Band with highest success/talent ratio?

Tocchet, it's that recovery "with more success than ever" than lands them on my list. What was their last great song? Janie's got a Gun? Hardly... It was Walk this Way, approximately, a good decade before their newfound success.
I agree with you about Sprinsteen. I've often felt Springsteen is for people who don't like music but feel the need to tell people something when asked what kind of music they like.
BTW This whole thread is going to be very subjective. I can't stand Aerosmith (after 1980) or Kiss. Maybe you can't stand Radiohead. That doesn't mean either of us is wrong. Just different tastes.
I thought it would be interesting to see who other people thought were undeserving of wild success, and it has been so far.
Keep 'em coming!

Really, Michael Jackson? Interesting choice! At least mathematically, that numerator (success) is pretty large. So it would be hard for his talent to measure up to his success, but I think in some ways it does. Or did.

I don't care that he's not a group but Justin Beiber has least talent I've seen in a long time. I could go on a rant but I think it's self evident. The Monkeys are deserving of mention.

I looked at some lists of most successful rock bands..

Fact is most of them have substantial talent enough to justify their success. Success is easier to measure quantitatively. Units sold, dollars earned, whatever. Talent is a more qualitative assessment. fact is most acts that hit it big have talent, whether you like their act or not. How much they have is harder to assess.

So for me, the acts that had success but for the most part did not even write, help produce or perform their own material are the ones that are most likely the winners.

Actually, based on this, I would scratch "The Chipmunks" of the list. There was a real guy named David that produced and performed most of their hits under "The Chipmunks" moniker. He even won some Grammy's for his work in 1959, I think I read. So there was some unique talent there as well.

The Monkees actually did record and perform their material later on I believe, so there was even some real talent (albeit significantly supplemented behind the scenes) there as well.

Even with the Partridge Family, David Cassidy did sing lead and Shirley Jones backup vocals there.

Ever hear Shirley Jones sing in her "Oklahoma" prime? No doubt there was considerable talent there, abeit not a big part of "The Partridge Family's" success.

David Cassidy, not so much talent really IMHO.

So I'll stick with them as the winners, assuming animated acts performed by anonymous session musicians (who have real talent) do not count.

In their heyday I would say Chicago.