Unlike my friend Dave, who has an uncanny ability to recall when and where he first heard and bought a record plus how much he paid for it (!), I don’t often recall such minutiae. But I do remember that the day I bought this, the debut album by Liverpool’s Yachts, I also bought the first album by The B-52’s. That was a good days shopping and I still have both. Coincidentally both albums came with bonus 7” singles inside.

Yachts were formed by Liverpool art students and had initially been named Albert Dock & the Cod Warriors, under which guise they opened for the Sex Pistols in Liverpool in 1976. Although coming to the world at the height of Punk via Stiff and Radar Records they were a more 60’s influenced Power Pop combo, decidedly in the New Wave camp and with tongue somewhat firmly inserted in cheek. Yachts weren’t a comedy band by any means but there is a hint of a cheeky sense of humour hanging around everything. Much of the 60’s feel was supplied by their most famous alumni, Henry Priestman and his Vox Continental style keyboards. Henry would go on to greater success with It’s Immaterial (“Driving Away From Home” anyone ?) and The Christians and is still making music under his own name which is well worth investigating.

Yachts released their debut single “Suffice To Say” on Stiff Records in September of 1977. It was a full year before they released second single (the quite fantastic) "Look Back in Love (Not in Anger)" but this time, like a number of former Stiff artists (Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe), on Radar Records. The album “Yachts” was recorded in New York with producer Richard Gottehrer (who had previously been responsible for 60’s bubblegum hits like “I Want Candy”, “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “Hang On Sloopy” and had co-founded Sire Records with Seymour Stein). Somehow the tapes were held up at customs on the way back to the UK necessitating a remix for “technical reasons” on eventual arrival back home.

Standout songs include the opening “Box 202” a song about computer dating from as far back as 1979, the crunching “Heads Will Turn” and the singles “Love You, Love You” and “Yachting Type”. Critic Robert Christgau said of the album “You have to hand it to a group that can give itself such a ridiculous name and then come up with credible songs called 'Yachting Type' and 'Semaphore Love.' Actually…even the one structured around the word 'tantamount.' “ …he’s referring to Tantamount To Bribery”…). If you like Costello, Joe Jackson and The B-52’s I’m gonna stick my neck out and say you’ll enjoy Yachts.

This is another album I own more than one copy of. On its release it was packaged up with a bonus live 7” featuring the songs “Suffice To Say” and “On And On” and in two different coloured sleeves, one with metallic blue stripes and one with metallic red stripes on the front. I own both colour sleeves and my blue sleeved copy has the bonus 7” included.

Yachting Type - https://youtu.be/Aj203ln8nwc?si=NNz6aPXd7GP-IqjG