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 has 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'.

The intense touring schedule which ultimately had 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'. The album included some of the very best recordings of the post 1984 era. Outside producer Michael Bradford helped write some of the strongest 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, delighting huge audiences worldwide. One highlight of their 2005 American tour 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 very well in many parts of the world. Although it failed to make any impact in the UK and USA, it has apparently sold one million copies worldwide; making it the most successful Deep Purple studio album since Perfect Strangers. Deep Purple have continued to tour almost incessantly since the album's release, and continue to play to large audiences around the globe. The story most definitely goes on...

.... 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 One hour of often brilliant music. The European edition included bonus track 'MTV', the bonus in Japan was 'Things I Never Said'. RAPTURE OF THE DEEP mp3 • DPAS PREVIEW • FIRST IMPRESSIONS • DPAS ONLINE STORE • DISCOGRAPHY
RAPTURE OF THE DEEP Double CD 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 the Japanese edition. DPAS ONLINE STORE (both EU and Japanese editions available) • DISCOGRAPHY

.... 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

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