Continuing with radio transcriptions of the 1960's this week. Featuring the Hollywood Bowl debut of 25 year-old Wunderkind Indian Conductor Zubin Mehta, who began his long association with the orchestra in 1961 with this performance, featuring pianist Byron Janis, of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, recorded by the Armed Forces Radio Service on August 1, 1961.

Mehta was something of a shot-in-the-arm for the Orchestra, which had gone through much of the previous decade in the musical doldrums, highlighted by the occasional guest conductor or soloist. Mehta brought enthusiasm back to the orchestra and the audience, by introducing a lot of adventuresome programming and trying unconventional things. Who could ever forget the L.A. Phil and The Mothers Of Invention at UCLA? Zubin Mehta came along and was at the right place at the right time.

And this recording is right about where it all started.

Another one of those concerts that hasn't seen the light of day since it was recorded. Even though it was pressed by AFRTS for use overseas, it's not likely it got a lot of airplay. And it certainly hasn't been reissued.

So yes, we're looking at yet another rarity here. Lucky you.

Todays latest on the saga of Murdoch comes minus radio reports, as the BBC is currently on strike in their news divisions and the regularly scheduled information programs are replaced by bare-bones minimum news headlines.

But suffice to say it's been an interesting Monday, leading in from the weekend, where BkyB reportedly gave a vote of confidence to James Murdoch and the go ahead to stay as head of the unit (for now). That said, there have been reports the past several days, and surfacing again today that a movement is afoot by disgruntled shareholders in Newscorp that Rupert Murdoch should be unseated and relinquish his power-grip on the empire. A civil suit has been filed by shareholders. This is all based on gathered evidence that suggests Newscorp did in fact hack the phones of 9/11 victims Stateside, although the Attorney General has yet to issue a report on any findings. The storm clouds are more than gathering on this side of the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, back in the UK - It was reported to The Guardian today that Tech firm HCL has uncovered evidence it was aware of thousands of deleted e-mails from News International between April 2010 and July 2011. Although HCL adds it was not directly responsible for the mass deletion, but said an as-yet unnamed vendor was responsible and that HCL merely cooperated with the vendor with deletions. All registering surprise, please raise you hands. Yeah, I thought so.

It just continues to get more interesting as the hours and days past.

Of course, my immediate question, with regards to our Stateside investigations, is how much mass deletion has taken place over here, particularly since the UK story broke and all attention was was directed to the goings on in London? Certainly several weeks/months of heads-up could wipe out an immense amount of damaging information.

Hopefully the strike will be over soon at the BBC (two weeks ago it was a 24 hour walk out) and more light will be shed by tomorrow.

Until then. It doesn't even do any good to use your imagination, unless you have your feet firmly planted in the absurd.

On the one hand, this day was like most other August days. Congress held a 17 hour session and finally passed Tax legislation which included a huge tax reduction in oil profits helped with the participation of defecting Southern Democrats (we call them Blue Dogs now). And on the other hand, we were about to witness the first grand scale Union Busting in the form of PATCO and the now-famous Air-Traffic Controllers Strike. On this particular August 1st it was a Saturday, and all members were slated to hit the picket lines come Monday morning, unless some 11th hour negotiation proved successful.

In other news, the ongoing Hunger Strike of IRA members in Belfast's Maze Prison was taking an ominous toll, with one death reported and several other hunger strikers perilously close. Pope John Paul II, still recovering from wounds associated with his assassination attempt, had cleared another hurdle by successfully beating back a viral infection as the result of surgery.

Just another August 1st in history. Remarkably the same while strangely different.

August 1, 1981 as told by the CBS World News Roundup with Neil Strawser.