below…as sung by moi. RIP Jimmy Buffett (born on December 25th) and Tom Petty. John Mellencamp – for my Indiana family! Elvis. Elton being Elton. Combining Motown and U2 is like putting chocolate and peanut butter together, and I’ve loved the John Lennon and Greg Lake songs ever since I can remember remembering. I first heard Please Come Home For Christmas by The Eagles when I was a kid, but over time I’ve discovered several other versions that are equally as good, the best of which is by Aaron Neville. Ten of my favorite Christmas songs, with Happy Holiday wishes from me and the “band” to everyone!
“I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear“