The first version to be recorded during the sessions for the album was performed in the usual full band format, which bassist Tony Butler later stated "sounded fantastic".

"[2] By the time the band came to record their next album, The Buffalo Skinners, in 1992, they decided to re-record "Ships" and give it the "guitar treatment" as they expressed dissatisfaction with the version which appeared on No Place Like Home.

[8] Andrew Hirst of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner considered it to be "the quietest track on the noisy Buffalo Skinners album", but added that "it's definitely not the runt of the litter".

[9] In a review of The Buffalo Skinners, Dick Hogan of The Gazette considered the song to be a combination of Eagles' "Witchy Woman" and the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses".

"[10] Christi Conover of The Daily Herald commented: "...when things slow down for the song 'Ships', the listener discovers a beautiful utilization of piano and keyboards.