Superbad is the best flick to come out of the Apatow/Rogan love-in so far. The 40-Year Old Virgin relied on a one-note concept gag to keep it afloat and the storyline to Knocked Up was totally implausible; both were funny, but Superbad was far more human and spot-on in its characterization.

I finally got around to seeing the movie a few days ago. Aside from the lead actors, the other huge highlight of Superbad—the part I can’t believe isn’t being talked about more, the part that is not the name “McLovin”—is the soundtrack. Apatow brought on composer Lyle Workman to put together funk-fueled original material to match classic tracks by the Bar-Kays, the Ohio Players, Rick James, Curtis Mayfield, and more. Workman then looked to funk forebear Bootsy Collins, who played bass for James Brown before becoming a star member of Parliament-Funkadelic in the ’70s. Collins recruited original JBs drummers Jab’o Starks and Clyde Stubblefield, guitarist Catfish Collins, and P-Funk/Talking Heads keyboard genius Bernie Worrell.

The recording sessions were the first time the group had been together in many years, something of a historic moment for groove hounds. The tracks they cut are scortching—charts and cues written by Workman, the all-star band filling in everything else.

There’s a MySpace for the soundtrack with a few numbers, including “Funk McLovin,” which played during the film’s closing credits. The song kills: Bootsy’s half-sung prodding of the band, a space-shot keyboard solos by Bernie and Catfish, a horn chart that’s not as raunchy as Blaxploitation but just as furious and upbeat. The guys sound as intense and in the pocket as ever; the music feels wickedly vital and fresh. It’s the reason I’m going back to Broadway Video to rent the flick again.

Here’s a short documentary bit with the whole crew, discussing the soundtrack and their collective history as the architects of all things funky:

The Music of Superbad