If you are an instrumental-melodic guitarist, it never went away.

The solo never went away in my world as I do a lot of Hendrix covers.

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It's always been present in my existence also. I don't listen to that modern drivel.

CC

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Solos have always been in the tunes that I listen to.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I didn't know it's been away!

Maybe you've just been listening to the wrong music

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In Metallica's making of St. Anger, Kirk and Lars got into it regarding including guitar solos. Lars said that guitar solos are "very dated". Kirk responded that "Okay, but having no guitar solo is also very dated, too ... only it is dated to right now". I really liked Kirk's retort.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

As others have said it never went away.

Myself too.

I would like to add though that I haven't heard any new ones for many, many years which make me say, "Wow". YMMV.

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You dig?

those music is rare in the format radios or tv.

check the online radion stations.

cheers

new music is just awful, couldn't tell you who half of the bands that are on the radio are !

I listen almost exclusively to the blues.....solos are alive and well in my world!

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I Can't Explain

it certainly came back into pop music a few years ago with slipknots vol:3, velvet revolver, stone sour, metallicas death magnetic...... It depends what you like to listen to. As some people said it never went away, it was just in the eye of popular music. Steve Vai and Satriani were still releasing records as was Buckethead and then JOhn 5.
Sometimes you have to look for good music rather than just seeing whats on the radio.

I only listen to guitar based music and since HipHop and Tween bubble gum is being forced on the public that is irrelevant to me. Just listen to Orianthi's last single, though she caught a bad break with the passing of Jackson her label has her cutting some poppy stuff but she shredded allover it and it was a big hit which proves people still dig the guitar. I do not listen to the radio but my wife loves that song and says that whenever it is on in the car the DJs go off on how that is her playing.

As far as Metallica Lars always seemed to be the business guy in the group, and he was just trying to follow the grunge wave of no soloing as to be popular and that did not go over well with the fans. Over 80% of Grunge groups did not solo because they did not know how to, half of them were lucky if they were in tune.

jerry cantrell, kim thayil and rob deleo all used solos. Not on all of their songs, but on a the majority.

St Anger was out way after the grunge movement, it was probably more to do with the 'Nu' metal thing of people not using solos. All of metallicas albums have solos on them.