I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseum, but what are your thoughts on guitar solos? Do you ever feel they make the song better? Or are they too "look at me?"

If there good and they fit the mood then they defintly make the song better.

Plus as a guitarist I think that they are fun as hell to play

I'm all for a solo in lieu of a sung "verse". Like the android said, if it fits the song structure and the mood of the piece, and is well-executed, I'm in favor.

If they fit, they're good.

But still, I could listen to someone like Yngwie for days.

I have been cured of my desire to listen to wankery, and have moved away from listening to a good bit of the jazz and jam that is in my collection, but solos are an important part of musical expression and communication. It's all about the taste of the occasion.

Just curious. I want to put a certain song on my obner mix exchange, but I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to edit out the first 2 minutes since it contains a long jam band-ish type of solo.

Guitar solos have been seriously abused by cats with no class or taste. Now they are fodder for Pontiac commercials.

Wrong. That's like saying the pop-song formula has been abused, and it has, but that has nothing to do with it being a valid form of expression. Some music can work just fine without solos, but others it takes the song to a whole new level.

True. However, there are cats with class and taste that can solo properly. I love listening to that.

Naked -- MHO: don't edit.

In my "former life", we did a lot of work with Gibson guitars and our most successful events were geared towards an older crowd because they actually knew the name of the guitarists in their favorite bands (i.e. - Neal Schon, Skunk Baxter, Eddie Van Halen, SRV, etc). These days, it almost seems like with production advancements/developments/changes (call it what you wish) and the rise of production driven pop/hip-hop, guitarists (and their craft) are somewhat less relevant. There are some who captivate, but, it just seems not on the same level as they once did. . .

Keep 'em short and make them ADD to the song.

That said, I can listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn play all goddamn day.
And here is one of my all-time favorite solos:
Yo La Tengo - "Pablo and Andrea"
http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WVI ... X1CZSZQEHK

it is by no means virtuosic, but is a prime example of a solo that serves the song perfectly. and yeah, i know that i shared this before, but it works in this context.

If it's strong melodically, I'm generally down. If it's technically impressive, but not melodic, I'm against it.

Technically impressive and melodic? Sure, get all Brian May on it.

people don't trade 8's enough.
that's almost always awesome.

Well, I was making a huge generalization, of course. I have very little patience for the weedala-weedala variety and (for me) that wanky stuff doesn't do much to advance a song. I guess it's different in the context of blues- or jazz-based stuff where the individual performance is paramount over the song structure. I'm not going disparage a Wes Montgomery or a SRV.

I know a guy that just floors me with his playing, but he throws the kitchen sink at every tune. No restraint, and the result is more like gymnastics rather than music. It gets silly.