Randall, George - Through the Eyes of a Runaway b/w Surrender

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Through the Eyes of a Runaway	03:42

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Surrender	04:25

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

George Randall is a Canadian singer-songwriter and independent rock artist born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in London, Ontario. Emerging from the city’s thriving late-1980s studio scene, Randall recorded a small but distinctive body of work that reflected the DIY ethos of the era and the growing sophistication of London’s recording community. Working through his own label, Macrorock Music Inc., Randall wrote, performed, and co-produced a series of independently released 45s that combined humor, social satire, and tightly arranged rock musicianship. His debut single, I’ll Be a Pit Bull for Your Love b/w 1000 Radio Stations (1987), was recorded live at Recording Studio 107 and EMAC Recording Studios, engineered by Paul Venesoen with assistance from EMAC co-founder Rob Nation—both established figures in London’s recording scene who, along with Joe Vaughan, had built EMAC into a creative hub since its founding in 1979. The single featured guitarist Peter Schaefer, bassist John Chryssoulakis, drummer Jeff Stevens, and keyboardist Patrick Dubois, with backing vocals by Jane Colligan and Lorraine Murray.

Randall followed in 1988 with Your Love Sick Pup b/w Time Catches All (The Keys to Forever), produced by Stacy Heydon, the noted Canadian guitarist and producer who had toured with David Bowie during the Station to Station era and later worked with Iggy Pop. Recorded again at EMAC, the single showcased a more polished pop-rock sound, augmented by fiddle player Johnny Givens, keyboardist Duncan Grant, programmer Derek Black, and choir vocals from students at the London Waldorf School. Each release displayed Randall’s meticulous attention to credits, artwork, and local collaboration, often listing every musician, studio, and even participating school by name—a level of transparency rare among independent artists of the period.

Performing occasionally under the tongue-in-cheek moniker “Rev. George Randall,” he projected a self-aware mix of rock theatrics and blue-collar storytelling that resonated with Southwestern Ontario audiences. RPM Magazine noted his activity on regional radio as early as 1988, and later cited his continued work in the mid-1990s, including the CD single Love Cannot Wait and the album Small Town Promises released on Stress Records in 1994. These later efforts confirmed Randall’s persistence into the digital era while maintaining ties to London’s independent production network.

Though his releases were pressed in limited numbers and never reached national charts, Randall’s records remain prized among collectors of Canadian private-press rock for their authentic local flavor, richly documented liner notes, and connection to one of Ontario’s most creative studio communities.
-Robert Williston

George R. Scalf: lead & backing vocals
Bill De Graaf: guitars
Derek Black: drums
Jim Neil: drums
Ian Stewart: bass
Duncan Grant: keyboards
Jane Colligan: background vocals
Peter Brennan: background vocals

Written by George R. Scalf
Lyrics and arrangements by Bill De Graaf
Melody by George R. Scalf
Music by Bill De Graaf and George R. Scalf
Produced by Bill De Graaf and Peter Brennan for Metropolitan Productions
Engineered by Joe Vaughan
Recorded at EMAC Studios, London, Ontario

Cover photo by Rob Sisk
Cover concept by GRS/ACR

Special thanks: Music Mart, London, Ontario

© 1987 Macrock Music Inc., London, Ontario
Rep. CAPAC Ltd.

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