Some bands/artists get marketed the right way and exist despite a lack of talent. Some bands manage to get contracts and have impressive debuts, but fall off the face of the earth.

David & David's Boomtown is as good as any album that came out in the '80s. But they were a one-off album for various reasons (one of those reasons was drugs). I've read that one of these guys went off and made a decent album or two on his own.

Freddy Jones Band - Waiting for the Night was southern-tinged rock album that recalled the Alman Bros as well as not-so-country acts like Blue Rodeo. But they may have been too prone to jamming than some people wanted in the mid '90s, and they weren't grunge. I bought their 1997 Lucid album and it was anything but lucid.

Any others?