I agree, it is what the song needs, and some are better without solos, my beef is with the people who pooh pooh lead guitar, and say it's not cool to wank in public, personally I dont think it's cool to cry/scream/wail/leap about like a deranged moron (like virtually all nu-metal singers) in public
my thoughts on this are just that the focus of a band has shifted from the band as a whole to the frontman, I read so many reviews where all they do is praise the singer and phrases like 'the rest of the band do a good support job' get on my nerves, the musical members are usually the ones who write the damn songs! the singer in my old band couldnt play any instruments at all and was always very in awe of myself or the bassist and drummer, but this isnt always the case, musicianship goes out of the window and I find it frustrating that people dont appreciate it.
mind you, I think that soon a band will come along, sound slightly generic and then a guitarist will rip into a solo, the look on everyone's faces in the crowd would kick ass ;)