The Cars pulled off the nearly impossible in the late '70s: translating sleek New Wave into chart-topping arena rock. Ric Ocasek, Ben Orr, and their Boston bandmates were classic rock 'n' rollers under their skinny ties; early singles like “Just What I Needed” and “My Best Friend's Girl” boasted sharp hooks, slash-and-burn guitars, and dizzying vocal harmonies. In the '80s they modernized their sound on the kinetic, keyboard-splashed “Shake It Up,” and with the 1984 MTV staple “Drive,” they proved to be synth-pop perfectionists too.