Information/Write-up
Recorded live in the summer of 1970, We’re All In This Together stands as one of the most ambitious—and chaotic—community recording events ever attempted in Canadian popular music. Conceived in the immediate post-Woodstock moment, the project aimed to capture a large-scale, participatory gospel-rock performance built around Mike McQueen’s song of the same name, reimagined as a mass expression of unity and collective optimism.
The recording took place inside St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Toronto, where hundreds of participants—singers, musicians, media figures, and members of the public—were invited to fill the building for a live session documented by both audio engineers and a CBC television crew. Candles were distributed at the door, and the atmosphere was deliberately framed as ceremonial rather than commercial. Contemporary reports described the gathering as a cross-section of Toronto’s counterculture and music community, assembled with the explicit intention of creating what organizers called “one of the biggest music freakouts of the century.”
At the center of the performance was Tobi Lark, an American soul vocalist newly established in Canada and already known for her commanding presence on stage. Her impassioned lead vocal anchors the recording, even as it competes with the sheer density of voices and instruments surrounding her. Supporting musicians included figures drawn from Toronto’s professional rock and studio scene, while the musical architecture of the event was shaped by arranger and conductor Ben McPeek, whose role was crucial in organizing the otherwise unwieldy ensemble into a recordable form.
Despite (or perhaps because of) its rough-edged execution, We’re All In This Together resonated with the public. Issued in the fall of 1970, the single climbed to #38 on RPM’s national charts, outperforming earlier, more conventional versions of the song. Press coverage at the time emphasized the event’s spirit rather than its precision, describing the session as an act of communal expression rather than a polished studio production.
Although the record later slipped into obscurity, it remains a revealing artifact of its moment: a document of scale, idealism, and the willingness of Canadian producers and arrangers—McPeek chief among them—to test the outer limits of what a pop recording could be.
-Robert Williston
Musicians
Tobi Lark: lead vocals
Kim Mitchell: lead guitar
George Semkiw: rhythm guitar
Gord Waszek: 12-string guitar
Jim Morgan: bass
Ray Reeves: organ
Ben McPeek: piano
Craig Richardson: tambourine
John deNottbeck: drums
Dave Cairns: drums (‘Freedom Train’)
Massed chorus: credited ensemble
Peter Foley, Patty Foley, Dick Loek, Susan Paul, Stephanie Gates, Mike Gates, Rona Posen, Marty Posen, Keith Box, Brian McLellan, Jim Chevalier, Evelyn Chevalier, Carol Ellis, Steve Smith, Mike Bowness, Colin Gamble, Anna Gamble, Jerry Toth, Lucille Toth, Gary Box, Peter Donato, Carol Luck, James T. Inch, Ian Scott, Mark Smith, Gail Martin, Tom McCartney, Tina May Campbell, Dale Sharpe, Anne Munro, Green Box, Trudy Box, Bill Dureen, Heather Dureen, Tracy Richardson, Shirley Richardson, De-Anne Tyler, Krys Koslowski, Neil Martince, Linda Stevenson, Margaret Vollum, Ted Vollum, Maureen Vollum, Inez Fredenberg, George Niven, Trevor Wilson, Ruth Atwood, Peter Wells, Jack Simmons, Marilyn Christie, Pam Milliken, Margo Morrison, Geraldine Cormack, Elizabeth Shaw, Jennifer Shaw, Jocelyn Shaw, Wm. Shaw, Chris Macintosh, Randall Smith, John Harris, Cindy Bray, Jane Clower, Paul Swartz, Mike Hardman, Debbie O’Donnell, Donna Wych, Sharon McAdoo, Cory Peters, Ken Lockwood, Judy Baddington, Darr Cook, Ingrid Phillips
Songwriting
‘We’re All In This Together’ written by Mike McQueen
‘Freedom Train’ written by Tobi Lark and John deNottbeck
Production
Arranged by Ben McPeek, John deNottbeck, and the band
Produced by Terry Vollum and John deNottbeck
Engineered by Dave Greene at A&R Studios
Recorded live at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, Toronto, Ontario
Executive producer: Jack Richardson
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