^I'd put the Stones' end point at It's Only Rock N Roll (that's the last album where I listen to them, nothing after), but that's down to personal preference. For every band like Rush who still put out great albums (like Clockwork Angels from February 2013), there's the Stones or Who pissing on their legacies when they are 2 of the all-time greats.
The Beatles, whether 100% by design or not, did it right.