...and 'Abbey Road' fit.
Ah, but then they undermined that with Let It Be. Abbey Road should have been their swansong as far as studio albums go, but there you go.
The band themselves didn't undermine it. Others around them did (though you could put John Lennon in that "others" group, since he gave the tapes - in desperation - to Phil Spector.
I think it makes a difference if the band knows it's the end. I don't think REM's "Collapse Into Now" is the same album if they knew it was the last one when they made it.
I think Queen is the second or third best example (with the Beatles). The best? Glen Campbell. Two months before he passes, he releases his last studio album, and the final song is called "Adios".
I got to leave you on the California coast
Going where the water's clear and the air is cleaner
Than the California Coast
Our dreams of endless summers
They were just too grandiose
Adiós, adios
And I'll miss the blood red sunset
But I'll miss you the most
Adios, adios
Adios, adios
Sorry, huge Rush fan, but I think the "ending" of Clockwork Angels is a little over-rated. I also disagree with "The Endless River" as a miss; it is a tremendous epitaph for Rick Wright, a major part of the Floyd sound. It's a great album, especially at this stage of the career, but it's a little hyperbolic to say "/thread". It's not even top five for me.
1. The Beatles
1. Glen Campbell
3. Queen
4. Genesis (with Phil - "Fading Lights")
5. Mother Love Bone