The replacement of Jon Lord with Don Airey proved not to be the huge jolt which many expected. Aside from the fact that the music barely changed direction, Airey was already well known in Purple circles as a past member of Rainbow. He had also deputised for Lord on the 2001 European Tour, and that, combined with Lord and Airey sharing the stage on the final leg of the 2002 UK Tour, lead to the least troublesome changeover in the band's history. Airey, inspired to take up keyboards having seen Deep Purple at the Rainbow back in 1972, was an adept choice, ensuring a continuation of style.

Ian Paice, Don Airey, Ian Gillan, Steve Morse, Roger Glover

Aside from a mention by Ian Gillan on Irish radio in February 2002, Jon Lord's departure was not officially announced until March, when Deep Purple were to begin a tour of Russia. Jon was given a fitting send-off however, invited back in September to share the keyboard duties on the rescheduled UK Tour. Jon's participation wasn't announced in the pre-tour publicity (though this site gave fans a strong hint). Don did the first half of the shows, the lights went down and Jon was there for the opening chords of 'Perfect Strangers'. The final show in Ipswich was as emotional an event as any in the band's long career.

Deep Purple Timeline 2002 March 17th : St .Petersburg, Russia. Don Airey's first show as a full member of Deep Purple. 2003 August: UK release of 'Bananas'. 2005 July: Three tracks performed at the 'Live 8' show in Barrie, Canada. 2005 October: UK release of 'Rapture Of The Deep'. 2013 April: UK release of 'Now What?!'.

The intense touring schedule which ultimately lead to Lord's departure did not change, nor really did the set list, which still relied heavily on Mk 2 material, although the performances were if anything becoming steadily sharper and harder.

The band did at last return to the studios, and recorded their first new album in five years. 'Bananas' appeared in August 2003 (on CD and vinyl) to virtually no fanfare in the UK, and slipped out in the US soon after. In most other territories however it was a much stronger seller than 'Abandon'. Outside producer Michael Bradford helped write some tracks on the album, but managed to keep the band's unique sound intact, aided by Airey's ability to integrate his Hammond style.

The Bananas tour lasted through into 2005. One highlight was a very well received performance at the Live8 show in Barrie, Canada. Two months later tracks from the upcoming 'Rapture Of The Deep' album were being performed in the live show. The album appeared in October, and sold well in many parts of the world. Although it failed to make any impact in the UK and USA, it apparently sold one million copies worldwide. Deep Purple continued to tour almost incessantly after the album's release, including a number of shows in 2011 where they were backed by an orchestra. 2012 was quieter on the live front, with work finally under way on a new studio album with producer Bob Ezrin at the helm..

"Now What?!" was released in April 2013 following a concerted promotional campaign and became Deep Purple's first album to break into the UK Top Twenty album chart since "House of Blue Light" in 1987. The album has been very well received, its release coming amid another round of touring due to last throughout 2013.

.... Deep Purple Mk8 Discography ....

BANANAS August 2003 - studio album The first Deep Purple studio album since 1998. Some great tracks, including Sun Goes Down and the title track. SUN GOES DOWN mp3 • LYRICS • DPAS REVIEWS • DPAS ONLINE STORE • DISCOGRAPHY	RAPTURE OF THE DEEP October 2005 - studio album The European edition includes bonus track 'MTV', the bonus in Japan was 'Things I Never Said'. Some excellent material, but suffers from poor prodction. RAPTURE OF THE DEEP mp3 • DPAS PREVIEW • FIRST IMPRESSIONS • DPAS ONLINE STORE • DISCOGRAPHY
RAPTURE OF THE DEEP Double CD 'tour' edition. Disc 1 is the extended studio album. Disc 2 includes the Japanese bonus track, two out-takes, and five live tracks from The Hard Rock Cafe, London, October 2005. DPAS ONLINE STORE • DISCOGRAPHY	LIVE AT MONTREUX 2006 June 2007 - live CD The EU version is 1xCD which omits five tracks from the show. All five are included on the 2xCD Japanese edition. DPAS ONLINE STORE (both EU and Japanese editions available) • DISCOGRAPHY
LIVE AT MONTREUX 2011 August 2011 - live CD 2xCD set recorded on the closing night of the 2011 Montreux Festival on July 16. Features Deep Purple with the accompaniment of a full symphony orchestra. DPAS ONLINE STORE	now what?! April 2013 - studio album 1xCD or 1xCD+DVD limited edition. The ltd ed. has an EPK with band interviews, and audio bonus tracks "It'll Be Me", "All The Time.." (radio edit) and two live 2005 tracks from the "Rapture.." tour edition. DPAS ONLINE STORE • DPAS review

.... Deep Purple Mk8 On DVD ....

LIVE AT MONTREUX Eagle Rock - live DVD 2xDVD set. Disc one comes from Montreux, July 15th 2006. Full show minus 'Perfect Strangers'. Disc two is a 60 min. set from The Hard Rock Cafe, London, October 2005. DPAS ONLINE STORE • DISCOGRAPHY	AROUND THE WORLD Eagle Rock - 4xDVD live box set Previously released shows from Korea 1995 and Australia 1999 (again!) plus a show from Birmingham 2002 and a documentary about the Steve Morse era. DPAS ONLINE STORE
LIVE 8 TORONTO Capitol - live DVD Single DVD features highlights of the Canadian Live 8 festival with two tracks by Deep Purple, Smoke On The Water and Hush, performed at the show in Barrie, Canada. DPAS ONLINE STORE	LIVE over zurich live DVD Ltd edition mail-order only single DVD. This was filmed at a private ten track show in December 2007, lasting about an hour, and paid for by a Swiss banker.
LIVE at montreux 2011 Eagle Rock - live DVD Single DVD filmed on the closing night of the 2011 Montreux Festival on July 16, this concert features Deep Purple with the accompaniment of a full symphony orchestra. DPAS ONLINE STORE

.... Deep Purple Mk8, Further Reading ....